Jurbarkas
Encyclopedia
Jurbarkas is a city in Tauragė County
, Lithuania
. It is on the right-hand shore of the Neman River
at its confluence
with the tributaries Mituva
and Imsre. The town became an important road junction after a bridge was built over the Nemunas River in 1978.
, Georgenburg, built in the 13th century.
Jurbarkas has also been known by many derivate spellings in various languages throughout its history. The most notable non-Lithuanian names for the city include: in German
, Georgenburg, Jurgenburg, and Eurburg, in Polish
, Jurbork, and in Yiddish
, יורבורג, Jurborg, Jurburg, Yurburg, Yurberig, and Yurbrik.
' Ordensburg
castle of Georgenburg ("George's castle") on the Neman. This castle was constructed 3 km (1.9 mi) west of the current town on a hill now known as Bispiliukai, while the Lithuanians
built a castle on Bispulis hill by the Imsre. Although the German crusaders were often at war with the Lithuanians, Mindaugas
, King of Lithuania, did not oppose Georgenburg's construction after his conversion to Christianity
.
The castle of Georgenburg was abandoned by the Teutonic Knights after their defeat in the Battle of Grunwald
in 1410. The region was included within Lithuania in the Treaty of Melno
in 1422, and the current site of Jurbarkas began to develop as a border town and customs point, growing through the exporting of lumber
on the Neman to Ducal Prussia
. In 1586 famous chronicler Maciej Stryjkowski
became a church provost
in Jurbarkas. King Sigismund III Vasa
granted Jurbarkas its Magdeburg rights
in 1611.
In 1795 Jurbarkas was annexed by the Russian Empire
during the third partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
and was part of Vilna Governorate
, later a part of Kovno Governorate
(1843–1915). Its growth stagnated during the 19th century as traffic on the Nemunas decreased because of the rise of railways. The town was briefly liberated from the occupying Russian forces by the insurgents during the November Uprising
in 1831. Because of its riverside location, Jubarkas often suffered from floods (notably in 1862). 120 houses burned down from a fire in 1906.
Jurbarkas was for centuries a multi-ethnic community and the location of a shtetl
. During the 17th century some of the town's Jewish population were employed as tax collectors for the Lithuanian government. By 1714 Jubarkas had 2,333 Jews. By 1790 the town had a Jewish cemetery and a Wooden synagogue, one of the oldest in the region. In 1862 there were 2,550 Jews. In 1843 Emperor Nicholas I
ordered that Jews living within 50 km (31.1 mi) of the Empire's western border should relocate eastward, but Jurbarkas was one of 19 towns which disobeyed the order. The Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah
) prospered in Jurbarkas.
Many of the town's citizens left during World War I
, although some returned. It became part of Raseiniai
County in the independent Lithuania created after the war. The population decreased from 7,391 in 1897 to 4,409 in 1923. The Jewish population decreased over the same period from 2,350 to 1,887, though that represented an increase from 32% to 43%. A government census in Jurbarkas in 1931 indicated that Jews owned 69 of 75 business and 18 of 19 light industries. While Jurbarkas had been for generations a town of tolerance, during the nationalist
climate of the 1930s Jews suffered from persecution such as suppression of their commerce, physical attacks, and burning of their property.
The Soviet Union
occupied the town in 1940 during World War II
and nationalized many of the Jewish-owned companies. Jewish cultural organizations were also suppressed. Jurbarkas was invaded by Nazi Germany
on 22 June 1941, the first day of Operation Barbarossa
. Among other persecutions, Lithuanian collaborators forced the Jews to destroy the wooden synagogue. The Jewish population of Jurbarkas was systematically killed in 1941. A few dozen Jews from the town and escapees from the Kaunas Ghetto
formed a partisan
group to attack Nazi forces, although the majority were killed. A monument at the mass graves was constructed after the war to honor the Holocaust victims.
Few of Yurburg’s Jewish citizens survived World War II. Of those that did, some remained in Vilnius or Kaunas after the War, while most emigrated to Palestine, the US, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Germany, or other nations – in some cases joining family and friends who had left Lithuania before the War.
Former residents, their descendants, and scholars have chronicled Jewish life in Yurburg before, during, and after the War through memoirs, biographies, websites and a memorial. The Memorial Book of the Jewish Community of Yurburg, Lithuania was published in Hebrew in 1991 (Zevulun Poran, Editor), and was updated and translated into English in 2003 (Joel Alpert, Editor). More information on the Jewish community of Yurburg is available.
The recently (2005) completed Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin commemorates the Krelitz Family of Yurburg in the ‘Family Fates’ room of the Memorial’s Information Center located under the Memorial.
The Jewish cemetery at Yurburg stands as a lone sentinel of its once thriving and vibrant community, and one of the best preserved in a small town of Lithuania. Over 300 headstones, some dating as early the 1700s, are visible. In recent years, volunteers and government officials have made significant strides to repair, maintain and archive the headstones at the cemetery. Restoration and maintenance work at the cemetery is ongoing, and represents collaborative efforts by numerous volunteer and government organizations and individuals, including former Yurburg residents, their descendants around the world (via the US-based “Friends of the Yurburg Jewish Cemetery”), Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and groups from both inside and outside Lithuania (including the Kaunas Jewish Community Center) - as well as by dedicated local officials and residents from present-day Jurbarkas.
In 2006 United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad designated the Jewish Cemetery of Yurburg as one of its official projects.
In 2007, significant restorative work was conducted at the site by volunteers from Dartmouth University, together with volunteer students from the A. Giedraitis-Giedrius Gymnasium of Jurbarkas. A catalog of the headstones and the translated names has been placed on the web.
Jurbarkas resident and volunteer Rita Vaiva has been painstakingly re-inscribing lettering on headstones at the Yurburg Jewish Cemetery.
Taurage County
Tauragė County is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is in the west of the country, and its capital is Tauragė...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It is on the right-hand shore of the Neman River
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
at its confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
with the tributaries Mituva
Mituva
Mituva is a river in the western part of Lithuania . It is a tributary of the Nemunas River. The Mituva originates 8 km to the northwest of Ariogala and just 1 km from the Dubysa river. It flows to the west and after confluence with the Vidauja river turns to the southeast...
and Imsre. The town became an important road junction after a bridge was built over the Nemunas River in 1978.
Etymology
The name Jurbarkas is derived from the Ordensburg castleOrdensburg
An Ordensburg was a fortress built by crusading German military orders during the Middle Ages. "Ordensburg" was also used during Nazi Germany to refer to training schools for Nazi leaders.- Medieval Ordensburgen :...
, Georgenburg, built in the 13th century.
Jurbarkas has also been known by many derivate spellings in various languages throughout its history. The most notable non-Lithuanian names for the city include: in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Georgenburg, Jurgenburg, and Eurburg, in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, Jurbork, and in Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
, יורבורג, Jurborg, Jurburg, Yurburg, Yurberig, and Yurbrik.
History
Although Jurbarkas is said to have been a seat of Lithuanian princes from the Palemonids legend, it was first documented in 1259 as the Teutonic KnightsTeutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
' Ordensburg
Ordensburg
An Ordensburg was a fortress built by crusading German military orders during the Middle Ages. "Ordensburg" was also used during Nazi Germany to refer to training schools for Nazi leaders.- Medieval Ordensburgen :...
castle of Georgenburg ("George's castle") on the Neman. This castle was constructed 3 km (1.9 mi) west of the current town on a hill now known as Bispiliukai, while the Lithuanians
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
built a castle on Bispulis hill by the Imsre. Although the German crusaders were often at war with the Lithuanians, Mindaugas
Mindaugas
Mindaugas was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a 1219 treaty as an elder duke, and in 1236 as the leader of all the Lithuanians...
, King of Lithuania, did not oppose Georgenburg's construction after his conversion to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
The castle of Georgenburg was abandoned by the Teutonic Knights after their defeat in the Battle of Grunwald
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
in 1410. The region was included within Lithuania in the Treaty of Melno
Treaty of Melno
The Treaty of Melno or Treaty of Lake Melno was a peace treaty ending the Gollub War. It was signed on September 27, 1422, between the Teutonic Knights and an alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at Lake Melno , east of Graudenz...
in 1422, and the current site of Jurbarkas began to develop as a border town and customs point, growing through the exporting of lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
on the Neman to Ducal Prussia
Ducal Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia was a duchy in the eastern part of Prussia from 1525–1701. It was the first Protestant duchy with a dominant German-speaking population, as well as Polish and Lithuanian minorities...
. In 1586 famous chronicler Maciej Stryjkowski
Maciej Stryjkowski
Maciej Stryjkowski was a Polish-Lithuanian historian, writer and a poet, notable as the author of Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Ruthenia , amongst other aspects of this work considered the first printed book on the history of Lithuania.-Biography:Maciej Stryjkowski was...
became a church provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
in Jurbarkas. King Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
granted Jurbarkas its Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
in 1611.
In 1795 Jurbarkas was annexed by the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
during the third partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
and was part of Vilna Governorate
Vilna Governorate
The Vilna Governorate or Government of Vilna was a governorate of the Russian Empire created after the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795...
, later a part of Kovno Governorate
Kovno Governorate
The Kovno Governorate or Government of Kovno was a governorate of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Kovno . It was formed on 18 December 1842 by tsar Nicholas I from the western part of the Vilna Governorate, and the order was carried out on 1 July 1843. It used to be a part of Northwestern Krai...
(1843–1915). Its growth stagnated during the 19th century as traffic on the Nemunas decreased because of the rise of railways. The town was briefly liberated from the occupying Russian forces by the insurgents during the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
in 1831. Because of its riverside location, Jubarkas often suffered from floods (notably in 1862). 120 houses burned down from a fire in 1906.
The Jewish community
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
. During the 17th century some of the town's Jewish population were employed as tax collectors for the Lithuanian government. By 1714 Jubarkas had 2,333 Jews. By 1790 the town had a Jewish cemetery and a Wooden synagogue, one of the oldest in the region. In 1862 there were 2,550 Jews. In 1843 Emperor Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
ordered that Jews living within 50 km (31.1 mi) of the Empire's western border should relocate eastward, but Jurbarkas was one of 19 towns which disobeyed the order. The Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah
Haskalah
Haskalah , the Jewish Enlightenment, was a movement among European Jews in the 18th–19th centuries that advocated adopting enlightenment values, pressing for better integration into European society, and increasing education in secular studies, Hebrew language, and Jewish history...
) prospered in Jurbarkas.
Many of the town's citizens left during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, although some returned. It became part of Raseiniai
Raseiniai
Raseiniai is a city in Lithuania. It is located on the south eastern foothills of the Samogitians highland, some north from the Kaunas–Klaipėda highway.- Grand Duchy of Lithuania :...
County in the independent Lithuania created after the war. The population decreased from 7,391 in 1897 to 4,409 in 1923. The Jewish population decreased over the same period from 2,350 to 1,887, though that represented an increase from 32% to 43%. A government census in Jurbarkas in 1931 indicated that Jews owned 69 of 75 business and 18 of 19 light industries. While Jurbarkas had been for generations a town of tolerance, during the nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
climate of the 1930s Jews suffered from persecution such as suppression of their commerce, physical attacks, and burning of their property.
The Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
occupied the town in 1940 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and nationalized many of the Jewish-owned companies. Jewish cultural organizations were also suppressed. Jurbarkas was invaded by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
on 22 June 1941, the first day of Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. Among other persecutions, Lithuanian collaborators forced the Jews to destroy the wooden synagogue. The Jewish population of Jurbarkas was systematically killed in 1941. A few dozen Jews from the town and escapees from the Kaunas Ghetto
Kaunas Ghetto
The Kovno ghetto was a ghetto established by Nazi Germany to hold the Lithuanian Jews of Kaunas during the Holocaust. At its peak, the Ghetto held 40,000 people, most of whom were later sent to concentration and extermination camps, or were shot at the Ninth Fort...
formed a partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
group to attack Nazi forces, although the majority were killed. A monument at the mass graves was constructed after the war to honor the Holocaust victims.
Few of Yurburg’s Jewish citizens survived World War II. Of those that did, some remained in Vilnius or Kaunas after the War, while most emigrated to Palestine, the US, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Germany, or other nations – in some cases joining family and friends who had left Lithuania before the War.
Former residents, their descendants, and scholars have chronicled Jewish life in Yurburg before, during, and after the War through memoirs, biographies, websites and a memorial. The Memorial Book of the Jewish Community of Yurburg, Lithuania was published in Hebrew in 1991 (Zevulun Poran, Editor), and was updated and translated into English in 2003 (Joel Alpert, Editor). More information on the Jewish community of Yurburg is available.
The recently (2005) completed Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin commemorates the Krelitz Family of Yurburg in the ‘Family Fates’ room of the Memorial’s Information Center located under the Memorial.
The Jewish cemetery at Yurburg stands as a lone sentinel of its once thriving and vibrant community, and one of the best preserved in a small town of Lithuania. Over 300 headstones, some dating as early the 1700s, are visible. In recent years, volunteers and government officials have made significant strides to repair, maintain and archive the headstones at the cemetery. Restoration and maintenance work at the cemetery is ongoing, and represents collaborative efforts by numerous volunteer and government organizations and individuals, including former Yurburg residents, their descendants around the world (via the US-based “Friends of the Yurburg Jewish Cemetery”), Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and groups from both inside and outside Lithuania (including the Kaunas Jewish Community Center) - as well as by dedicated local officials and residents from present-day Jurbarkas.
In 2006 United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad designated the Jewish Cemetery of Yurburg as one of its official projects.
In 2007, significant restorative work was conducted at the site by volunteers from Dartmouth University, together with volunteer students from the A. Giedraitis-Giedrius Gymnasium of Jurbarkas. A catalog of the headstones and the translated names has been placed on the web.
Jurbarkas resident and volunteer Rita Vaiva has been painstakingly re-inscribing lettering on headstones at the Yurburg Jewish Cemetery.
Famous residents
- Vincas GrybasVincas GrybasVincas Grybas was a Lithuanian sculptor. Vincas Grybas was born in Lukiškės village where he also finished elementary school. Later he continued his studies at Warsaw art school. After World War I Grybas extended his studies in Kaunas and Paris...
(1890–1941), sculptor - Romualdas MarcinkusRomualdas MarcinkusRomualdas Marcinkus was a Lithuanian pilot. Marcinkus participated in an early trans-European flight on 25 June 1934, and was the only Lithuanian pilot to serve in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War...
(1907–1944), Footballer, and Pilot during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... - Maciej StryjkowskiMaciej StryjkowskiMaciej Stryjkowski was a Polish-Lithuanian historian, writer and a poet, notable as the author of Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Ruthenia , amongst other aspects of this work considered the first printed book on the history of Lithuania.-Biography:Maciej Stryjkowski was...
(ca. 1547 – ca. 1593), Polish-Lithuanian historian, writer and poet - William ZorachWilliam ZorachWilliam Zorach was a Lithuanian-born American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and writer. He won the Logan Medal of the arts.-Life and career:...
(1887–1966), Jewish sculptor
Partnership
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