Lazdijai

Lazdijai ( ) is a small town in Lithuania located about east of the border with Poland.
History.
It was established by Sigismund II Augustus in 1570 and granted Magdeburg Rights by Sigismund III Vasa in 1587.
On November 3, 1941, 1,535 Jews were murdered in Lazdijai, including 485 men, 511 women and 539 children
The perpetrators were members of the Rollkommando Hamann, local policemen and Lithuanian nationalists.
In 1990 Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union, and new check points between the borders Poland and Lithuania were established and Lazdijai became the center that oversees and continues to regulate these operations. It is the birthplace of Lithuanian politician and producer Arūnas Valinskas and of Russian-American composer and violinist Joseph Achron.