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20-466: The town is situated on the northeastern shore of Lake Vištytis , close to the Russian border ( Kaliningrad Oblast ). The town has preserved its street structure and market square since the 18th century. Vištytis Regional Park is near the town. Southwest is Vištytis hill fort , and in a nearby village, Nebūtkiemis is a big Vištytis stone, preserved geological artifact. Vištytis was established in

40-521: A major industry in Vištytis was the manufacture of brushes. After the railroad line from Königsberg to Russia was constructed in 1861 through Kybartai, some kilometers to the north, the town declined rapidly. Beginning in the 1850s, a significant number of the town's Jews emigrated to Germany, the United States, and South Africa. As of 1890, 31% of the city's registered residents were in emigration in

60-512: A petition to incorporate the town to Poland, wanting to belong administratively to Suwałki County , while local Lithuanians formed a Lithuanian municipal committee, recognizing the sovereignty of Vilkaviškis County within Lithuania. The rival Polish-Lithuanian dual authority lasted until May 1919, when a Lithuanian militia entered the town and forced the Polish committee to disband and recognize

80-499: A president. The Lithuanian president has somewhat more executive authority than their counterparts in neighboring Estonia and Latvia ; the Lithuanian president's function is very similar to that of the presidents of France and Romania . Similarly to them, but unlike presidents in a fully presidential system such as the United States , the Lithuanian president generally has the most authority in foreign affairs. In addition to

100-520: A significant role in domestic policy, possessing the right to submit bills to the Seimas and to veto laws passed by it, appointing the prime minister and approving the government formed by them, and also having the right to dissolve the Seimas and call snap elections following a successful motion of no confidence or if the Seimas refuses to approve the government's budget within sixty days. However,

120-406: Is a marked increase over 0.4 km (0.15 sq mi) that belonged to Lithuania before ratification of a Russian–Lithuanian border treaty in 2003. On occasion, high winds or broken equipment can force tourist boats to the opposite western shore. Even if unintentional, such incidents constitute illegal border crossings and can lead to sanctions from the border guards. Before the 2003 treaty,

140-684: The tripoint with Poland . The small Lithuanian town of Vištytis on the northern shore was named after the lake. In the west, the extended Romincka Forest stretches along the Russian-Polish border. On the Lithuanian side, the lake and its environs are part of a protected area named Vištytis Regional Park. The lake has 15 inflows, but only one river, the Pissa , tributary to Pregolya , flows from this lake. Lake Vištytis covers an area of 17.83 km (6.88 sq mi), of which 5.44 km (2.10 sq mi) belongs to Lithuania. This

160-664: The Republic of Lithuania ( Lithuanian : Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidentas ) is the head of state of the Republic of Lithuania . The president directs and appoints the executive branch of the Government of Lithuania , represents the nation internationally and is the commander-in-chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces . The president is directly elected by the citizens of Lithuania for a five-year term, with

180-625: The US and Germany. During World War I , in 1915, the town was devastated by Imperial Russian troops retreating after the Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes , and afterwards it was occupied by Germany . With the end of World War I, Poland and Lithuania regained independence as separate countries, and the town was disputed. Local Poles formed a Polish municipal committee headed by wójt Józef Kałwajć and gathered over 1,000 signatures on

200-464: The border ran along the waterline of the beaches on the Lithuanian side, so anyone paddling in the water was technically crossing into Russia. Sometimes the lake is used for smuggling goods, usually cigarettes, across the border. Prior to World War II the lake formed part of the border between the German province of East Prussia and Lithuania. President of Lithuania The president of

220-479: The case was taken to the court. The outcome of the court is not clear, but the town preserved some of autonomy in the 19th century. Following the Third Partition of Poland , it was annexed by Prussia in 1795. In 1807, it became part of the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw , and after its dissolution in 1815, it became part of newly established Russian-controlled Congress Poland . In the 19th century,

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240-570: The customary diplomatic powers of Heads of State, namely receiving the letters of credence of foreign ambassadors and signing treaties , the president determines Lithuania's basic foreign policy guidelines. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces , and accordingly heads the State Defense Council and has the right to appoint the Chief of Defence (subject to Seimas consent). The president also has

260-609: The first half of the 16th century, on the border with the Duchy of Prussia . The first mention of the Višytis manor dates from 1538. Around it a settlement of Lithuanian, Polish and German inhabitants started to grow rapidly. On September 8, 1570, Sigismund II Augustus , in his capacity as Grand Duke of Lithuania , granted Vištytis town rights and coat of arms . It was a royal town of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . It

280-499: The local Lithuanian authorities. Local Poles continued passive resistance to Lithuanian authority. After the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , the Lithuanian territory up to the border at Vištytis was occupied by Soviet forces. Immediately after the launch of Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941, the town was conquered by Wehrmacht forces. During the Holocaust , all of Vištytis' Jews were murdered, mainly by local collaborators in

300-494: The nearby fields were Jews. Later, a 'Jewish' tombstone was erected that noted what happened. Renewed city coat of arms was granted by the President of Lithuania on May 3, 1999. Lake Vi%C5%A1tytis Lake Vištytis ( Lithuanian : Vištyčio ežeras , German : Wystiter See , Russian : Виштынецкое озеро ) is a lake on the border between Lithuania ( Vilkaviškis district ) and Russia ( Kaliningrad Oblast ), near

320-625: The next elected Seimas may retaliate by calling for an earlier presidential election. Finally, the president ensures an effective judiciary, being responsible for nominating one third of the judges of the Constitutional Court , and the entirety of the Supreme Court , for appointment by the Seimas; the president also has the right to directly appoint all other judges. Under the Constitution of Lithuania adopted in 1992,

340-498: The office holder limited to serving two terms consecutively. The current president is Gitanas Nausėda who assumed office on July 12, 2019. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 40 years old on the election day and reside in Lithuania for at least three years, in addition to satisfying the eligibility criteria for a member of the parliament. A person who has been removed from office through impeachment for breach of constitution or an oath of office may not be elected as

360-455: The president is elected to a five-year term under a modified two-round system : a candidate requires an absolute majority of the vote and either voter turnout to be above 50% or for their vote share to be equivalent to at least one-third of the number of registered voters to win the election in the first round. If no candidate does so, the two candidates with the most votes face each other in a second round held two weeks later. Upon taking office,

380-553: The town. The exact number murdered is unclear; estimates range from 200 - 400 Jews (out of the town's general population of around 1000). First the men were shot, then the women - but, to save bullets, the Jewish children were killed by having their heads bashed against the trees in the town park. A memorial to the victims was later erected by the Soviets near a windmill called Grist Mill, but the plaque made no mention that those buried in

400-499: Was the first town in the region. In 1589, local starost Krzysztof Jeśman granted land to Jews to build a synagogue. In 1776 Vištytis lost its town rights, although some administration remained in the town, as it is known from the records in 1785 and 1790. Town representatives participated in the Great Sejm and succeeded in regaining town rights, although it did not get a royal privilege. That caused conflict with local elders, and

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