Suvalkų krašto lietuviai po antrojo pasaulinio karo

LTPer Antrąjį pasaulinį karą (1939–1945) ir pokariu ne tik milijonai žmonių žuvo, bet ir milijonai keitė savo gyvenamąsias vietas. Vieni savo noru repatrijavo, kiti iškeldinti prievarta. Gyventojų migracija vyko ir Lenkijoje, ir Lietuvoje. Tai buvo susiję visų pirma su valstybių sienų keitimusi, su minėtų šalių okupacija. 1939 m. Lenkiją pasidalijo Vokietija su Sovietų Sąjunga. Lietuva atsirado Sovietų Sąjungos sudėtyje, o 1941 m. ją užėmė vokiečiai. Tarpukario metais Lenkijoje, Lietuvos pasienyje, Suvalkų krašte, pagal įvairius šaltinius, gyveno apie 25 000 lietuvių. Vokiečiai, užėmę Lenkiją, Suvalkų kraštą prijungė prie Rytprūsių (Ostpreussen). Jis tapo Reicho dalimi. 1941 m. sausio 10 d. Vokietija pasirašė su Sovietų Sąjunga sutartį dėl Vokietijos piliečių, vokiečių tautybės asmenų, perkėlimo iš Lietuvos TSR į Vokietiją (suprask – ir į Suvalkų kraštą) bei Lietuvos piliečių, lietuvių tautybės asmenų, perkėlimo iš Vokietijos (suprask – ir iš Suvalkų krašto) į Lietuvos TSR. Persikėlimas turėjo būti savanoriškas, bet iš tikrųjų taip nebuvę. Nenorintiems išvykti buvo taikomos įvairios represijos. Dalis jų atsirado Suvalkų kalėjime. Šitaip iš Suvalkų krašto į Lietuvos TSR buvo ištremti 11 955 asmenys. [Iš straipsnio, p. 192]

ENOn that day, in the village of Šlynakiemis, Punskas district, one of the leaders of the Lithuanian guerrilla Jurgis Krikščiūnas-Rimvydas and his adjutant Vytautas Prabulis-Žaibas committed suicide in their bunker surrounded by the army of the KBW (Public Security Corps). For helping the Lithuanian partisans, the Lithuanians of the Suvalkai Region were punished with the displacement of about 20 families to the so-called Recovered Territories (to the provinces of Szczecin, Koszalin). The year 1951 was not only a period of intense collectivization of the countryside (creation of production cooperatives), but also the beginning of the cultural and educational movement of the Lithuanian national minority. Amateur theatre groups (barn theatres), vocal and dance groups were formed and their performances were organized. In schools, teaching of the Lithuanian language as a subject was introduced, and then the organization of schools with the Lithuanian language of instruction started. In 1956, the Secondary School with the Lithuanian Language of Education was established in Punskas. In the same year, the Lithuanian Culture House in Punskas started its activity. In 1957 the Lithuanian Social and Cultural Society was founded. Mainly the local administrative authorities of Poland, already communist, did not want to accept returns. The local authorities of Suvalkai sought an intervention of the central authorities, demanding a categorical ban on their return, explaining that they were citizens of the Lithuanian SSR. In the situation of general intimidation and murders, only a small part of the displaced in 1941 returned. On September 22, 1944 the Polish Committee of National Liberation (PKWN) concluded an agreement with the Lithuanian SSR on the voluntary evacuation of the Lithuanian population from Poland. Despite the good conditions, there were no people willing to leave.After the war, Lithuania remained part of the USSR. There were numerous underground organizations fighting for independence. Lithuanian partisans could count on the help of Lithuanians from Suvalkai Region, especially those living in the border area. They found here not only shelter, but also help in organizing communication with the West. This could not go unnoticed by the authorities on both sides of the border. December 15, 1949 should be considered the last day of the Lithuanian underground in Poland. In the interwar period, about 25000 Lithuanians lived in Poland near the border zone with Lithuania. In 1939 Germany, after taking Poland over, joined the Suvalkai Region to East Prussia (Ostpreussen) - part of the Third Reich. On the basis of an agreement between the Reich and the Soviet Union from January 10, 1941 about the voluntary resettlement of Germans from the Lithuanian SSR, the mass resettlement of Lithuanians from the Suvalkai Region began. In fact, coercive measures, including imprisonment, were used against those who refused to “voluntarily” leave. In this way, about 12000 Lithuanians left the Suvalkai Region for Lithuania. In the summer of 1944, when the Germans withdrew from the Suvalkai Region, a large part of the Lithuanians displaced in 1941 wanted to return to their homes (farms - the vast majority were farmers). A separate problem was the maintenance of church services in the Lithuanian language in parishes where Lithuanians lived. The fight for mass in the Lithuanian language in the Seinai parish from 1946 to 1981 was well known. The opening of the Lithuanian Consulate in Seinai and Lithuania school Žiburys are of great importance for the Lithuanian community. [From the publication]