Marijampolė (pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial town and the capital of the Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, close to the borders of Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and of Lake Vistytis. The population of Marijampolė is 48,700 (2003). It is the Lithuanian center of the Sudovia region. The city is named after the Blessed Virgin Mary (Marijam); the suffix polė means "city" and is cognate with the common ending -polis, which is of Greek origin.

While under Soviet occupation during the period from 1956 to 1989, the town was officially named Kapsukas, after Vincas Kapsukas, founder of the Lithuanian Communist Party. The former name was restored shortly before Lithuania regained its independence.

Marijampolė, is the seventh largest city in Lithuania, and has been its regional center since 1994. The city covers an area equal to 205.07 square kilometres. The Šešupė river divides the city into two parts which are connected by six bridges.

Marijampolė is easily accessible to the rest of Lithuania. There is a railway, Kaunas-Sestokai-Alytus, passing through Marijampolė. Vilnius (the capital of Lithuania) is 139 km distant, while Klaipeda (the seaport city) is 231 km, and the border of Poland is just 38 km away. Marijampolė is fortunate to be located at the crossroads of two very important highways. The Via Baltica (after reconstruction) will connect Helsinki with Central and Southern Europe. The other highway links the city of Königsberg (Kaliningrad) with (Belarus).

The inhabitants of Marijampolė elect 27 members to the City council. The members of the City council, which are representatives of different Lithuanian political parties, then elect the mayor. The city of Marijampolė has signed agreements of co-operation with Kokkola (Finland) Bergisch Gladbach (Germany), Suwalki and Piotrkow Trybunalskie (Poland), Kvam municipality of Hordaland (Norway), Viborg (Denmark), Cherniachovsk (Russia).

Marijampolė is connected to its partners by business, sport, education, tourism, and other ties. Marijampolė's local means of mass media include a local television station, a local radio station, the newspapers "Marijampoles laikrastis", "Suvalkietis", "TV savaite", "Sugrizimai", and magazine "Suvalkija". Culturally, Marijampolė enjoys one cinema and a municipal drama theater.

Most of the inhabitants of Marijampolė work in light industry enterprises, including construction, transport, trade, and other service businesses. The advent of privatization and a free market economy has created a basis for private business. The business community of Marijampolė is continually in search of possible partners in foreign countries, as well as foreign capital investors.

Marijampolė has a strong educational system with state education institutions: 9 pre-school institutions, 6 nursery schools, 1 primary school, 12 lower secondary schools, 9 secondary schools, 1 gymnasium, a youth school, an adult education center, 5 additional training establishments, 3 non-state education institutions, a music school of Christian Culture, secondary school of Marijonai, and R.Vosyliene languages school.

[edit] Marijampolė Municipality

The municipality of Marijampolė is adjacent to the district of Vilkaviskis in the west, Kazlu Ruda Municipality in the north, Kalvarija Municipality in the south, and the districts of Prienai and Alytus in the east.

The town of Marijampolė and its 6 surrounding communities make up the territory of Marijampolė municipality. They are: Gudeliai, Igliauka, Liudvinavas, Marijampolė, Sasnava, and Sunskai communities. Marijampolė municipality covers 755 km² of land; 72% of which is an agricultural area, 12.3% is covered by forests; 4.2% – towns and villages, 2% – industrial enterprises and roads, and 6.9% – area used for other purposes.