Alytus (county)

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ALYTUS COUNTY

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on September 15, 2004.

The early origin of Alytus county can be considered the Trakai district (pavietas), established in 1496 and finally structured in 1566. In 1791 the Merkine district was separated. In 1841 the districts were abolished, when the whole traditional administrative system of Lithuania was replaced with the imperial Russian one, and the land was included into the Vilnius province.

In 1915 the Alytus county (Bezirk) was established by the occupational German regime. It depended to the Suwalki province of Oberost, later to the Lithuania province. In 1919 the Alytus county (apskritis) was officially established by the Republic of Lithuania. The county was abolished in 1950 and restored in 1994.

Alytus county consists only of Dzukian lands and covers the majority of Dzukija region. Alytus city is considered the contemporary capital of Dzukija region. Therefore the small arms of Dzukija was used with the allowance of Dzukian culture society. The arms of Dzukija comes from the heraldry of Trakai land. Its early variant is used for the Trakai district, and the variant of early 17th century is attributed to Dzukija and Alytus county.