Rokià ¡kis () is a city in northeastern Lithuania, close to the LatviaâÂÂLithuania border, with a population of 11,606 (2023). The city is a capital of the Rokià ¡kis District Municipality with a population of 28,715 (2021). It is governed by the Rokià ¡kis City Eldership.
The city center (Rokià ¡kis Old Town) formed in the late 18th century when Rokià ¡kis was ruled by Tyzenhauz family. The Rokià ¡kis Manor and the Church of St. Matthew are valuable examples of the 19th century architecture in Lithuania and a central pedestrian road through the Independence Square and Tyzenhauzà ³ St. connect the Church with the Manor's Palace. The LaukupàRiver is flowing through the city.
The legend of the founding of Rokià ¡kis tells about a hunter called Rokas who had been hunting for hares (Lit. "kià ¡kis"). However, cities ending in "-kià ¡kis" are quite popular in the region. The Rokià ¡kis Manor was first mentioned in 1499 when it was ruled by a Lithuanian noble . At first, it was Prince Kroszyà Âski's residence, later count Tyzenhaus build a neogothic Church of St. Matthew and Rokià ¡kis Manor, which is well preserved today and houses the Rokià ¡kis Regional Museum. The town was planned in a classicist manner.
Rokià ¡kis was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that was later also part of the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth until 1795 when it was partitioned out of existence and Rokià ¡kis annexed by the Russian Empire.
Rokià ¡kis was included in the Vilna Governorate, until 1843 when the Zarasai County was transferred to the newly established Kovno Governorate. Since 1873 the Tyzenhaus family sponsored the Rokià ¡kis Music School which operated until 1904 and focused on preparing church organists, however several prominent Lithuanian interwar musicians were its alumni (e.g. Mikas Petrauskas, Juozas Gruodis, Juozas Tallat-Kelpà ¡a, etc.).
The city started to grow in 1873 when a branch of the LibavaâÂÂRomny Railway was built which connected Dinaburg/Daugavpils to the east with the ice-free Baltic port of Libava/LiepÃÂja.
In the summer of 1915, the Imperial German army occupied the city. In early 1919 the Red Army occupied Rokià ¡kis, however in June 1919 the Lithuanian Armed Forces liberated it from the Soviets during the LithuanianâÂÂSoviet War and it became a part of the Republic of Lithuania. Rokià ¡kis was granted city rights in 1920. Because of strained relationships between Lithuania and the nearby newly created Republics of Poland and Latvia, Rokià ¡kis was economically isolated during the inter-war period. Six generations of the Komorowski family owned the in nearby village until 1940 when Lithuania was occupied by the Soviets. Bronisà Âaw Komorowski, the President of Poland in 2010âÂÂ2015, whose grandfather was the last Komorowski owner of the Kavolià ¡kis Manor, is an honorary citizen of Rokià ¡kis who personally visited Rokià ¡kis and gifted valuable historical documents and photos to the Rokià ¡kis Regional Museum.
After the Soviet re-occupation of Lithuania in 1944, the Lithuanian partisans fought with the Soviet Army in Rokià ¡kis area. In 1950, Rokià ¡kis became a center of Rokià ¡kis district. In the ~1980s Rokià ¡kis became one of the largest centers of education, culture, and health care in Northern Lithuania. Since August 1988 the locals of Rokià ¡kis supported Sàjà «dis movement and on 6 November 1988 had raised the national flag of Lithuania. After the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania in 1990, economic changes occurred in Rokià ¡kis and some old companies were closed, however new companies also started their businesses (e.g. in 1992 Rokià ¡kio sà «ris was founded, which became one of the largest dairy products producers in Lithuania and the largest cheese producer in the Baltic states). A music school named after Czech musician , who worked at Tyzenhaus' funded Rokià ¡kis Music School, operates in Rokià ¡kis.
The first arms for the city were designed in 1970 but were abolished the same year. The current coat of arms was approved in 1993. The shield is divided into 4 quarters. 3 of the quarters depict 3 families that ruled the city: the candelabrum represents the Kroszinski family; the bull is a symbol of the Tyzenhaus family, and three bars and a fleur-de-lis are taken from the arms of the Przezdziecki family. The fourth quarter shows the organ that is housed at the Church of St. Matthew and reflects city's musical heritage (see Rokià ¡kis Music School).
Situated on the Daugavpils-Liepaja railroad, during the 19th century Rokià ¡kis served as a commercial center for a large rural area and a point for the export of wood, grain, and flax. Rokià ¡kis is well known for its cheese. "Rokià ¡kio sà «ris" is one of the largest cheese manufacturing companies in Lithuania. It grew from a small local dairy established in 1925. In 1964 Soviets built a specialized factory. At present after reconstructions and foreign capital investments, its sales reach 233 million euros in 2021. About 70% of the production is sold in foreign markets, mostly to Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Latvia, and United States. The company is a very important employer in the region. It is also an important supporter of community initiatives.
There was a vibrant Jewish community in Rokià ¡kis () for hundreds of years. The first Jewish settlement may have been prior to 1574 and was located at the present site of the old Jewish cemetery (about half a kilometer southwest from the market square) until the mid-1700s, when the community moved to the area near the market square and Kamai Street (now Respublikos gatvÃÂ). In 1847 there were 593 Jews in the town and in 1897 2,067 (75% of the total population). The community had a strong Hasidic movement with Lubavitch, Babroiser, and Ladier shuls. By the early 20th century, however, the haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) had had an impact and a Jewish school with secular subjects had started, some Jewish students attended the gymnasia in Rokià ¡kis and Dvinsk, and in 1910 a Russian gymnasium for Jewish students was established. There was also a significant revolutionary movement in the community.
In May 1915, during World War I, Jews in central Lithuania were forcibly deported to the east by order of the Czarist government. Although Jews in the Rokià ¡kis area were not the subject of the deportation order, as the Russian forces retreated Cossacks serving in a rearguard capacity terrorized the Jews in northeastern Lithuania and most of the Jews in the Rokià ¡kis fled to the interior of Russia. One of those who left was Yakov (Yankel) Smushkevich who later became the commander of the Soviet Air Forces before being purged and executed in 1941. The Germans occupied Rokià ¡kis until 1918.
When World War I ended and the Republic of Lithuania was established, Lithuanian Jews were permitted to return home. The Jewish community of Rokià ¡kis numbered 2,013 in 1923. Initially the community thrived, shuls reopened and in addition there were strong, competing socialist and Zionist movements. Rokià ¡kis developed rapidly after World War I but under different economic conditions. Before the war, for example, Rokià ¡kis could trade with nearby Dvinsk/Daugavpils/Dunaburg, Latvia, to which it was connected by a rail line. During the 1920s, however, Lithuania's border with Latvia was closed. As a result, trade increased with towns to the west which were connected by rail lines, such as PanevÃÂà ¾ys/Ponevizh, à  iauliai/Shavli, and Kaunas/Kovno. (There was also a narrow gauge rail line to PandÃÂlys/Ponidel.) Prior to World War I, only 3 stores had been Christian-owned. After the war, however, many Lithuanians from surrounding villages came to settle in Rokià ¡kis and open stores. Ori Further, Lithuanian cooperatives came into being, trade in flax and produce was nationalized, and other factors caused a severe economic decline for the Jews. Many Jewish businesses went bankrupt in 1925 and between 1926 and 1930 many Jewish families emigrated to South Africa where a landmanschaft was established in Johannesburg, the United States of America, and Palestine. In 1939 there were 3,500 Jews in Rokià ¡kis (40% of the total population). They were mostly Chabad Chasidim. During the period of Lithuanian independence (1918âÂÂ1940) there were two Hebrew schools.
The Soviets annexed Lithuania in 1940 and all Jewish businesses were confiscated. When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union on 21âÂÂ22 June 1941, Lithuania was quickly overrun. The Germans soon brought in special assignment squads to arrest and murder Jews. The Jews of Rokià ¡kis and its environs were murdered in nearby woods just north of Bajorai, 400 meters east of the intersection of the northeasterly road to Juodupàand the northerly road to Lukà ¡tai. The official German army report (âÂÂthe Jager ReportâÂÂ) states that on 15âÂÂ16 August 1941, a total of 3,207 Jews were killed. Other Jews were deported to the ghetto of Jonià ¡kis and killed there.
Rokià ¡kis is a member of the Douzelage, a town twinning association of towns across the European Union. As of 2019, its members are: