Punsk and it’s district

Punsk district consists of 33 villages with population of 4635 people, 80% of them are Lithuanians and about 20% - Polish. 1050 people live in Punsk.

The boarders of Punsk district and parish do not coincide. Smalenai is the separate centre, to it belong some villages from Punsk district. There are some villages in Punsk district which belong to Seinai parish. On the other hand - some Shiplishki district villages belong to Punsk parish.
There are 4100 inhabitants in 38 villages of Punsk parish.

The environments of Punsk district are very beautiful and people living there are resourseful, dilligent and intelligent. They take active part in different local ensemles trying to preserve and cherish the culture and traditions of their ancestors. Since 1956 the House of Lithuanian Culture and the Lithuanian gymnasium named after the 11 th of March are opened. In 1957 there was held the conference which establisted the membership of Lithuanian culture (LVKD). Since 1991 the Lithuanian magazine „Ausra" is issued two times per month by the publishing house „Ausra".
Since 1992 every year in Lithuanian mini skansen (the old Lithuanian village) the festivals of amateur barn theatres are held. The ethnic cultural centre is being created and the etnographical museum founded by Juozas Vaina is very popular and visited most often. Since 1995 meetings of Poland’s ethnic minorities are held there. In 1996 there was opened the department of Suvalkai the I st category music school.
In Lithuanian culture house you can find different ensembles - the village kapela „Klumpe", the choir „Dzukija", the choreographic gathering „Jotva" and the village theatre. At Punskas main school and gymnasium there are vocal ensemble „Ulbuoneles", folk ensemble „Salcinelis" and the etnographical gathering „Gimtine" - „Birthplace" (Native country). Punskas ensembles were highly evaluated and awarded at different surveys in Poland ant Lithuania. They had a lot of concerts in Polish, Lithuanian towas and abroad in France, Canada etc. Lithuanian amateur activities are lively in different villages (Vaitakiemis, Pristavonys, Kampuociai, Agurkiai, Valinciai, Slynakiemis, Ozkiniai, Vidugiriai, Peleliai, Navininkai, Kreivenai and Vilkapedziai).
The groups of singers, dancers, actors and musicans were coming and are still coming for mutual rehearsals.
The sportsmen of Punsk schools achieve good results in the region. In Punsk region, beside the Lithuanian gymnasium there are 8 more Lith. Main schools in Punsk (Lith. and Polish forms) in Vaitakiemis, Navininkai, Pristavonys and Vidugiriai and some pupils of these schools take active part in amateur activities.
Punskas region takes the 1st place in the district according to the results of infrastructure (telephone network, running water) in technical and industrial sphere social building and in the quality of agricultural technique.

There are offsprings of agroturism in this region which is very popular in the West of Europe and Poland. Private business is developing.

In 1991 the international fairs and economical forums started in Punsk and that was the beginning of the House of Economy of Poland-Lithuania which are opened in Suvalkai.