Druskininkai (Lithuanian pronunciation: [ˈdrʊsʲkʲɪnʲɪŋkɐɪ]; also see other names) is a spa city on the Nemunas River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland.

[2] The name of the city in other languages includes Polish: Druskieniki; Belarusian: Друскенiкi; Yiddish: דרוזגעניק, romanized: Druzgenik; German: Druscheninken.

In the late 18th century it was believed that minerals found in the waters of Druskininkai area produced health benefits and their usage in the medical treatment of asthma and other ailments began.

In the early 19th century Ignacy Fonberger, a professor at the University of Vilnius, analyzed the chemical composition of Druskininkai's waters and showed that they contain large amounts of Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, Iodine, Bromine, Iron and Magnesium.

In June 1887, a Jewish national conference was held in Druskininkai led by Leon Pinsker and Moses Lilienblum which discussed ideas that played an important role in the development of the Zionist movement.

[4] By the beginning of the 20th century the Druskininkai spa was one of the most popular resorts in the area and a place of summer residence for the middle class of Vilnius, Warsaw and Moscow.

[5] In 1934 a railway link with the Parečča [ru] train station was opened and the city became more accessible to the general public.

After Poland was invaded in September 1939, the city was briefly incorporated into the Byelorussian SSR as raion center in Belastok Region.

However, on 7 September 1940, Stalin transferred Druskininkai to Lithuania which in turn was annexed in August of that year and incorporated into the Soviet Union.

[citation needed] Despite damage inflicted during World War I, the city features houses and villas reflecting all periods of its development – Russian, Polish and Lithuanian.