Where was it Comfortable to Live? Factors that Encouraged the Establishment of the Jewish Communities in the GDL: The Case of Samogitia

The Duchy of Samogitia was an administrative unit in the Western part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania inhabited by Jews quite late - in the end of the 17th century. From the approximately 160 towns and marked towns in this region Jewish communities were established only in 39 of them. Establishment of Jewish community was usually related to the good will of town or small town owner, but nevertheless one place was more comfortable and attractive to live in than other. The proposed presentation rises a question of how a certain place was selected for settling down by taking into account such factors as: economic infrastructure of certain settlement, its legal status and its belonging (or not) to the noble family. For the systematization and analysis of data spatial humanities approach is used.