Bitėnai was a village of peasants and fishermen that before World War I was part of East Prussia, German Empire. The village was a frequent resting place for those traveling via the Neman River. It developed in two sections: the southern Šilėnai and the larger more densely populated northern Užbičiai. The village had a wind mill, an inn, a police station, a dairy. Its primary school is known from the 18th century. The village belonged to the manor of. The village gained prominence during the Lithuanian press ban when Martynas Jankus moved his printing press from Tilsit to Bitėnai in 1892. The printing press operated until 1909 and published six short-lived Lithuanian-language periodicals and 104 books. Many of these publications were brought by the Lithuanian book smugglers to Lithuania which was then part of the Russian Empire. After the Klaipėda Revolt in 1923, Bitėnai became a part of independent Lithuania. In 1926, the village had 72 homesteads and its population reached 391 in 1941. Due to its proximity to the Rambynas hill, Bitėnai developed as a kind of resort and boasted three restaurants. It was depopulated during the evacuation of East Prussia and the subsequent expulsion of Germans. About 80% of the village's buildings, including the former printing press of Jankus, were destroyed. The population declined from 287 in 1959 to 120 in 1989. In 1986, there were only 26 homesteads in the village. Bitėnai is part of the Rambynas Regional Park, established in 1992. The village is home to the park's administration and visitors' center.
Heritage
In 1972, a memorial column with a bell was built near the destroyed printing press of Jankus. A memorial exposition dedicated to Jankus was unveiled in May 1981. It was housed at the primary school until the printing press was rebuilt in 1998 and the Martynas Jankus Museum officially opened in July 1999. In 2015, the museum reconstructed Jankus' granary over the authentic arched red-brick cellar. The village cemetery located between Bitėnai and the Rambynas hill date as far back as the early 18th century. There are small mounds around the cemetery that resemble tumuli. There were some reports of archaeological finds in the area, but in 1991 it was determined that the mounds are natural sand dunes. The cemetery was neglected and vandalized during the Soviet era – extensive damage was done during searches for the legendary treasure of Napoleon Bonaparte that was allegedly buried during the French invasion of Russia somewhere near the Rambynas hill. After Lithuania regained independence in 1990, the cemetery was reconstructed and chosen as the re-interment place for the remains of philosopher Vydūnas. His remains were moved from West Germany and reburied on 19 October 1991. Martynas Jankus was reburied on 30 May 1993. Other notable reburials include composer , political activist , doctor and activist . Memorial monuments commemorate other personalities of Lithuania Minor – Kristijonas DonelaitisMartynas Mažvydas, Ludwig Rhesa. The cemetery is developed as a pantheon of Lithuania Minor. In 1996, German writer published Paradise Road, a memoir by Lena Grigoleit. Grigoleit and her family were displaced three times, but each time returned to Bitėnai showcasing the turbulent history of the region. Her mother was deported to Russia during World War I; the family evacuated to Germany at the end of World War II but returned when they were overrun by the Red Army; the family was then deported by the Soviets to the Krasnoyarsk Krai in 1951 but returned in 1956.
