Aknīste (German: Oknist; Lithuanian: Aknysta) is a town in Aknīste municipality, Selonia, in the southern portion of Latvia, near the Lithuanian border. The town is located near the river Dienvidsuseja. The name Aknīste was mentioned for the first time in 1298. The town was a part of Lithuania for a few centuries ( starting with the 17th century), but in the beginning of the 1920s Lithuania exchanged Akniste for Palanga.