Vilnius District Municipality

Vilnius District Municipality (Lithuanian: Vilniaus rajono savivaldybė) is one of the 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It surrounds the capital city of Vilnius on three sides. The municipality is also bordered by Trakai district and Elektrėnai municipality in the west, Astravyets and Ashmyany districts of Belarus in the east, Širvintos, Molėtai and Švenčionys districts in the north and Šalčininkai district in the south.

See also: Vilnius urban area
Vilnius District Municipality
Vilniaus rajono savivaldybė
Municipality
Flag of Vilnius District Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms of Vilnius District Municipality
Coat of arms
Location of Vilnius district municipality in Lithuania
Map of Vilnius district municipality
Map of Vilnius district municipality
Country Lithuania
Ethnographic regionDzūkija/Aukštaitija
County Vilnius County
CapitalVilnius
Elderships
List
Government
 • MayorRobert Duchnevič[1] (Social Democratic Party of Lithuania)
Area
 • Total2,129 km2 (822 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
 • Total100,994
 • Density47/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Major settlements
Websitewww.vrsa.lt

The population of the district is one of the fastest growing in Lithuania because of the migration of Vilnius' inhabitants to the suburbs. It stood at 114,726 in January 2023,[3] up from 84 thousand in the early 1990s, or an increase by more than a third in less than 30 years.

Vilnius District Municipality administration building in Vilnius

History
Tumuli of Karmazinai
Neris Regional Park

Vilnius district municipality is situated in the territory once settled by the Baltic East Lithuanian Barrow Culture (c. 3/4th–11/12th century AD), and numerous archaeological sites from this period are situated within its borders. During the formation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the major part of what is now Vilnius district municipality was the nucleus of the Duchy of Lithuania, while the territory to the north of Maišiagala belonged to the Neris Land. There is some evidence that Bukiškis just north of Vilnius whose historic name was Gedvydžiai could be associated with Duke Gedvydas and through this link – with Mindaugas.[4] According to Jan Długosz, the pagan ruler of Lithuania Algirdas was cremated in the sacred forest of Kukaveitis near Maišiagala after his death in Maišiagala castle in 1377.[5] Nemenčinė (1338), Maišiagala (1254, 1365) and Medininkai (1387), known from written sources from the 13th-14th centuries, were among the oldest settlements in Lithuania. These were trade and defense centers with castles as well as religious centers – after the Christianization of Lithuania, early churches were built here. As Vilnius was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the territory around the city was forming the very center of the state, so-called Lithuania proper. It was the major part of a much larger Vilnius Duchy and later – Vilnius Voivodeship. After the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Vilna Governorate was formed and Vilensky Uyezd occupied all of what is now Vilnius district municipality. When Vilnius and its suburbs in 1923 were incorporated into Interwar Poland, what is now Vilnius district municipality was the core of Wilno-Troki County. After World War II, Vilnius district municipality was formed. The initially small Vilnius district (938 km2) was soon significantly enlarged, absorbing Naujoji Vilnia district (in 1959) and Nemenčinė district (in 1962) and parts of Ukmergė district, but transferring some smaller administrative territories to Molėtai district and Švenčionys district, including Pabradė (in 1962). After 1962 (then 2313 km2), there were only minor administrative reforms, attaching some territories from Vilnius district municipality (now 2129 km2) to Vilnius city. In March 1987, the villages of Pašilaičiai, Fabijoniškės, Kelmija, Raisteliai and parts of the villages of Pavilionys, Baltoji Vokė, Prašiškės, Bajorai, Buivydiškės, Grigaičiai and Vanaginė were attached to Vilnius city.[6] Almost all of the municipality belongs to the Vilnius urban belt, forming suburban environs of the capital city.[7]

Some projects, that may have been changed the district radically were not implemented.

During the interwar period, hydropower plant was started to be built in 1938 only to be abandoned in 1940. The reservoir between Turniškės and Nemenčinė was not created. During the 70s, a plan to build a pumped storage plant in Sudervė was too dropped off and such a plant was built in Kruonis instead.

Demographics

The district has significant Polish minority population in Lithuania, with 46% of the population claiming Polish ethnicity.,[8] but the number is dwindling from more than 80% in the late 1980s because of suburbanisation, age structure (younger newcomer inhabitants are mostly Lithuanians, while older population in villages are mostly Poles) and acculturation.

At the 2011 Census, Poles amounted to 52.07% out of 95,348 inhabitants. 32.47% were Lithuanians, 8.01% Russians, 4.17% Belarusians, 0.65% Ukrainians and 0.11% Jews.[9]

In 2021, according to the census results, ethnographic composition was the following: Poles – 46.75%, Lithuanians – 38.52%, Russians – 7.35%, Belarusians – 3.26%, Ukrainians – 0.63%, Other – 0.86% and 2.64% of inhabitants did not declare their ethnographic identity.[10]

Elderships

The municipality is divided into 23 elderships:

#Eldership Coat of ArmsAdministrative

center

Area
in km2[11]		Population
(2019)[12]		Density
per km2
1 Avižieniai Eldership - Avižieniai 52.08 11,598 223
2 Bezdonys Eldership - Bezdonys 121.42 2,886 24
3 Buivydžiai Eldership Buivydžiai 98.03 908 9
4 Dūkštos Eldership - Dūkštos 89.66 1,930 22
5 Juodšiliai Eldership - Juodšiliai 23.63 4,671 198
6 Kalveliai Eldership - Kalveliai 119.91 4,170 35
7 Lavoriškės Eldership - Lavoriškės 121.62 2,277 19
8 Maišiagala Eldership Maišiagala 99.9 2,872 29
9 Marijampolis Eldership - Marijampolis 121.88 3,553 29
10 Medininkai Eldership Medininkai 64.24 1,068 17
11 Mickūnai Eldership Mickūnai 93.56 5,583 60
12 Nemenčinė Eldership - Nemenčinė 147.23 3,728 25
13 Nemenčinė City Eldership Nemenčinė 3.98 4,886 1228
14 Nemėžis Eldership Nemėžis 39.76 9,062 228
15 Paberžė Eldership Paberžė 208.81 3,407 16
16 Pagiriai Eldership - Pagiriai 89.39 7,202 81
17 Riešė Eldership Didžioji Riešė 103.76 6,498 63
18 Rudamina Eldership Rudamina 52.49 5,886 112
19 Rukainiai Eldership - Rukainiai 141.21 2,648 19
20 Sudervė Eldership - Sudervė 71.29 2,871 40
21 Sužionys Eldership - Sužionys 164.42 1,791 11
22 Šatrininkai Eldership - Vėliučionys 35.40 2,966 84
23 Zujūnai Eldership - Zujūnai 65.44 7,467 114

Structure
Vilnius district, largest settlements
Vilnius district
New Klevinė settlement in Vilnius district municipality. Because of recent urban sprawl, such new fast-growing quarters surround Vilnius city
Riešė village in Vilnius district municipality. One of the fastest growing localities in the vicinity of the capital.
Neoclassical Maišiagala manor, Vilnius district municipality.
Baroque Liubavas manor buildings in Riešė elderate, Vilnius district municipality.
Interior of early XIX c. Sudervė church, which belongs to a rare in Lithuania rotonda type building
Neogothic Catholic church in Lavoriškės, Vilnius district municipality.
Statue of Saint Anthony of Padua atop obelisk in Maišiagala, historic town of Vilnius district municipality. The town's coat of arms also depicts Anthony of Padua.

District structure.[13]

Largest residential areas by population (2011[14] or 2021 - if specified):

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Lithuania

Twin towns — Sister cities

Vilnius District Municipality is twinned with:

References
  1. "ROBERT DUCHNEVIČ". vrk.lt (in Lithuanian).
  2. Gyventojų skaičius liepos 1, 2023
  3. 2023 01 03 Gyventoju skaičius pagal savivaldybes
  4. „Būtovės slėpiniai: Kernavė ar Vilnius?“
  5. Semaška, Algimantas (2006). Kelionių vadovas po Lietuvą: 1000 lankytinų vietovių norintiems geriau pažinti gimtąjį kraštą (in Lithuanian) (4th ed.). Vilnius: Algimantas. pp. 363–364. ISBN 9986-509-90-4.
  6. Visuotinio 1989 m. gyventojų surašymo duomenys, Vilnius, 1993
  7. THE METROPOLITAN REGIONS OF LITHUANIA. RESIDENTIAL DIFFERENTIATION IN THE XXI CENTURY
  8. "Tautinių mažumų departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės".
  9. "Lithuania 2011 Census". Lietuvos statistikos departamentas. 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
  10. [Apie rajoną. Teritorija ir gyventojai https://www.vrsa.lt/apie-rajona/teritorija-ir-gyventojai/5]
  11. "Atviri duomenys | VĮ Registrų centras". www.registrucentras.lt. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  12. "Naujas detalus gyventojų žemėlapis". osp.stat.gov.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  13. Główny Geodeta Kraju (2012). "Robocza wersja wykazu polskich nazw geograficznych świata (Glossary of geographical names)" (PDF file, direct download 261 KB). Litwa; ofic. Republika Litewska; Lietuva; ofic. Lietuvos Respublika. Komisja Standaryzacji Nazw Geograficznych (Commission for Standardization of Placenames). p. 27. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  14. Lietuvos statistikos departamentas. http://web.stat.gov.lt/uploads/docs/Gyventojai_gyvenamosiose_vietovese.xls
  15. "Radom - Miasta partnerskie" [Radom - Partnership cities]. Miasto Radom [City of Radom] (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2013-08-07.

54°44′N 25°23′E

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