Vilnius District Municipality ( lt, Vilniaus rajono savivaldybė) is one of 60 municipalities in
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. It surrounds the capital city of
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
on 3 sides, while the rest borders the
Trakai District Municipality.
At the 2011 Census,
Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in ...
amounted to 52.07% out of 95,348 inhabitants. 32.47% were
Lithuanians
Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Unite ...
, 8.01%
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
, 4.17%
Belarusians
, native_name_lang = be
, pop = 9.5–10 million
, image =
, caption =
, popplace = 7.99 million
, region1 =
, pop1 = 600,000–768,000
, region2 =
, pop2 ...
, 0.65%
Ukrainians
Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...
and 0.11%
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
.
In 2021, according to the census results, ethnographic composition was the following:
Lithuanians
Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Unite ...
– 38.52%,
Lithuanian Poles
The Poles in Lithuania ( pl, Polacy na Litwie, lt, Lietuvos lenkai), estimated at 183,000 people in the Lithuanian census of 2021 or 6.5% of Lithuania's total population, are the country's largest ethnic minority.
During the Polish–Lithuanian ...
– 46.75%,
Lithuanian Russians – 7.35%,
Lithuanian Belarusians – 3.26%,
Ukrainians
Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...
– 0.63%, Other – 0.86% and 2.64% of inhabitants did not declare their ethnographic identity.
The population grew to 108,948 in January 2022 because of migration of
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
citizens to the
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...
s.
History
left, 250px, Tumuli of ">Karmazinai
Vilnius district municipality is situated in the territory once settled by the
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
*Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...
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 Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
, 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
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. According to
Jan Długosz
Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...
, the pagan ruler of Lithuania
Algirdas
Algirdas ( be, Альгерд, Alhierd, uk, Ольгерд, Ольґерд, Olherd, Olgerd, pl, Olgierd; – May 1377) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his br ...
was cremated in the sacred forest of Kukaveitis near
Maišiagala after his death in Maišiagala castle in 1377.
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
The Christianization of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos krikštas) occurred in 1387, initiated by King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław II Jagiełło and his cousin Vytautas the Great. It signified the official adoption of Christianity b ...
, early churches were built here. As Vilnius was the capital of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
, 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
pl, Województwo wileńskie
, conventional_long_name = Vilnius Voivodeship
, common_name = Vilnius
, subdivision = Voivodeship
, nation = Grand Duchy of Lithuania (part of the federative Polish–Lithua ...
. After the partitions of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,
Vilna Governorate
The Vilna Governorate (1795–1915; also known as Lithuania-Vilnius Governorate from 1801 until 1840; russian: Виленская губерния, ''Vilenskaya guberniya'', lt, Vilniaus gubernija, pl, gubernia wileńska) or Government of V ...
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 powiat (county). After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Vilnius district municipality was formed. The initially small Vilnius district (938 km²) was soon significantly enlarged, absorbing
Naujoji Vilnia district (in 1959) and
Nemenčinė
Nemenčinė ( is a city in Vilnius district municipality, Lithuania, it is located only about north-east of Vilnius. Close to Nemenčinė forest was planted which forms a sentence ''Žalgiris 600'' (commemorating the Battle of Grunwald) visib ...
district (in 1962) and parts of Ukmergė district, but transferring some smaller administrative territories to
Molėtai district and
Švenčionys district, including
Pabradė
Pabradė (; pl, Podbrodzie; yi, פּאָדבראָדז ''Podbrodz'') is a town in Lithuania, in Švenčionys district municipality, on Žeimena river, 38 km south-west of Švenčionys.
Pabradė is a busy place as the Vilnius–Daugavpils ...
(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
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
city. In March 1987, the villages of
Pašilaičiai
Pašilaičiai is an eldership in the Vilnius City Municipality
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the muni ...
,
Fabijoniškės
Fabijoniškės ( pl, Fabianiszki), located in the northern part of Vilnius, is one of the newest districts of Vilnius municipality, built in the late 1980s to early 1990s in the territory of former Fabijoniškės village.
Fabijoniškės was the p ...
, Kelmija, Raisteliai and parts of the villages of Pavilionys,
Baltoji Vokė, Prašiškės,
Bajorai
The Lithuanian nobility or szlachta (Lithuanian: ''bajorija, šlėkta'') was historically a legally privileged hereditary elite class in the Kingdom of Lithuania and Grand Duchy of Lithuania (including during period of foreign rule 1795–1918) ...
,
Buivydiškės,
Grigaičiai and
Vanaginė were attached to Vilnius city. Almost all of the municipality belongs to the Vilnius urban belt, forming suburban environs of the capital city.
Elderships
The municipality is divided into 23 elderships:
Structure
District structure.
* 1 city –
Nemenčinė
Nemenčinė ( is a city in Vilnius district municipality, Lithuania, it is located only about north-east of Vilnius. Close to Nemenčinė forest was planted which forms a sentence ''Žalgiris 600'' (commemorating the Battle of Grunwald) visib ...
;
* 4
small towns –
Bezdonys,
Maišiagala,
Mickūnai,
Šumskas
* 1091 villages.
Largest residential areas by population (2011
[Lietuvos statistikos departamentas. http://web.stat.gov.lt/uploads/docs/Gyventojai_gyvenamosiose_vietovese.xls]):
*
Nemenčinė
Nemenčinė ( is a city in Vilnius district municipality, Lithuania, it is located only about north-east of Vilnius. Close to Nemenčinė forest was planted which forms a sentence ''Žalgiris 600'' (commemorating the Battle of Grunwald) visib ...
– 5,054
*
Skaidiškės – 4,133
*
Rudamina (Vilnius) – 3,981
*
Pagiriai (Vilnius) – 3,451
*
Didžioji Riešė – 2,520
*
Nemėžis – 2,498
*
Avižieniai – 2,125
*
Valčiūnai – 1,874
*
Juodšiliai – 1,744
*
Zujūnai – 1,660
*
Maišiagala – 1,636
*
Kalveliai – 1,592
*
Galgiai – 1,426
*
Mickūnai – 1,389
*
Grigaičiai – 1,325
*
Buivydiškės – 1,314
*
Vaidotai – 1,287
*
Riešė
Riešė is a village in Vilnius District Municipality, Lithuania. According to the 2021 census, it had population of 1,595, an increase from 2011 census, which recorded 1,234 inhabitants, up from 419 in 1989 or +281% in 32 years. According to the ...
– 1,234
*
Gineitiškės – 1,093
*
Kalviškės – 974
*
Bukiškis – 922
*
Paberžė – 919
*
Šumskas – 919
*
Marijampolis – 870
*
Rukainiai – 770
*
Bendoriai – 764
*
Bezdonys – 743
*
Didžiosios Kabiškės – 716
*
Mostiškės – 631
*
Lavoriškės – 621
*
Anavilis – 574
*
Rastinėnai – 556
*
Glitiškės – 549
*
Sudervė – 523
*
Vėliučionys – 516
*
Medininkai
Medininkai (; be, Меднікі) is a village in Lithuania, located east of Vilnius city municipality and from the Lithuanian–Belarusian border.
The village is situated on the Medininkai Highland, near the highest points of Lithuania � ...
– 493
*
Keturiasdešimt Totorių – 451
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Vilnius District Municipality is
twinned with:
*
Radom
Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975� ...
, Poland
Gallery
Skardis_netoli_Airėnų.JPG, Neris
The river Neris () or Viliya ( be, Ві́лія, pl, Wilia ) rises in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital) and in the south-centre of that country it flows into the Nemunas (Neman), at Kaunas, a ...
river outcrop near Airėnai village
Šventasis_Daubų_ąžuolas.JPG, Sacred Daubos Oak in Neris Regional Park
Šaltinis_"Akis",_Šilėnai_2.JPG, Swamp near Šilėnai
Buivydai (Vilnius) hillfort 2011 (1).jpg, Buivydai hillfort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
Ilgutis.jpg, Ilgutis lake near Keturiasdešimt Totorių
Akmenys Trys broliai.JPG, Stones "Three Brothers" near Sudervė
Medininku pilis 2012.jpg, Medininkai Castle
Paberze_church.JPG, Catholic church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
in Paberžė
Žemaitėliai,_sentikių_cerkvė_3.JPG, Wooden Old Believers
Old Believers or Old Ritualists, ''starovery'' or ''staroobryadtsy'' are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow b ...
church in Žemaitėliai
Geisiškių_Šv._kankinio_Jurgio_Nugalėtojo_cerkvė._Vartai.JPG, Orthodox church in Geisiškės village
Keturiasdešimt Totorių, mečetė.JPG, Wooden mosque in Keturiasdešimt Totorių
Sudervė,_koplytėlė.JPG, Tower chapel in Sudervė
Kelias_106.JPG, Road near Marijampolis
Lithuania_Centre_of_Europe.jpg, Geographical Center of Europe
Vilnoja_stone_sculptures_in_the_lake.JPG, Stone sculptures in Vilnoja lake near Sudervė
Liubavo malunas2011.jpg, Liubavas mill-museum
Bareikiškės, Sirokomlės muziejus.JPG, Museum of Władysław Syrokomla
Ludwik Władysław Franciszek Kondratowicz (29 September 1823 – 15 September 1862), better known as Władysław Syrokomla, was a Polish romantic poet, writer and translator working in Vilnius and Vilna Governorate, then Russian Empire.
Bi ...
in Bareikiškės
Bareikiškės is a village in Vilnius district municipality, Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, it had population of 78. There is a library and cottage-like block of flats in Bareikiškės. A museum of Władysław Syrokomla in a manor, that ...
Kelias 103, Lavoriškės .JPG, Road near Lavoriškės
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vilnius district municipality
Municipalities of Vilnius County
Municipalities of Lithuania