The Vilnius city municipality is one of 60 municipalities in
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
. It is in the southeastern part of country, in
Vilnius CountyVilnius County is the largest of the 10 counties of Lithuania, located in the east of the country around the city Vilnius.-History:Until the Partitions of Poland in late 18th century the area belonged to the Vilnius Voivodship and Trakai Voivodship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
and consists of the city of
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
, the town of
GrigiškėsGrigiškės Grigiškės Grigiškės ( is a city in the Vilnius city municipality, Lithuania, about 17 km from Vilnius. It is an industrial city with AB Grigiškės, a major paper factory built in 1923....
and some rural areas.
History
This is the history of the municipality. For the history of
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
city itself, please see
History of VilniusThis article is about the history of Vilnius, the capital and largest city of Lithuania.-Middle Ages:The earliest settlements in the area of present day Vilnius appear to be of mesolithic origin. Numerous archaeological findings in different parts of the city prove that the area has been inhabited...
.
During the Soviet era, Vilnius was given the unique status of a city, that was not controlled by local governments, but was responsible directly to the central government of the
Lithuanian SSRThe Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union. It was established after the Soviet Annexation of Lithuania in 1940 and existed until 1990...
. Officially, it remained a part of the Vilnius district.
After independence the system of districts and republican administered cities was reorganized into that of municipalities. Therefore the territory that formerly included Vilnius, became the Vilnius city municipality, while the remaining areas of Vilnius district became
Vilnius district municipalityVilnius district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It surrounds the capital on 3 sides, and the Trakai district municipality touches it on one....
. Although whole area is considered Vilnius , it has some areas that are actually suburbs, separated from the city by forests and such.
Under the municipality reform of 2000, the town of
GrigiškėsGrigiškės Grigiškės Grigiškės ( is a city in the Vilnius city municipality, Lithuania, about 17 km from Vilnius. It is an industrial city with AB Grigiškės, a major paper factory built in 1923....
was separated from the
Trakai district municipality-History:The Trakai district became significant early in its history due to the Old Trakai Castle built by the Grand Duke Gediminas in the 13th century. Many other castles were built in the area soon after this one, including the Trakai Peninsula Castle and the Trakai Island Castle...
, and made part of the Vilnius city municipality. It became an elderate,(a unique Lithuanian designation), of this municipality. However, Grigiškės is not considered part of Vilnius, only of the municipality; that is because joining it with Vilnius, would require renaming many streets in both cities, and it would be too costly at this time.
The government of Vilnius city municipality also would like that the town of
LentvarisLentvaris is a city in eastern Lithuania, 9 km east form Trakai, an important center of transportation, because many roads and railroads cross here.Lake Lentvaris is located near the city.- History :...
, currently part of
Trakai district municipality-History:The Trakai district became significant early in its history due to the Old Trakai Castle built by the Grand Duke Gediminas in the 13th century. Many other castles were built in the area soon after this one, including the Trakai Peninsula Castle and the Trakai Island Castle...
, would be attached to the Vilnius city municipality (which is allegedly supported by people of Lentvaris, according to surveys done by Vilnius city municipality). This is opposed by the government of Trakai district municipality.
Geography
The population density of the municipality is almost 1,400 people per square kilometer). In spite of this, however, almost a half of it is covered by woods and greenery. Parks separate the different districts and forests separate
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
from its suburbs. There are recreational places such as lakes in the municipality (water makes up almost 3% of the area). Outside of the Vilnius city limits it is also possible to swim in the
NerisNeris is a river arising in Belarus, flowing through Vilnius and becoming a tributary of the Neman River at Kaunas...
River. Forests are also prevalent in the northern part of the municipality.
The
Vilnius district municipalityVilnius district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It surrounds the capital on 3 sides, and the Trakai district municipality touches it on one....
surrounds Vilnius city municipality from the north, east and south, while in the west Vilnius city municipality borders
Trakai district municipality-History:The Trakai district became significant early in its history due to the Old Trakai Castle built by the Grand Duke Gediminas in the 13th century. Many other castles were built in the area soon after this one, including the Trakai Peninsula Castle and the Trakai Island Castle...
.
Demographics
The Vilnius city municipality is the most populous municipality in Lithuania and is one of the most diverse municipalities, with
LithuaniansLithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number slightly over 3 million people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland...
making up less than 60% population. The minority communities are Poles, Russians,
BelarusiansBelarusians are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Belarusian language...
, Ukrainians, Jews, Tatars, Gypsies, Karaites and others; most of them have resided there for centuries. There are many Lithuanian, Polish and Russian schools, as well as some other minority schools. There are also various religious communities in the municipality (also many atheists, as in other urban municipalities), including various Christian denominations, the largest number of Jews of any Lithuanian municipality, relatively large number of Muslims, also some Karaites (who have a temple in the city). In addition to traditional religions, there are many new ones practiced. Such diversity comes from the turbulent history of the region. The percentage of Poles is largest in the suburbs of
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
, such as
Naujoji VilniaNaujoji Vilnia is a neighborhood in eastern Vilnius, Lithuania situated along the banks of the Vilnia River. It has elderate status.It started as a separate town in the second half of the 19th century when the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway was built. It grew as a narrow strip along the rails....
; most Russians live in
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
itself.
Urbanization:
- Urban - 553,735 (99.97%)
- Rural - 169 (0.03%)
Sexual makeup:
- Men - 252,464 (45.58%)
- Women - 301,440 (54.42%)
Religious makeup:
- Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
- 366,052 (72.32%)
- Atheists - 71,463 (14.12%)
- Eastern Orthodox - 54,530 (10.77%)
- Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers became separated after 1666-1667 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon...
- 6,507 (1.29%)
- Others less than 0.5% each
Ethnic makeup:
- Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number slightly over 3 million people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland...
- 318,510 (59.16%)
- Poles
The Polish people, or Poles , are a Western Slavic ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Poles are sometimes defined as people who share a common Polish culture and are of Polish descent. Their religion is predominantly Roman Catholic...
- 104,446 (19.40%)
- Russians
The Russian people are an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
- 77,698 (14.43%)
- Belarusians
Belarusians are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Belarusian language...
- 22,555 (4.19%)
- Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly—citizens of Ukraine...
- 7,159 (1.33%)
- Jews - 2,785 (0.52%)
- Others less than 0.5% each
Politics
As the municipality is the most populous, and as it includes the capital city of Lithuania, it is very important. It has the largest city council. Traditionally, people from the municipality supports rightist parties; especially people from
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
. Inhabitants of suburbs more frequently votes for leftist parties. The Lithuanian Liberal Party (now merged into Liberal and Center Union) has been traditionally the most popular, and is also the currently ruling party, led by the charismatic young mayor (the youngest mayor of a European capital city)
Artūras ZuokasArtūras Zuokas is a Lithuanian politician. He is former leader of the Liberal and Centre Union political party and was the Mayor of Vilnius city municipality from 2000-2007. He is currently a member of the Seimas...
. However, he was involved in a corruption scandal recently. The court found him not guilty, but the President asked for his resignation. He refused to resign however, and the municipality council refused to vote on his removal.
Because of the political climate and other factors, the municipality has thrived economically (see economics section), but some people oppose how this economic success has been obtained. Therefore there has recently been more polarization , and many people have chosen to vote for the opposition.
Some of the actions of the municipality government were pioneering the ideas in
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
or even the world. The innovative actions were such as letting people always see the mayor's office online over a webcam, giving people free bikes to ride with and otherwise promoting bike travel (which was not popular before), banning of any public alcohol consumption (previously not done in Lithuania), installing TV sets in public transportation, allowing tall skyscrapers near city centre (previously undone in Lithuania) and others. As mayor
Artūras ZuokasArtūras Zuokas is a Lithuanian politician. He is former leader of the Liberal and Centre Union political party and was the Mayor of Vilnius city municipality from 2000-2007. He is currently a member of the Seimas...
said, it is a problem of Lithuania and other Eastern European societies that one has to prove that the idea has been done in different western European or American cities before anyone takes you seriously that it would work in Lithuania; he thinks that instead Lithuanians should not be afraid to be the first in the world to do various things and let others to follow.
Goals
Declared political goals of Vilnius city municipality are quite ambitions; they includes trying to make the
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
city as a major commercial hub in the region which includes Lithuania, Latvia,
BelarusBelarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel , Mahilyow and Vitebsk...
and Poland (as Vilnius is a center of area inhabited by tens of millions of people, and cities of
KaunasKaunas Kaunas Kaunas and Vilnius-Klaipėda (A1)...
,
RigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia, a major industrial, commercial, cultural and financial centre of the Baltics, and an important seaport, situated on the mouth of the Daugava...
,
MinskMinsk is the capital and largest city in Belarus, situated on the Svislach and Niamiha rivers. Minsk is also a headquarters of the Commonwealth of Independent States . As the national capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is also the administrative centre of Minsk...
are not far away.
The new city center of Vilnius, a commercial and residential modern district, is being established in formerly empty areas, or areas currently occupied by outdated and obsolete sports facilities and wooden buildings, on the right bank of river
NerisNeris is a river arising in Belarus, flowing through Vilnius and becoming a tributary of the Neman River at Kaunas...
. To further establish the stance of the area as the center, the municipality itself moved to a newly built high rise building there. The former Municipality Palace in the
Gediminas AvenueGediminas Avenue is the main street of Vilnius, where most of the governmental institutions of Lithuania are concentrated, including the government, parliament, Constitutional Court and ministries...
was sold and now there is a shopping centre. Although one of reasons for the new center of Vilnius is that it would move away traffic from the old town, the project is still regarded by some as controversial, due to skyscrapers being visible from the old town and supposedly destroying the medieval atmosphere there, skyscrapers being more impressive visually than the traditional symbols of Vilnius such as the Castle of Gediminas and the new districts destroying the wooden architecture of
ŠnipiškėsŠnipiškės is a neighbourhood in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Located on the north bank of the river Neris, it is the site of Vilnius' new business district. Several skyscrapers and the new Europa Tower business center have been erected since the turn of the millennium...
district, a rare case of XIX age former suburb of Vilnius still remaining as it was unchanged. The municipality government however discounts such arguments as being old-fashioned and states that the municipality must move forward together with time.
Inside Lithuania, the dvimiestis (literally "twocity") idea is a common work between Vilnius city municipality and Kaunas city municipality (second most populous municipality of Lithuania (includes
KaunasKaunas Kaunas Kaunas and Vilnius-Klaipėda (A1)...
city), which is about 100 km from Vilnius city municipality). It includes cooperation such as planning a single major airport between municipalities, also plans are for fast train which would connect them in half an hour so it would make viable to live in one municipality and work in another (currently it takes 1 hour and 5 minutes to go
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
-
KaunasKaunas Kaunas Kaunas and Vilnius-Klaipėda (A1)...
by express train and 1 hour and 40 minutes to go by express bus). Overall both municipalities would then have almost a million of people and this would make it easier to advertise it as a common market to possible investors. Currently in major exhibitions and tourist booklets both municipalities already advertises together.
Another idea is that of expansion of the municipality by including town of
LentvarisLentvaris is a city in eastern Lithuania, 9 km east form Trakai, an important center of transportation, because many roads and railroads cross here.Lake Lentvaris is located near the city.- History :...
into it which is currently part of
Trakai district municipality-History:The Trakai district became significant early in its history due to the Old Trakai Castle built by the Grand Duke Gediminas in the 13th century. Many other castles were built in the area soon after this one, including the Trakai Peninsula Castle and the Trakai Island Castle...
. Allegedly, that is supported by people of Lentvaris, according to surveys organised by Vilnius city municipality, mostly because utilities (such as water) are cheaper in Vilnius city municipality as it is highly urban. Trakai district municipality, which already had
Elektrėnai municipalityElektrėnai municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania....
seceded from it in 2000 and
GrigiškėsGrigiškės Grigiškės Grigiškės ( is a city in the Vilnius city municipality, Lithuania, about 17 km from Vilnius. It is an industrial city with AB Grigiškės, a major paper factory built in 1923....
attached to Vilnius city municipality previously, disagrees with possible secession of Lentvaris, claiming that then the municipality would remain primarily rural and costs for utilities would get even larger for those who'd remain. Also, some opponents of the idea claims that Vilnius city municipality needs Lentvaris only as a cheap ground to plan industry in, as Vilnius city municipality itself is highly urban and large parts of remaining areas are protected as regional parks.
Council
Vilnius city municipality council is the governing body of the Vilnius city municipality. It is responsible for municipality laws. The council is the member of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania. Vilnius city municipality council overall has 51 seats. Last elections were held in December 2002, terms are 4 years. The results are here:
- A. Zuokas's Coalition "For Vilnius in which everyone feels well" Liberals and Modern Christian Democrats - 18
- Liberal Democratic Party - 6
- Lithuania's Poles Electoral Action - 6
- Lithuania's Russians Union - 6
- Lithuanian Social Democrat party - 6
- Homeland Union - 6
- New Union (Socialliberals)
The New Union , or NS, is a centre-left, social liberal party in Lithuania. The NS is member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and is an observer at Liberal International...
- 3
Mayors
- 1990 – Arūnas Grumadas (the president of council)
- 1993 – Valentinas Šapalas (the president of council)
- 1995 – Alis Vidūnas
Alis Vidūnas is a Lithuanian politician. 1952-1958 he studied at Kaunas Politechnical Institute, Faculty of Hydrotechnology and received profession of an engineer. 1995-04-10 - 1997-01-21 he was mayor of Vilnius, 1997-01-15 - 2000-11 15 – head of Vilnius region...
- 1997 – Rolandas Paksas
Rolandas Paksas is a Lithuanian politician who currently heads the Order and Justice Party. He was the President of Lithuania from February 26, 2003 to April 6, 2004, when he was impeached...
- 1999 – Juozas Imbrasas
Juozas Imbrasas is the former mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania. He is a member of the political party Order and Justice.-Controversy:...
- 2000 – Rolandas Paksas
- 2001 – Artūras Zuokas
Artūras Zuokas is a Lithuanian politician. He is former leader of the Liberal and Centre Union political party and was the Mayor of Vilnius city municipality from 2000-2007. He is currently a member of the Seimas...
- 2003 – Gediminas Paviržis
- 2003 – Artūras Zuokas
- 2007 – Juozas Imbrasas
- 2009 – Vilius Navickas
Economics
Due to the rightist policies the municipality thrives economically, unemployment is among the lowest and average wage is among the highest in Lithuania. Economic policies however criticised by some people because such things as green areas and old buildings are being sacrificed for skyscrapers and other commercial objects. The government of municipality however envisions Vilnius as a modern European city and during past few years it rapidly changed. Other parts of the municipality are developing too. Due to good economic policies, municipality is attractive to investors; it already houses tallest skyscraper
Europa TowerThe Europa Tower is the tallest skyscraper in the Baltic States. It is located in a suburb of Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, called Šnipiškės. It rises 129 meters above ground level. It was designed by the Vilnius based, Audrius Ambrasas Architects Company...
, largest shopping center Akropolis in the Baltic States and other such objects.
Transportation
Municipality has largest international airport in Lithuania (
Vilnius International AirportVilnius International Airport is the largest civil airport in Lithuania. It is located south of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It began operations in 1944. The old terminal was built in 1954.- History:...
), is connected by major roads and railways. There are plans to build
Light railLight rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system in the municipality to promote public transportation. Currently the public transportation consists of buses and trolleybusses, as well shared taxis and taxis.
Elderates
- Verkiai
Verkiai, is a name of an elderate in Vilnius, Lithuania and also the name of a settlement, historically situated north of Vilnius but today a part of Vilnius city municipality and a capital of Verkiai elderate....
- Antakalnis
Antakalnis is an elderate in the Vilnius city municipality. Antakalnis Antakalnis is an elderate in the Vilnius city municipality. Antakalnis Antakalnis is an elderate in the Vilnius city municipality. Antakalnis (literally 'the place on hills', is one of the oldest historical suburbs of Vilnius...
- Pašilaičiai
- Fabijoniškės
Fabijoniškės, located in the northern part of Vilnius, is one of the newest districts of Vilnius municipality, built in the late 1980s to early 1990s....
- Pilaitė
- Justiniškės
Justiniškės, located in western edge of Vilnius, is one of the newest districts in the capital of Lithuania. It is also one of the 21 elderates of Vilnius city municipality. It was built mainly between in the 1980s as a microdistrict. Almost all buildings are Soviet-built human habitats.Justiniškės...
- Viršuliškės
- Šeškinė
Šeškinė is a fairly new suburb located in the north of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, built in 1977 as a microdistrict.Šeškinė is a largely residential suburb although it is also home to the Akropolis Supermarket, one of the largest in Eastern Europe. The largest sports facilities in Lithuania,...
- Šnipiškės
Šnipiškės is a neighbourhood in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Located on the north bank of the river Neris, it is the site of Vilnius' new business district. Several skyscrapers and the new Europa Tower business center have been erected since the turn of the millennium...
- Žirmūnai
Žirmūnai is the most populous administrative division in Vilnius. It is also a neighbourhood in the Lithuanian capital city Vilnius, encompassing the city district of the same name, built in the 1960s....
- Karoliniškės
Karoliniškės is a microdistrict and elderate of Vilnius, Lithuania. The district was started to be built in year 1971, and because of its geographical location, became an important part of Vilnius city.Karoliniškės covers about 4 km² area...
- Žvėrynas
Žvėrynas, literally the menagerie is one of the older neighborhoods in Vilnius, Lithuania. It lies on the banks of the Neris River, and is situated to the west of the Lithuanian Parliament building. The river surrounds it from three sides and isolates it from the city...
- Grigiškės
Grigiškės Grigiškės Grigiškės ( is a city in the Vilnius city municipality, Lithuania, about 17 km from Vilnius. It is an industrial city with AB Grigiškės, a major paper factory built in 1923....
- Lazdynai
Lazdynai is an elderate in Vilnius, Lithuania, situated on the right bank of the Neris River. It covers area of and has population of approximately 32,000 .-History:...
- Vilkpėdė
- Naujamiestis
Naujamiestis can refer to:*Kudirkos Naumiestis, a city in Šakiai district municipality, Lithuania*Naujamiestis, Panevėžys, a town in Panevėžys district municipality, Lithuania...
- Senamiestis (Old Town)
The Old Town of Vilnius , one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Northern Europe, has an area of 3.59 square kilometres . It encompasses 74 quarters, with 70 streets and lanes numbering 1487 buildings with a total floor area of 1,497,000 square meters...
- Naujoji Vilnia
Naujoji Vilnia is a neighborhood in eastern Vilnius, Lithuania situated along the banks of the Vilnia River. It has elderate status.It started as a separate town in the second half of the 19th century when the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway was built. It grew as a narrow strip along the rails....
- Paneriai
Paneriai is a suburb of Vilnius, situated about 10 kilometres away from the city center. It is the largest elderate in the Vilnius city municipality. It is located on low forested hills, on the Vilnius-Warsaw road...
- Naujininkai
Naujininkai is one of the Vilnius' neighbourhoods that is situated in the south-west of the city and lies between the Vilnius Airport and the railway station. It has an elderate status. There are an Old Believers' cemetery and a church....
- Rasos
Culture
Cultural life is very active in the municipality. There are several theaters (some of which are world famous and takes part in various international festivals), cinemas, art galleries and other cultural institutions.
External links