Varena district municipality
Encyclopedia
Varėna district municipality is a municipality
in southern Lithuania
, Alytus County
.
, a large part of Varėna
district municipality was on the Polish side of not-mutually recognized border during the interwar period. This was mainly due the strategic Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway
. Unlike in neighboring regions, where the number of Poles is high, the territories now comprising the municipality always had a Lithuanian majority. The Varėna District, as it was then called, was formed during the Soviet Union, with the small town of Varėna
chosen as the capital. Varėna was chosen over the then much larger Senoji Varėna (literally "Old Varėna") as the capital, due to its proximity to a railroad. It only became the center of region in the 1970s when it underwent industrialization under Soviet leadership. During a municipality reform the territory was renamed to Varėna district municipality and the westernmost parts of it ceded to Druskininkai municipality.
. It borders Druskininkai municipality to the west, Alytus district municipality
to the northwest, Trakai district municipality
to the northeast, and Šalčininkai district municipality
also to the west. To the south it shares a border with Belarus
.
Sexual makeup:
Religious makeup:
Ethnic makeup:
The results of the 2002 elections:
. There are stations in Valkininkai
, Matuizos
, Varėna
, Marcinkonys
, and stops in Kalviai, Pamerkiai
, Zervynos
, Darželiai, Morgionys, Kabeliai
, Senovė (the last three recently closed after the train route to Gardinas was discontinued).
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in southern Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Alytus County
Alytus County
Alytus County is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is the southernmost county, and its capital is the city of Alytus. Its territory lies within the ethnographic region of Dzūkija...
.
History
Along with Vilnius regionVilnius region
Vilnius Region , refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania, that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time,...
, a large part of Varėna
Varena
Varėna is a city in Dzūkija, Lithuania.-History:The town was founded in 1862 near the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway, south of Sena Varėna . At that time it was a small settlement, but following steady development it eventually became the center of the district in 1950. In the interbellum...
district municipality was on the Polish side of not-mutually recognized border during the interwar period. This was mainly due the strategic Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway
Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway
The Saint Petersburg – Warsaw Railway, Russian "Санкт-Петербурго-Варшавская железная дорога" is a long railway, built in the 19th century by the Russian Empire to connect Russia with Central Europe. At the time the entire railway was within Russia, as Warsaw was under a Russian partition of Poland...
. Unlike in neighboring regions, where the number of Poles is high, the territories now comprising the municipality always had a Lithuanian majority. The Varėna District, as it was then called, was formed during the Soviet Union, with the small town of Varėna
Varena
Varėna is a city in Dzūkija, Lithuania.-History:The town was founded in 1862 near the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway, south of Sena Varėna . At that time it was a small settlement, but following steady development it eventually became the center of the district in 1950. In the interbellum...
chosen as the capital. Varėna was chosen over the then much larger Senoji Varėna (literally "Old Varėna") as the capital, due to its proximity to a railroad. It only became the center of region in the 1970s when it underwent industrialization under Soviet leadership. During a municipality reform the territory was renamed to Varėna district municipality and the westernmost parts of it ceded to Druskininkai municipality.
Geography
Most of the municipality is covered by forests and swamps, it is the largest and least densely populated municipality of Lithuania. The river Merkys passes through its territory, there are over 100 lakes, and the Dainava forestDainava Forest
The Dainava Forest is the largest forest in Lithuania. Located in Dzūkija region in southern Lithuania, it covers the total area of of which is covered by trees. A large part of the forest is protected by the Dzūkija National Park....
. It borders Druskininkai municipality to the west, Alytus district municipality
Alytus district municipality
The Alytus district municipality is a municipality in Lithuania, located in the Dzūkija ethnographic region.This municipality was founded in 1950, and until 1953 was a part of the Kaunas province. In 1959, another reorganization of parts of the former Simnas and Daugai municipalities occurred,...
to the northwest, Trakai district municipality
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...
to the northeast, and Šalčininkai district municipality
Šalcininkai district municipality
Šalčininkai district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania.It has one of biggest Polish minority populations in Lithuania, with 31,223 or over 80% of the population claiming Polish ethnicity. Šalčininkai is the largest town in and the center of the region.-References:...
also to the west. To the south it shares a border with Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
.
Demography
Urbanization:- Urban - 10845 (34,83%)
- Rural - 20292 (75,27%)
Sexual makeup:
- Men - 14947 (48,00%)
- Women - 16190 (52,00%)
Religious makeup:
- Catholics - 28651 (94,75%)
- Atheists - 1146 (3,79%)
- Eastern Orthodox - 349 (1,15%)
- Others less than 0,5% each
Ethnic makeup:
- LithuaniansLithuaniansLithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 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. Their native language...
- 28163 (90,69%) - PolesPolesthumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
- 2067 (6,66%) - RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
- 338 (1,09%) - BelarusiansBelarusiansBelarusians ; 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 Old Belarusian...
- 302 (0,97%) - Others less than 0,5% each
Council
Varėna district municipality council currently has 25 seats. The last elections took place in December 2002, and the term limit is 4 years.The results of the 2002 elections:
- Lithuanian Center Union - 18
- Christian Coalition with Algis Kašėta - 2
- Social Democratic Party of LithuaniaSocial Democratic Party of LithuaniaThe Social Democratic Party of Lithuania is a centre-left and social democratic political party in Lithuania. It is the oldest party in Lithuania, founded in 1896. The party's president since 2009 is Algirdas Butkevičius. The party led a minority government in the unicameral Seimas, Lithuania's...
- 2 - New Union Social Liberals - 2
- Liberal democrat partyLiberal Democratic Party (Lithuania)Order and Justice , formerly the Liberal Democratic Party , is a centre-right national liberal political party in Lithuania, though it self-identifies as 'left-of-centre'...
- 1
Transportation
The road network is sparse, but a railway connects the district with VilniusVilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. There are stations in Valkininkai
Valkininkai
Valkininkai is a historic town in Lithuania, located about northeast from Varėna and about southeast from Vilnius. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 238. It is situated on the confluence of Merkys River with its tributaries Šalčia and Geluža...
, Matuizos
Matuizos
Matuizos is a village in Varėna district municipality, in Alytus County, in southeastern Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the village has a population of 1312 people.-References:...
, Varėna
Varena
Varėna is a city in Dzūkija, Lithuania.-History:The town was founded in 1862 near the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway, south of Sena Varėna . At that time it was a small settlement, but following steady development it eventually became the center of the district in 1950. In the interbellum...
, Marcinkonys
Marcinkonys
Marcinkonys is a village in Varėna district, Lithuania, located south-east of Merkinė. It is the administrative center of the Dzūkija National Park and Čepkeliai Marsh. According to the 2001 census, it had 765 residents. The settlement is known since 1637, when it was a camp of foresters...
, and stops in Kalviai, Pamerkiai
Pamerkiai
Pamerkiai is a village in Varėna district municipality, in Alytus County, in southeastern Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the village has a population of 131 people.-References:...
, Zervynos
Zervynos
Zervynos is an ethnographic village in the Varėna district, Lithuania. It is situated within the territory of the Dzūkija National Park near the Ūla River. The Saint Petersburg – Warsaw Railway runs through this village. Zervynos has 48 homesteads; 8 homesteads and 32 separate buildings are...
, Darželiai, Morgionys, Kabeliai
Kabeliai
Kabeliai is a village in Varėna district municipality, in Alytus County, in southeastern Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the village has a population of 229 people....
, Senovė (the last three recently closed after the train route to Gardinas was discontinued).
Elderships
- Jakėnų seniūnija (Jakėnai)
- Kaniavos seniūnija (Kaniava)
- Matuizų seniūnija (MatuizosMatuizosMatuizos is a village in Varėna district municipality, in Alytus County, in southeastern Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the village has a population of 1312 people.-References:...
) - Marcinkonių seniūnija (MarcinkonysMarcinkonysMarcinkonys is a village in Varėna district, Lithuania, located south-east of Merkinė. It is the administrative center of the Dzūkija National Park and Čepkeliai Marsh. According to the 2001 census, it had 765 residents. The settlement is known since 1637, when it was a camp of foresters...
) - Merkinės seniūnija (MerkinėMerkineMerkinė is a town in Dzūkija National Park in Lithuania, located at the confluence of the Merkys and Neman Rivers.First mentioned in 1359, Merkinė is one of the oldest Lithuanian settlements. It received the Magdeburg rights in 1569. The town is the location of The Mount of Queen Bona, a mound...
) - Valkininkų seniūnija (ValkininkaiValkininkaiValkininkai is a historic town in Lithuania, located about northeast from Varėna and about southeast from Vilnius. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 238. It is situated on the confluence of Merkys River with its tributaries Šalčia and Geluža...
) - Varėnos seniūnija (VarėnaVarenaVarėna is a city in Dzūkija, Lithuania.-History:The town was founded in 1862 near the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway, south of Sena Varėna . At that time it was a small settlement, but following steady development it eventually became the center of the district in 1950. In the interbellum...
) - Vydenių seniūnija (VydeniaiVydeniaiVydeniai is a village in Varėna district municipality, in Alytus County, in southeastern Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the village has a population of 413 people.-References:...
)