Juodšiliai Eldership

Juodšiliai Eldership
Juodšilių seniūnija
Eldership administrative building in Juodšiliai
Location of Juodšiliai Eldership
Country Lithuania
Ethnographic regionDzūkija
County Vilnius County
Municipality Vilnius District Municipality
Administrative centreJuodšiliai
Government
 • ElderTadeuš Aškalianec
Area
 • Total
23.63 km2 (9.12 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)[1]
 • Total
4,671
 • Density200/km2 (510/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Websitehttps://www.vrsa.lt

Juodšiliai Eldership (Lithuanian: Juodšilių seniūnija) is an eldership in Lithuania, located in Vilnius District Municipality, south of Vilnius.

Etymology

The name Juodšiliai means "the black groves" . The village was named sometime after 1920, and takes its name from the surrounding coniferous forests.[2]

Geography and nature

Rudaminėlė, a tributary of Vokė, flows along the northwest border of the eldership.

History

The settlement appeared relatively recently. Until World War I, the area was a forest (named Juodasis Šilas), which was felled by German soldiers. A railway was laid to transport the timber, and a train station was built nearby.[3]

The cleared space near the railway gave rise to a railroad worker village Reslerava.[3]

The scenic area was favoured by the intelligentsia of Vilnius, and a campsite was built there.[2]

In 1919, a school was opened in the village, and a monastery worked between 1920 and 1939. An orphanage also worked from 1924 to 1946.[2]

The construction of a church was started in 1936, but was halted due to the war. After it, the church building was used to establish a foster home, later a hospital, but a fire in 1991 damaged the building. In 2001, the church was returned to its original purpose, and the church was officially inaugurated in 2016.[2]

Populated places

9 villages are located in the eldership, the largest of which are Juodšiliai and Valčiūnai.

Notable locations

  • Juodšiliai Church of the Blessed Mykolas Sopočka
  • Juodšiliai tumulus
  • Dusinėnai tumuli
  • Prūdiškės Manor ruins
  • Writer Józef Mackiewicz farmhouse in Juodšiliai
  • Kelmytė ancient charcoal-burning place

Ethnic composition

According to the 2011 census:[4]

Notable people

  • Uršulė Leduchovska (1865-1939), nun, actively helped the impoverished and young women. Recognized as a saint in 2003.
  • Mykolas Sopočka (1880-1975), catholic priest, professor of theology, who sheltered in the village from Soviet deportations.
  • Józef Mackiewicz (1902-1985), Polish writer, publicist and politician. Lived in Juodšiliai during the Soviet occupation.

References

  1. ^ "Department of Statistics". Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  2. ^ a b c d "Vilniaus rajono savivaldybės administracija - Darbuotojų informacija". www.vrsa.lt. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  3. ^ a b "Juodšiliai". www.vle.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  4. ^ Republic of Lithuania 2011 National Census data