| Juodšiliai Eldership Juodšilių seniūnija | |
|---|---|
|  Eldership administrative building in Juodšiliai | |
|  Location of Juodšiliai Eldership | |
| Country |  Lithuania | 
| Ethnographic region | Dzūkija | 
| County |  Vilnius County | 
| Municipality |  Vilnius District Municipality | 
| Administrative centre | Juodšiliai | 
| Government | |
| • Elder | Tadeuš Aškalianec | 
| Area | |
| • Total | 23.63 km2 (9.12 sq mi) | 
| Population  (2019)[1] | |
| • Total | 4,671 | 
| • Density | 200/km2 (510/sq mi) | 
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) | 
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) | 
| Website | https://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]
- Polish - 46.1%
- Lithuanian - 27.9%
- Russian - 13.7%
- Belarusian - 6.8%
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.
Gallery
 Church of Juodšiliai Church of Juodšiliai
 Juodšiliai in 2013 Juodšiliai in 2013
 Prūdiškės in 2014 Prūdiškės in 2014
 Miškiniai Miškiniai
 Former railway station at Valčiūnai Former railway station at Valčiūnai
References
- ↑ "Department of Statistics". Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- 1 2 3 4 "Vilniaus rajono savivaldybės administracija - Darbuotojų informacija". www.vrsa.lt. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- 1 2 "Juodšiliai". www.vle.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ↑ Republic of Lithuania 2011 National Census data