Municipalities of Lithuania

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Lithuania is divided into three layers of administrative divisions. The first-level division consists of 10 counties (Lithuanian: singular – apskritis, plural – apskritys). These are sub-divided into 60 municipalities (Lithuanian: plural – savivaldybės, singular – savivaldybė), which in turn are further sub-divided into over 500 smaller groups, known as elderships (Lithuanian: plural – seniūnijos, singular – seniūnija).

At the end of its tenure as a Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuania's administrative divisions consisted of 44 regions, 12 cities, 80 towns, 19 settlements, and 426 rural districts.[1] The reform of this system was an immediate concern for the new government.[2] The Constitution of Lithuania, ratified in 1992, delegated the power of establishing future administrative units to the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas). Accordingly, the Seimas passed two fundamental laws: a 1993 law on government representation and a 1994 law specifying the territorial-administrative units and their boundaries.[2] The current system of a set of municipalities under 10 counties was codified by 1995.[2] Several changes were made in 2000, resulting in 60 municipalities.[3]

Ordinary municipal councilors are elected every four years from electoral lists using proportional representation. The mayor, who is a member of the council, is elected directly by the residents in a majority vote in run-off election.[4] Before 2015, the mayors were elected by the municipal councils.

The largest municipality by population in Lithuania is Vilnius City Municipality with 542,626 residents, home to one fifth (18.6%) of the country's population. The smallest municipality by population is Neringa Municipality with 2,879 residents. The largest municipality by land area is Varėna District Municipality, which spans 2,216 km2 (856 sq mi), while the smallest is Alytus City Municipality at 40 km2 (15 sq mi).

Powers and functions[]

Municipalities are established to perform certain functions provided by law. According to the abovementioned Republic of Lithuania Law on Local Self-Government, the functions of municipalities are “functions related to local government, public administration and provision of public services defined by the Constitution and attributed to municipalities by this and other laws”.[5] The processes of integration into international organizations - like the EU and NATO - are considered to be important external factors influencing the development of municipal powers in the country. Lithuania, which has become a member of these organizations, has been assigned completely new responsibilities, some of which, naturally, also belonged to municipalities. In the case of EU integration, municipalities have been assigned the necessary information supply to the European Commission, and in the case of integration into NATO, municipalities have had new functions related to security issues.[6]

A map divided into ten sections all filled in with a different colour and further subdivided into subsections

1 – Vilnius City Municipality
2 – Kaunas City Municipality
3 – Klaipėda City Municipality

4 – Panevėžys City Municipality
5 – Šiauliai City Municipality
6 – Alytus City Municipality

7 – Birštonas Municipality
8 – Palanga City Municipality
9 – Visaginas Municipality
10 – Neringa Municipality

Municipalities[]

Municipality County Administrative center[7] Area[8] Pop. (2015)[8] Density (2015)[8]
A coat of arms depicting orange tools on a white background on the top and an orange sun on a dark green background on the bottom
Akmenė District Municipality		 Šiauliai Naujoji Akmenė 844 km2 (208,556.94 acres; 325.87 sq mi) 21,332 25.3
A coat of arms depicting a white flower in the middle that has a yellow stamen and green leaves all on a red background
Alytus City Municipality		 Alytus Alytus 40 km2 (9,884.22 acres; 15.44 sq mi) 55,614 1,390.4
A coat of arms depicting three flowers that have red petals, green stalks, and green leaves all sprouting from green earth
Alytus District Municipality		 Alytus Alytus[nb 1] 1,403 km2 (346,688.85 acres; 541.70 sq mi) 27,126 19.3
A coat of arms depicting a brown bridge rising up out of a blue body of water into a blue sky with white clouds
Anykščiai District Municipality		 Utena Anykščiai 1,764 km2 (435,893.89 acres; 681.08 sq mi) 26,393 15.0
A coat of arms depicting a sea creature with sharp teeth, one protruding bottom tooth, and a blowhole spewing water
Birštonas Municipality		 Kaunas Birštonas 122 km2 (30,146.86 acres; 47.10 sq mi) 4,371 35.8
A coat of arms depicting a white flag with a black bird on it with a yellow beak and yellow claws all on a yellow background
Biržai District Municipality		 Panevėžys Biržai 1,476 km2 (364,727.54 acres; 569.89 sq mi) 25,937 17.6
A coat of arms depicting three golden crowns with five spikes protruding from their tops all on a blue background
Druskininkai Municipality		 Alytus Druskininkai 453 km2 (111,938.74 acres; 174.90 sq mi) 20,728 45.8
A coat of arms depicting three yellow, diagonal lines zig-zagging from the bottom left to the top right on a grey background
Elektrėnai Municipality		 Vilnius Elektrėnai 509 km2 (125,776.64 acres; 196.53 sq mi) 24,164 47.5
A coat of arms depicting three white flowers lined up vertically with four yellow seeds surrounding each all on a blue background
Ignalina District Municipality		 Utena Ignalina 1,441 km2 (356,078.85 acres; 556.37 sq mi) 16,806 11.7
A coat of arms depicting a white bird with wings outspread, a red beak, and red feet all on a dark blue background
Jonava District Municipality		 Kaunas Jonava 943 km2 (233,020.37 acres; 364.09 sq mi) 43,875 46.5
A coat of arms depicting an angel in full body armour and wings outspread while standing on a green dragon with a twisted tail
Joniškis District Municipality		 Šiauliai Joniškis 1,151 km2 (284,418.29 acres; 444.40 sq mi) 23,807 20.7
A coat of arms depicting three grey fleurs-de-lis, two directly across from each other at the top and one on the bottom, all on a red background
Jurbarkas District Municipality		 Tauragė Jurbarkas 1,506 km2 (372,140.70 acres; 581.47 sq mi) 28,162 18.7
A coat of arms depicting four grey horses with red eyes galloping both to the left and to the right all on a black background
Kaišiadorys District Municipality		 Kaunas Kaišiadorys 1,087 km2 (268,603.55 acres; 419.69 sq mi) 31,915 29.4
A coat of arms depicting a grey castle on a red background on the left and a blue eye in a yellow triangle on the right
Kalvarija Municipality		 Marijampolė Kalvarija 440 km2 (108,726.37 acres; 169.88 sq mi) 11,486 26.1
A coat of arms depicting a white bull with an angry expression and a golden cross protruding from its head all on a red background
Kaunas City Municipality		 Kaunas Kaunas 157 km2 (38,795.54 acres; 60.62 sq mi) 301,357 1919.5
A coat of arms depicting a grey bull's head with a golden cross protruding from the top all on a red crest on a blue background
Kaunas District Municipality		 Kaunas Kaunas[nb 1] 1,495 km2 (369,422.55 acres; 577.22 sq mi) 88,396 59.1
A coat of arms depicting six yellow stars in a diagonal line running from the bottom left to the top right all on a black background
Kazlų Rūda Municipality		 Marijampolė Kazlų Rūda 555 km2 (137,143.49 acres; 214.29 sq mi) 12,494 22.5
A coat of arms depicting a black wing attached to a black tallon holding a white horseshoe attached to three yellow spurs
Kėdainiai District Municipality		 Kaunas Kėdainiai 1,677 km2 (414,395.72 acres; 647.49 sq mi) 49,939 29.8
A coat of arms depicting a white wheel on a light blue background at the top and three white leaves on a green background at the bottom
Kelmė District Municipality		 Šiauliai Kelmė 1,705 km2 (421,314.68 acres; 658.30 sq mi) 29,559 17.3
A coat of arms depicting a golden castle with three turrets surrounded with four golden stars all on a red background
Klaipėda City Municipality		 Klaipėda Klaipėda 99 km2 (24,463.43 acres; 38.22 sq mi) 156,141 1,577.2
A coat of arms depicting a sword with a gold hilt and a silver blade penetrating a green wreath all on a red background
Klaipėda District Municipality		 Klaipėda Gargždai 1,340 km2 (331,121.21 acres; 517.38 sq mi) 52,831 39.4
A coat of arms depicting a woman clothed in blue and brown wearing a golden crown and carrying a baby all on a grey background
Kretinga District Municipality		 Klaipėda Kretinga 989 km2 (244,387.22 acres; 381.86 sq mi) 39,758 40.2
A coat of arms depicting a black, six-pointed star on a golden background on the bottom and grey swirls on a blue background on the top
Kupiškis District Municipality		 Panevėžys Kupiškis 1,080 km2 (266,873.81 acres; 416.99 sq mi) 18,678 17.3
A coat of arms depicting a golden moose with large antlers and a protruding red tongue hovering over three black keys
Lazdijai District Municipality		 Alytus Lazdijai 1,306 km2 (322,719.63 acres; 504.25 sq mi) 20,813 15.9
A coat of arms depicting a man in full body armour riding a brown horse that is trampling a black dragon all on a yellow background
Marijampolė Municipality		 Marijampolė Marijampolė 755 km2 (186,564.56 acres; 291.51 sq mi) 58,027 76.9
A coat of arms depicting a golden arrow with a zig-zag in the middle of it pulled back on a golden bow all on a blue background
Mažeikiai District Municipality		 Telšiai Mažeikiai 1,219 km2 (301,221.46 acres; 470.66 sq mi) 55,441 45.5
A coat of arms depicting a golden key on a red background at the top and three blue birds on a white background at the bottom
Molėtai District Municipality		 Utena Molėtai 1,367 km2 (337,793.06 acres; 527.80 sq mi) 19,233 14.1
A coat of arms depicting a white "N" on a blue background at the bottom and a series of black and white shapes at the top
Neringa Municipality		 Klaipėda Nida 90 km2 (22,239.48 acres; 34.75 sq mi) 2,879 32.0
A coat of arms depicting a grey bird with a golden eye and wings outstretched holding a golden key all on a green background
Pagėgiai Municipality		 Tauragė Pagėgiai 536 km2 (132,448.48 acres; 206.95 sq mi) 8,711 16.3
A coat of arms depicting a yellow windmill on a red crest hovering over a black bridge all on a yellow background
Pakruojis District Municipality		 Šiauliai Pakruojis 1,315 km2 (324,943.58 acres; 507.72 sq mi) 21,555 16.4
A coat of arms depicting a circle for which the boundary is itself made up of beige circles all under a silver crown on a blue background
Palanga City Municipality		 Klaipėda Palanga 79 km2 (19,521.33 acres; 30.50 sq mi) 15,379 194.7
A coat of arms depicting a red castle with black double doors, two black windows, and one central tower all standing on black ground
Panevėžys City Municipality		 Panevėžys Panevėžys 50 km2 (12,355.27 acres; 19.31 sq mi) 95,202 1,904.0
A coat of arms depicting two grey sheaves of wheat on a blue background at the top and a red plowshare on a grey background at the bottom
Panevėžys District Municipality		 Panevėžys Panevėžys[nb 1] 2,177 km2 (537,948.42 acres; 840.54 sq mi) 37,173 17.1
A coat of arms depicting the black head of a bull with a golden vine entangled in its black horns and a golden ring protruding from its nose
Pasvalys District Municipality		 Panevėžys Pasvalys 1,289 km2 (318,518.84 acres; 497.69 sq mi) 26,213 20.3
A coat of arms depicting the Eye of Providence with a blue iris encapsulated in a golden triangle surrounded in golden rays all on a blue background
Plungė District Municipality		 Telšiai Plungė 1,105 km2 (273,051.45 acres; 426.64 sq mi) 36,052 32.6
A coat of arms depicting a man in full body armour riding a brown horse that is tramplinga green dragon spewing red flames from its mouth
Prienai District Municipality		 Kaunas Prienai 1,032 km2 (255,012.75 acres; 398.46 sq mi) 28,181 27.3
A coat of arms depicting a silver horse that is rearing and neighing all on a dark green background bordered by a thin silver line
Radviliškis District Municipality		 Šiauliai Radviliškis 1,634 km2 (403,770.19 acres; 630.89 sq mi) 39,043 23.9
A coat of arms depicting a golden lynx with black spots, a red tongue, white teeth, and white claws standing on its back paws on green turf
Raseiniai District Municipality		 Kaunas Raseiniai 1,573 km2 (388,696.77 acres; 607.34 sq mi) 35,013 22.3
A coat of arms depicting a golden lion holding a silver-bladed sword in its mouth with a golden hilt and standing on green turf all on a blue background
Rietavas Municipality		 Telšiai Rietavas 586 km2 (144,803.75 acres; 226.26 sq mi) 8,096 13.8
A coat of arms divided into four sections, the top left and bottom right of which are red, the bottom left of which is blue, and the top right of which is golden
Rokiškis District Municipality		 Panevėžys Rokiškis 1,806 km2 (446,272.32 acres; 697.30 sq mi) 32,191 17.8
A coat of arms depicting a grey castle with three towers topped by crosses with a human head on the front door all on a blue background
Skuodas District Municipality		 Klaipėda Skuodas 911 km2 (225,113.00 acres; 351.74 sq mi) 18,498 20.3
A coat of arms depicting two grey sheaves of wheat on a red background on the left and six black, curved lines on a grey background on the right
Šakiai District Municipality		 Marijampolė Šakiai 1,454 km2 (359,291.22 acres; 561.39 sq mi) 30,321 20.9
A coat of arms depicting a golden key overlapping a silver key on a blue background at the top and three golden nuts on a red background on the bottom
Šalčininkai District Municipality		 Vilnius Šalčininkai 1,493 km2 (368,928.33 acres; 576.45 sq mi) 32,705 21.9
A coat of arms depicting a black bear with a silver collar on a red background on the left and a blue eye in a grey triangle on the right
Šiauliai City Municipality		 Šiauliai Šiauliai 81 km2 (20,015.54 acres; 31.27 sq mi) 104,569 1,291.0
A coat of arms depicting an angry, grey bear with yellow claws and a long, red tongue gripping a yellow axe in its paws all on a blue background
Šiauliai District Municipality		 Šiauliai Šiauliai[nb 1] 1,807 km2 (446,519.42 acres; 697.69 sq mi) 41,767 23.1
A coat of arms depicting five red leaves in a straight, horizontal row on a grey background at the top and five grey leaves on a red background at the bottom
Šilalė District Municipality		 Tauragė Šilalė 1,188 km2 (293,561.19 acres; 458.69 sq mi) 24,869 20.9
A coat of arms depicting a grey boat hovering over two partitions of grey water that are themselves hovering over a grey horn all on a green-and-black background
Šilutė District Municipality		 Klaipėda Šilutė 1,714 km2 (423,538.62 acres; 661.78 sq mi) 41,814 24.4
A coat of arms depicting a silver-bladed sword with a golden hilt standing erect between the silver antlers of a silver moose head
Širvintos District Municipality		 Vilnius Širvintos 906 km2 (223,877.48 acres; 349.81 sq mi) 16,333 18.0
A coat of arms depicting a silver fish swimming to the right on the top and another fish swimming to the left on the bottom all on a blue background
Švenčionys District Municipality		 Vilnius Švenčionys 1,691 km2 (417,855.20 acres; 652.90 sq mi) 25,719 15.2
A coat of arms depicting a rounded, silver horn hung up by a rounded, silver strap all on a solid red background bordered by a black line
Tauragė District Municipality		 Tauragė Tauragė 1,179 km2 (291,337.24 acres; 455.21 sq mi) 41,341 35.1
A coat of arms depicting a bishop in brown robes with a brown mitre on his head surrounded by a golden halo looking at another man
Telšiai District Municipality		 Telšiai Telšiai 1,439 km2 (355,584.64 acres; 555.60 sq mi) 43,922 30.5
A coat of arms depicting a man in full body armour holding a white spear in his right hand and a red-and-yellow shield in his left hand
Trakai District Municipality		 Vilnius Trakai 1,207 km2 (298,256.20 acres; 466.03 sq mi) 33,437 27.7
A coat of arms depicting an open book with a red rose on one page and a red bull on the other all hovering over a red heart with a building in the background
Ukmergė District Municipality		 Vilnius Ukmergė 1,395 km2 (344,712.01 acres; 538.61 sq mi) 36,919 26.5
A coat of arms depicting a golden horseshoe hovering over a white, 8-point star all on a blue background bordered by a thin, black line
Utena District Municipality		 Utena Utena 1,230 km2 (303,939.62 acres; 474.91 sq mi) 40,454 32.9
A coat of arms depicting a golden scarab with wings and legs outstretched flying over six purple flowers all on a blue background
Varėna District Municipality		 Alytus Varėna 2,216 km2 (547,585.53 acres; 855.60 sq mi) 23,528 10.6
A coat of arms depicting a large, red fleur-de-lis that has a horizontal symmetry axis all on a blue background bordered by a black line
Vilkaviškis District Municipality		 Marijampolė Vilkaviškis 1,262 km2 (311,846.99 acres; 487.26 sq mi) 39,465 31.3
A coat of arms depicting a white man with a white cape holding a golden staff and giving a ride to a white, golden-haloed child on his shoulder
Vilnius City Municipality		 Vilnius Vilnius 400 km2 (98,842.15 acres; 154.44 sq mi) 542,626 1,356.6
A coat of arms depicting a man in full body armour riding a black horse and carrying a white spear with a golden blade in his right hand
Vilnius District Municipality		 Vilnius Vilnius[nb 1] 2,129 km2 (526,087.36 acres; 822.01 sq mi) 95,620 44.9
A coat of arms depicting a grey bird with a long, twisting neck, a yellow, pointy beak, and long yellow legs all on a dark blue background
Visaginas Municipality		 Utena Visaginas 58 km2 (14,332.11 acres; 22.39 sq mi) 20,249 349.1
A coat of arms depicting a grey animal with the body of a fish and the head of a deer on a blue background at the top and a sword on the bottom
Zarasai District Municipality		 Utena Zarasai 1,331 km2 (328,897.26 acres; 513.90 sq mi) 17,035 12.8

See also[]

Notes and references[]

Notes
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e The administrative centers in these municipalities are located outside of the municipality proper.
General
  • "Law on the Territorial Administrative Units and Their Boundaries". Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
Specific
  1. ^ Conference on Local and Regional Authority Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Area: proceedings, Kaunas, Lithuania, 21-23, April 1999. Council of Europe. January 2000. p. 9. ISBN 978-92-871-4538-3. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jolanta Vaičiūnienė (2008-11-14). "The Administrative–Territorial Reform in Lithuania: History and Today" (PDF). Council of Europe. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  3. ^ Local Economic and Employment Development (Program); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (April 2007). Baltic partnerships: integration, growth and local governance in the Baltic Sea Region. OECD Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 978-92-64-02928-6. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  4. ^ "Law on elections to municipal councils". The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  5. ^ Dvorak, J. (2021). Response of the Lithuanian municipalities to the First Wave of COVID-19, Balt. Reg., Vol. 13, no. 1, p. 70—88. doi: 10.5922/2079-8555-2021-1-4
  6. ^ Burbulytė-Tsiskarishvili, G., Dvorak,J., Žernytė, A. (2018). Savivaldybių funkcijų ir galių kaita 1994 - 2016 metais. Viešoji politika ir administravimas, t.17, No.3
  7. ^ Municipality administrative centers and coats of arms are given by Statistics Lithuania in subpages under the Portrait of the Regions of Lithuania; e.g. Alytus town municipality Archived 2011-05-26 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Area (land) at the beginning of the year, Population density at the beginning of the year, Resident population at the beginning of the year". Statistics Lithuania. Retrieved 4 February 2016.

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