Visaginas is a city with municipal rights in eastern
Lithuania, situated near the country's biggest lake,
Drūkšiai. Its administrative boundaries are in the process of being defined. The
Vilnius–
Daugavpils railway runs alongside the town, providing convenient communication with
Vilnius and
Daugavpils. Motorways connect the town with all other cities in the Republic.
The town grew up in a pine forest by
Lake Visaginas. Tourism is currently an area of great potential.
History
In the distant past, the surroundings of Visaginas were once inhabited by the
Selonians. Historical annals first mention the location in 1526, when it was presented by the nobleman
Vaitiekus Goštautas to the Naujasis (New) Daugėliškis parish. In the 14th–19th centuries the region was invaded by
Livonian,
Swedish,
Russian and
French troops.
The settlement was founded in 1975 as
Sniečkus, a town for workers in the
Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant on the shores of Lake Visaginas. It was founded in place of four villages, which were demolished, and the largest of those villages was known as Visaginas. The new town was named after
Antanas Sniečkus, a former
first secretary of the
Lithuanian Communist Party. In 1977 it was granted the status of a town, and received city rights in 1994. It is governed by a town council, which elects the mayor. In 1996, the city's coat of arms was confirmed by a decree of the President of the Republic.
The settlement was developed in complexes, with construction designed to create an infrastructure for the cultural and everyday life of the residents. All effort was made to preserve the natural surroundings as much as possible.
Population
In 1996, the population was 33,100, of which 55.68% were
Russians, 15.88%
Lithuanians, 10.29%
Belarusians, 9.13%
Poles, 5.69%
Ukrainians and 0.95%
Tatars.
Orthodox Christians represented 40.42% of total population,
Roman Catholics 27.29%,
Non-affiliated 27.29%,
Old Believers 2.89% and
Muslims 0.46%. This creates a distinctive cultural ambiance in the town.
In 2001, the population was 29,554.
Industry
Power is the main branch of industry: the country's only nuclear power plant, one of the world's most powerful, is situated near Visaginas. Over 5000 specialists work in the plant. There are opportunities for developing the construction industry in order to utilize the present industrial potential (concrete, ferroconcrete and wood), and also the electronics industry, polish and paint and clothing. There are over 1100 companies in the town active in light industry, trade and services.
Now there are 1500 companies.
Education, culture and sports
The town has a polytechnic school, 6 secondary schools, an elementary school, 8 nursery schools, music and
acrobatics colleges, a sports centre and other institutions engaged in organizing educational and leisure-time activities, including 11 sports clubs with more than 1600 members. Professional training is available in
soccer,
Greco-Roman wrestling and
skiing. The annual
country music festival "Visaginas' Country" is held
there.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
