Žirmūnai: Difference between revisions

Žirmūnai;
Location:	Vilnius, Lithuania
Coordinates:	54°41′56″N 25°18′10″E / 54.69889°N 25.30278°E (Tuskulėnai Manor)
Area:	5.7 km²
Altitude:	119 metres
Population:	47,410 (2001 census)
Density:	8,317.5/km²
Elder:	Ona Suncovienė
Established:	Late 14th century; 1960s (modern)

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Žirmūnai (pron. ʒirmūnaǐ^ⓘ, approximate English transcription [ʒɝ.'muː.neɪ], simplified Lithuanian transcription [ʒirmūnaǐ]) is the most populous administrative division (elderate) in Lithuania. It is also a neighbourhood in the capital city Vilnius, encompassing the microdistrict of the same name, built in the 1960s.

Žirmūnai's history has been traced to the late 14th century, when a fishing village was founded across the River Neris from Vilnius' Old Town.^[1] The Žirmūnai area is steeped in history, having at one time been the home of Lithuania's largest Jewish cemetery, as well as the location of mass graves of soldiers belonging to Napoleon's Grande Armée and victims of the NKGB's and MGB's executions after World War II.^[2]^[3] Tuskulėnai Manor, built in 1825, and the surrounding Peace Park are expected to become important historical and cultural attractions in Vilnius after their restoration, scheduled for completion in 2007.

The area was given the name Žirmūnai during the early 1960s, when it became the site of an award–winning residential construction project; it was the first microdistrict in the Lithuanian SSR to be constructed applying urban planning concepts established in the USSR at the time. The massive Palace of Concerts and Sports and Žalgiris Stadium are other relics of Žirmūnai's Soviet history.^[4] Žirmūnai was important to the industrial sector in the USSR; since that time, this function has been replaced or supplanted by newer businesses, including some of Lithuania's leading companies.

Žirmūnai has undergone major renovation and development in the 21st century. Šiaurės miestelis ("North Town") is an area of Žirmūnai that has rapidly evolved into one of the key business and residential districts of the city. This quarter was used by a number of regimes as a military garrison, and internationally significant historical findings have been made in the area.

Geography

The Žirmūnai elderate occupies 5.7 km² or 1.4 % of the total area of the municipality of Vilnius according to data used for the 2001 census. Žirmūnai is located north of central Vilnius, along the western bank of the River Neris, on a plain which rises to the north. The elderate extends for about 4.4 kilometres from north to south, and is about 1.5 kilometres across at its widest point. The southernmost point of the Žirmūnai elderate is only some 450 metres from Vilnius' Cathedral Square, in the centre of the city. Žirmūnai is bordered by the elderates of Verkiai in the north and Šnipiškės in the west, and is separated from Vilnius' Old Town and Antakalnis by the Neris. Žirmūnai's western boundary is defined by the following streets (from north to south): Verkių, Žvalgų, Kalvarijų, Žalgirio, and Rinktinės. The River Neris serves as Žirmūnai's northern, eastern and southern boundary.^[5] Žirmūnų Street is the district's main artery.

Despite the proximity of the city centre, the Žirmūnai bank of the River Neris is covered with a strip of dense deciduous forest that begins at the Žirmūnai Bridge and continues upstream (northeasterly). The forested strip is largely uninterrupted, with gaps near bridges. At the approximate centrepoint of the Žirmūnai shoreline,^[6] the forest surrounds a backwater, which had been used to park disused passenger ferries. The forest's northernmost section is part of a botanical nature reserve within Verkiai Regional Park.

The Žirmūnai bank of the River Neris, from a point near Žirmūnai Bridge and continuing downstream, was stabilised during the 1980s with a steeply–sloped concrete net–like structure which includes patches of grass between the "webbing" of the net; the lower part of the fortification is a concrete tiled walkway, ending just over 4 kilometres downstream, beyond Liubartas Bridge in Žvėrynas. The walkway is used extensively by walkers, joggers, and cyclists, as well as providing seating for anglers. Construction vehicles sometimes use it to reach work areas. The walkway is submerged during the river floods, mostly in springtime.

Demographics

Ethnicity

As of the census taken in April 2001, the ethnic makeup of Žirmūnai was 59.2% Lithuanian, 16.8% Russian (the third highest percentage among Vilnius' elderates, behind Naujoji Vilnia and Naujininkai), 14.4% Poles (the fourth lowest percentage), 3.8% Belarusian, 1.7% Ukrainian (the highest percentage, along with Naujamiestis), 0.8% Jewish, 0.2% Tatar, 0.1% Latvian, 0.1% Armenian, and 2.9% other or unspecified ethnicity.^[7]

Population

According to the 2001 census, Žirmūnai was the most populous elderate in Lithuania (47,410 residents, comprising 8.7% of Vilnius' total population).^[8] The population density was 8,317.5/km². According to the census, there were 21,363 private households in the Žirmūnai elderate,^[7] making for an average household size of about 2.2 persons. The population of Žirmūnai has been rapidly increasing, largely due to construction of residential buildings in the Šiaurės miestelis section of the elderate. A former elder of Žirmūnai estimated its 2002 population to be about 60,000 residents – an increase of about 13,000 over the 2001 census figure. This rapid growth has placed a strain on city services.^[9]

Age cohorts

Žirmūnai is occasionally described as a "borough of elderly people" or even a "borough of elderly women". There is a certain statistical basis to the claim: according to the data of the April 2001 census,^[10] only about 43.5 percent of Žirmūnai's population were male, the second lowest percentage in Vilnius, after Žvėrynas (43.1 percent); 27.4 percent of the population (33.2 percent of women and 19.9 percent of men)^[7] were of legal retirement age, which was 57.5 years for women and 61.5 years for men at the time. This is the highest percentage in Vilnius; accordingly, Žirmūnai had the lowest percentage of residents that were statistically of working age (defined as over age 15 and up to the retirement age) in Vilnius, only 56.4 percent in total: 52.8 percent of women and 61.1 percent of men.

The heavy proportion of elderly persons in the district may be attributed to the settled way of life of those residents who arrived during the building boom of the 1960s: the children of these residents moved elsewhere to live, leaving their parents in the old dwelling. The skewed male–female ratio is probably an artifact of the differential between male and female lifespans in Lithuania (male average lifespan in Lithuania was 66 years in 2004, as against 78 for females), according to the World Health Organization.^[11]

At the time of the 2001 census, persons aged between 0 and 15 years comprised 16.1 percent of Žirmūnai's population, the second lowest percentage among Vilnius' elderates, slightly higher than Viršuliškės at 15.5 percent. However, it is likely that the average age of Žirmūnai's residents has decreased since the last census, and will continue to decrease, as a result of the active construction of new dwellings, which are acquired primarily by younger people. As housing prices rise, retirees are motivated to sell their apartments with the goal of acquiring cheaper housing elsewhere with funds to spare.

Crime statistics

In 2005, 2,317 crimes were registered in the Žirmūnai elderate. This is the third highest figure among Vilnius' elderates, behind the Old Town and Naujamiestis. Using the population data of the latest available census (2001), this would amount to about 48.9 crimes per 1,000 residents per year (only the eighth highest figure, due to the elderate's large population; Vilnius' total crime rate, using the same population data, would be about 51 crimes per 1,000 residents). In terms of crime density, 406.5 crimes per 1 square kilometre were registered (the fourth highest figure, behind the Old Town, Naujamiestis and Šnipiškės; Vilnius' total crime density, using the same population data, would be about 70.4).^[12]

However, thanks largely to the crime prevention programme Saugus miestas ("Safe City"), crime rates in Žirmūnai, as in all other elderates of Vilnius, are declining. For instance, 886 crimes were registered in Žirmūnai during the first four months of 2005, versus 672 during the same period of 2006, a decline of about 24 percent.^[12] If this trend continues, Žirmūnai's crime rate for 2006 would decrease to about 37.2 crimes per 1,000 residents.

The most frequently registered crimes during the first four months of 2006 were: theft (335 instances, including 19 car thefts, constituting about 50 percent of the total number of crimes); rape (259 instances or about 38.5 percent of the total); robbery (44 instances or about 6.5 percent); and bodily injury (20 instances or about 3 percent). Percentage data may overlap as one criminal act may have several features, which are registered separately, but the total number of crimes is calculated per incident.^[12]

History

The elderate of Žirmūnai embraces three historical suburbs of Vilnius: Žvejai, Tuskulėnai and Šiaurės miestelis. These settlements were, respectively, a fishing village dated to the 14th century, a 16th century manor, and a 19th century military garrison used by the armies of the Russian Empire, Napoleon's Grande Armée, the armies of the Second Polish Republic, and the Soviet regime. These entities were consolidated into Vilnius during the rapid period of growth that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s.

14th–19th centuries

Žirmūnai's southernmost section, which lies on the bank of the River Neris opposite the Vilnius Castle Complex, was part of the settlement known as Žvejai; another part of that settlement is now located within the elderate of Šnipiškės. According to archaeological studies from 2005, a fishing village may have been located here as early as the late 14th century, giving the area its name, literally, Fishermen; it was later settled by craftsmen and housed the Orthodox Church of St Barbara.^[1] During the 16th century, the only glass factory in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was located in the suburb of Žvejai.^[13] In 1563, after the construction of the first bridge over the River Neris (at the approximate location of today's Mindaugas Bridge), the suburb of Žvejai became an integral part of the city of Vilnius.^[13] During Tsarist rule in the 19th century, the name of Žvejai was superseded by that of Piramont, originating from the small estate of Piramont in the area.^[14] Piramontskij Alley can be seen in a 1904 map of Vilnius^[15] where today's A. Juozapavičiaus Street in the elderate of Šnipiškės is located, close to the boundary of Žirmūnai. The usage of Piramont as a placename gradually became limited to the southern part of Žvejai.

The heritage of Žvejai was retained in the name of Žvejų ("Fishermen's") Street, which runs alongside the River Neris in southern Šnipiškės and Žirmūnai. However, the Žirmūnai section of this street was renamed Olimpiečių ("Olympians") in 2000 to commemorate the achievements of Lithuanian Olympic athletes in the Sydney Olympics.^[16]

The largest and oldest Jewish cemetery in Lithuania, first mentioned in 1592, was also located in Žvejai. It was known in the local Jewish community as Shnipishok.^[17] The Yiddish placename later became associated with the whole borough of Šnipiškės, now bordering Žirmūnai on the west. Although the cemetery was officially closed in 1830 and was subject to gradual deterioration, there were further interments. Vilna Gaon, as well as other famous Vilnian Jews, were interred in the cemetery.

During the years of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in the area on the right bank of the River Neris opposite the St. Peter and St. Paul's Church in Antakalnis, a Royal Manor called Derevnictva (Polish: Derewnictwo), was established in the mid–16th century by King Sigismund Augustus as an outpost of the Vilnius Castles. The manor was held by the kings Sigismund III Vasa and Władysław IV Vasa, nobleman M. Piegłowski, the Wołowicz family, the Grand Hetman of Lithuania Michał Kazimierz Pac, as well by the Tyzenhaus family after 1741. In the mid–18th century, Lateran monks acquired the manor and named it Tusculanum, after the resort outside the ancient Roman city of Tusculum.^[18] (see also: Villa Rufinella) The surrounding forests were used as a game reserve and for sport fishing. Towards the end of the century, the manor was separated into the folwarks of Tuskulėnai, based on the core of the old royal manor, and Derevnictva.^[19]

Painting of the Tuskulėnai Manor in 1848

Under the rule of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, the Tuskulėnai Manor was held by various noble families and high–ranking state officials, including Governor General of Lithuanian–Vilna Governorate, Alexander Rimsky-Korsakov. In the mid–19th century the main palace was transformed into a guesthouse that became a cultural center in Vilnius, often visited by Stanislaw Moniuszko and Józef Ignacy Kraszewski.^[20] The manor passed into the possession of Julija Safranovich after 1886, and then was held by the noble family of Melentjevy until World War II.

The area surrounding Tuskulėnai Manor was referred to as Tuskulėnai (Russian: Tuskuljany;^[15] Polish: Tuskulanum)^[21] until World War II. This area was also known as Losiovka or Losiuvka, colloquially named after Army General of the Russian Empire A. Losev, who owned the folwark of Tuskulėnai in 1869. The placenames are associated primarily with individual wooden houses, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some of which are still scattered among the apartment buildings.^[22]

A military garrison was built in the approximate location of the modern Šiaurės miestelis ("North Town", that is, north of Old Vilnius) section of Žirmūnai by the Russian Empire during the 19th century. This area went on to be used as a garrison by a number of armies: Napoleon's Grande Armée in 1812, Tsarist for the rest of the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century (see: the 27th infantry division's camp in the map of 1904^[15]), the Bolsheviks during World War I, the Polish army in the inter-war period, and the Red Army from the 1950s to 1992.

20th century

During the interwar period, when Vilnius was under Polish control, the southern part of Žvejai was known as Pióromont^[21]; the entire Žvejai area was referred to as Rybaki (Polish for "Fishermen"); modern Šiaurės miestelis had been called Plac broni (Polish for the "Military training ground"); and the old placename of Derewnictwo, dating back to the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, applied to the area north of Tuskulėnai Manor.^[23]

A map of Vilnius published in 1942, while the city was under Nazi rule, shows the northern part of Žirmūnai as Paneriškės (comprised of the Lithuanian suffix –išk, frequently used to construct placenames, the prefix pa–, indicating proximity, and root Neris, combining to indicate "a place by the River Neris"), the middle section as Kareiviškės ("place of soldiers") and the southern part, close to the Tuskulėnai Manor, as Mantiškės ("a place named in honour of Mantas"). One of the streets in the area, Enriko Manto Street, referred to Herkus Mantas (Herkus Monte), a hero of the Great Prussian Uprising; today H. Manto Street is a short street in the Šnipiškės elderate ending at the boundary of Žirmūnai.^[24]

A Soviet military base was established in the current Šiaurės miestelis section of Žirmūnai during the 1950s. The heavily wooded northernmost part of the elderate was thinly populated until the 1960s.

During the 1960s, Žirmūnai attracted the attention of urban planners; it became the first microdistrict in the Lithuanian SSR to be constructed applying urban planning concepts established in the USSR at that time. Designed in 1962, the microdistrict consisted of three residential and industrial sections centred around public facilities and had been the largest residential area in the city. The USSR State Prize was awarded to the architects and constructors of the district's middle section in 1968;^[25] it was the first time this award had been presented to the designers of a large–scale residential construction. The microdistrict was then named after the formerly Lithuanian^[26] village of Žirmūnai ([Zhirmuny] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)), now situated 16 kilometres from the Lithuania–Belarus border in the Voranauski District, Hrodna Province of Belarus. This village is where Karol Podczaszyński, an architect and designer of Tuskulėnai Manor, was born.

The new residential housing in the microdistrict consisted almost exclusively of five–story concrete block apartment buildings. Three nine–story high–rise apartment buildings were built in 1969, and several more were constructed later, as well as seven brick–built twelve–storys. The apartment buildings were meant primarily to accommodate industrial workers who came to Vilnius from other regions of the Lithuanian SSR and from other Soviet Republics. They typify the Brutalist architecture of the era. The principles governing the design of the microdistrict were set forth in books by the University of Moscow planners, for instance in New Element of Populating. En Route to the New City published in the USSR in 1966^[27] (although the concept of the "new element" has been dated to 1959^[28]); the book was later published as The Ideal Communist City in the United States, United Kingdom and Italy.^[29] According to the book, the optimal apartment size was about 600 square feet (56 square metres), with one bathroom and two bedrooms. Single–family homes were considered "too autonomous".^[30]

The ancient Jewish cemetery in Žvejai stood in the way of the expansion. Many tombstones were destroyed in 1950 during the construction of Žalgiris Stadium; the cemetery was completely demolished in 1955 in accordance with a decree issued by local authorities in 1948.^[1] The bodies of Vilna Gaon and several members of his immediate family were relocated, after receiving special permission from the Soviet authorities; this relocation has been the subject of historical controversy.^[31] The cemetery was the subject of an archaeological survey in the late 1990s. A memorial stone was placed in the southeastern portion of the former cemetery with an inscription in Yiddish and Lithuanian, stating that the cemetery was established there in 1478 (this dating is disputed).

An incident in Žirmūnai's history that has been difficult to reconstruct occurred in 1975, when a pontoon bridge across the River Neris,^[32] that was customarily set up from spring to autumn, collapsed due to the weight of a crowd returning from a concert in the Palace of Concerts and Sports. It was rumoured that the bridge supports were not fully connected at the time. There were witnessed fatalities involving drownings and crushing by the bridge structures. Public discussion of the disaster was restricted and the number of casualties remains unknown. The pontoon bridge was never re–erected at the site; the Mindaugas Bridge now serves this need.

Tuskulėnai Manor had been nationalised in 1940 and was later used as KGB officers' apartments and as a kindergarten. During excavations that took place between 1994 and 1996 in its territory, the remains of 706 bodies were found; 40 were identified.^[33] The area had been used to hide the bodies of Lithuanian residents–mostly resistance fighters against the Soviet occupation, Nazi collaborators and Armia Krajowa soldiers – who had been executed by the NKGB and MGB in the Vilnius' KGB Palace between 1944 and 1947. The remains from the mass grave were placed in a columbarium built underground, beneath an artificial hill, and consecrated in 2004.

In 2001, workers laying telephone line in Šiaurės miestelis, near the former garrison, discovered a mass grave that was found to contain the bodies of about 2,000 soldiers – the remnants of Napoleon's Grande Armée as it retreated from Moscow. In December 1812, temperatures in Vilnius had sunk to −30° C, and the frozen ground made proper burials impossible. The Grande Armée at that time was comprised of French, Portuguese, Italians, Germans, Austrians, Spaniards, and Croats, as well as Lithuanians and Poles.^[3] The bones have been intensively studied by forensic pathologists; DNA evidence showed that many of the deaths were caused by typhus.^[34] Most of the remains were re–interred in Antakalnis Cemetery. Other findings included buttons stamped with Napoleon’s image, crucifixes, wedding rings, belt buckles, boots and pieces of French uniforms. Footage from the location has been used in the TV series Moments in Time produced by Discovery Channel^[35] and Meet the Ancestors^[36] by BBC.^[37] The archaeological surveys were partially sponsored by the producers.^[38]

The Red Army military base in Žirmūnai was abandoned in 1992, a few years after Lithuania's independence from the Soviet Union; a grace period was granted in order to ensure the orderly resettlement of the soldiers and their families.

21st century

Due to the Soviet principles of urban planning, Žirmūnai, according to the 2001 census data, was among the three Vilnius elderates (the other two being Karoliniškės and Viršuliškės) with the lowest percentage of single–family housing in the city (0.1 percent). Of the remaining residents, 0.4 percent owned a share of individual housing, 0.7 percent lived in hostels, and almost 99 percent lived in apartments.^[39] The scarcity of buildable lots means that the number of single–family dwellings is not likely to increase; a reverse process is taking place: old wooden houses are being demolished, making room for new residential and commercial constructions. As of 2007, there were only a few modern single–family houses in Žirmūnai.

Žirmūnai's housing, especially in its central sections, is in need of extensive renovation, due to wear and tear of its low or medium–quality construction. A program to renew old apartment buildings (including the installation of better insulation) is ongoing in Vilnius, partially assisted by the Vilnius City Municipality; the first finished renovation project – a completely renewed 60–apartment building built in 1965 &ndash is located in Žirmūnai.^[40] The area is, in some ways, analogous to public housing districts in Chicago and London; although much of the housing was quickly and inexpensively erected in the 1960s, its proximity to downtown Vilnius, its transportation infrastructure, and its access to the River Neris account for its popularity. The principles of Soviet urban planning that led to its growth have converged with the modern concept of "Smart growth".

The Šiaurės miestelis section of Žirmūnai is growing rapidly and in 2007 was one of Vilnius' most sought–after residential and commercial areas.

Many of the military structures that were built in the late 19th century in Šiaurės miestelis have been preserved and restored. Meanwhile, much of the construction that was not deemed to be of permanent value, erected during the Soviet times, has been demolished, leaving room for new streets and housing. The combination of military heritage sites and newer construction is a distinctive feature of Šiaurės miestelis.

Reflecting its military history, numerous street names in and around Šiaurės miestelis allude to military concepts, including Kareivių ("Soldiers"), Lakūnų ("Pilots"), Žygio ("March"), Apkasų ("Trenches"), Ulonų ("Light Cavalry"). The new streets built in Šiaurės miestelis during the beginning of the 21st century were named for prominent figures in Lithuanian military history: Povilas Lukšys, Lithuanian army volunteer, the first to perish in the Independence Fights in 1919 with Bolshevik forces, as well as Kazys Ladyga, Silvestras Žukauskas, Jonas Galvydis-Bikauskas, Vladas Nagevičius, and Jurgis Kubilius, prominent officers of the inter-war Lithuanian Army, whose histories are not directly related to the area. On the contrary, these personalities distinguished themselves by opposing the Bolshevik and Polish armies that were historically garrisoned in Šiaurės miestelis. The naming was suggested by the Ministry of Defence.^[41] There are more streets not far from Šiaurės miestelis that bear military–themed names: Raitininkų ("Cavalrymen"), Žvalgų ("Scouts") and Rinktinės ("Platoon").

Education

The educational institutions in Žirmūnai include three secondary schools, all Lithuanian–language. Tuskulėnai Secondary School (Lithuanian: Tuskulėnų vidurinė mokykla, formerly Vilnius' Secondary School No. 31) had 1,463 students in 2006, which made it the fifth largest school in Vilnius. The school features advanced classes in the visual arts. St. Christopher's Gymnasium (Lithuanian: Šv. Kristoforo gimnazija, formerly Vilnius' Secondary School No. 9) was the eighth largest in Vilnius with 1,391 students in 2006. Žirmūnai Gymnasium (Lithuanian: Žirmūnų gimnazija, formerly Vilnius Secondary School No. 7) had 800 students in 2006.^[42] The school was granted the title Gymnasium in 2000; it is home to the acclaimed brass band Septima, established in 1966.^[43]

Three elementary schools are located in Žirmūnai: Antanas Vivulskis, Emilija Pliaterytė, and Kalvarijos (Cavalry). Šarūnas Marčiulionis Basketball School and Vilnius Sports School offer physical education. The Vilnius School of Radioelectronics and Precision Mechanics (Lithuanian: Vilniaus radioelektronikos ir tiksliosios mechanikos mokykla)^[44] was established in 1965 to prepare workers for Vilma, a manufacturer of electrical products still operating in Žirmūnai. The Vilnius School of Tourism and Commerce (Lithuanian: Vilniaus turizmo ir prekybos verslo mokykla) offers certificates in retailing, basic bookkeeping, hotel and restaurant services, and other business areas. Vilnius Gija Youth School serves those students who have special needs and do not succeed in traditional classroom settings. Žirmūnai also has one of the three Children's Foster Homes in Vilnius.

As of the census taken in April 2001, 26.2 percent of Žirmūnai's residents aged 10 or older possessed a bachelor's or higher degree.

Facilities

Parks and museums

Tuskulėnai Manor is Žirmūnai's oldest extant architectural structure. The manor was built in 1825, following a design by Karol Podczaszyński in the neoclassical style. It consists of the principal building (the palace), an officina (storage house), and several adjacent buildings, including a small eclectic chapel of St. Theresa located approximately 100 metres south of the principal building.^[45] The "Little White Manor", also known as the villa of Franciszek Walicki, was built in 1866 close to the manor, acquired by Walicki in 1928, and reconstructed to serve as a summer residence.^[19] All of these structures are undergoing restoration, and will be part of Peace Park (Rimties parkas), which is scheduled for completion in 2007. The 7.5–hectare Peace Park will include the restored Tuskulėnai Manor, which will host a museum of martyrology in Lithuania in the second half of the 20th century (a branch of the Lithuanian Genocide Victims Museum), restored ponds and landscaping, as well as the columbarium.

A pleasure cruise on the River Neris along northern Žirmūnai

A Museum of Computing was opened in 2001 in Žirmūnai by the Lithuanian software company Sintagma, showcasing the history of Lithuanian computing science and hardware production. It was based on a museum opened in 1985 by Sigma, one of the leading computer manufacturers in the former Soviet Union. The museum's exhibits include EV–80, the first Soviet vacuum tube computing machine manufactured by Sigma, a copy of the IBM 604.^[46]

Three of the 19 brick chapels of the Vilnius Stations of the Cross (Vilniaus Kalvarijos), part of Verkiai Regional Park, are located at the extreme northwestern corner of Žirmūnai, just within the elderate's border. The three chapels, symbolizing the Mount of Olives, are found only 20 meters away from the relatively busy Verkių Street, and about a hundred meters downhill from a group of Soviet multi–storey apartment buildings.

The forested area along the banks of the River Neris in Žirmūnai and its walkways are a popular recreational destination for many Vilnians.

Governmental offices

As a primarily residential area, Žirmūnai hosted only 7.4% of Vilnius' public offices in 2003.^[47] Žirmūnai is the location of the Personal Identity Documents Centre of Lithuania's Ministry of the Interior which produces all of Lithuania's identity cards, passports, and driver's licenses, as well as residency permits. Issuance of residence permits is controlled by Vilnius City Migration Service, which is housed in Žirmūnai too. There are also several medicine–related institutions, such as the Ministry of Health's State Public Health Service, the Vilnius city morgue and the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Mykolas Romeris University. The Lithuanian National Olympic Committee, the Vilnius Department of the Lithuanian Labour Exchange at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, the Honorary Vice–Consulate of the Kingdom of Spain, and the National Examination Center, established by the Ministry of Education to organize centralized nationwide examinations of high school graduates, all have headquarters in Žirmūnai.

Sports and entertainment venues

Several notable sports facilities are located in Žirmūnai, including Žalgiris Stadium, Lithuania's largest stadium,^[4] and Impuls Plus, which claims to be the largest fitness facility in the Baltic States.^[48] Rowing practices take place on the River Neris; there is a base of operation, as well as several piers, on the Žirmūnai bank of the river. One of Lithuania's largest indoor public swimming pools was situated in Žirmūnai until the 1990s. Part of the annual international Vilnius Marathon course runs along the Žirmūnai bank of the River Neris.^[49]

The Palace of Concerts and Sports (Koncertų ir sporto rūmai), built in 1971 in the southernmost part of Žirmūnai in the middle of the former cemetery, is an example of Soviet Constructivism^[50] and Brutalist architecture, remarkable for its vessel–like exterior. The Palace, once one of the architectonic icons of Soviet Vilnius, was, until the 1990s, a major venue for sporting events, especially local and international basketball matches, as well as concerts and shows. Its seating capacity is about 4,400. On 22–23 October 1988 the building hosted the statutory meeting of Sąjūdis, the Lithuanian political organization that led the struggle for Lithuanian independence; on 14–15 January 1991, a public funeral for the victims of the January Events took place at the Palace. Later in the 1990s, the building was used as a temporary shopping mall where space was leased to small entrepreneurs for business exhibitions and fairs. In the 2000s developers announced plans to build multifunctional complexes, incorporating sports, business and residential structures, that would replace Žalgiris Stadium and the Palace of Concerts and Sports; the projects have been stalled due to the inclusion of the Palace into the list "Registry of Cultural Values" in July 2006,^[51] and related litigation.^[52]

The Vilnius Palace of Culture, Entertainment and Sports (an example of Soviet functionalism^[53] built in 1980 as the Palace of Culture and Sports of the Ministry of Interior), hosts several amateur art clubs (choirs in particular), and is also used for indoor sports (wrestling, martial arts, artistic gymnastics, volleyball, basketball), as well as lawn tennis, including two clay courts.

The Lietuvos Rytas Arena was the home of Lithuania's starring basketball team Lietuvos Rytas until the 2004 season, and was also used by the women's basketball team BC Teo. Along with the Vilnius Palace of Culture, Entertainment and Sports, it was used in 2006 as part of the set for 9/11: The Twin Towers,^[54] a docudrama about the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, a Dangerous Films production for BBC and Discovery Channel.^[55]

Southern Žirmūnai's sporting connections are reflected in the names of the streets along the Žirmūnai side of the River Neris: Sporto ("Sports") and Olimpiečių ("Olympians"). The Palace of Students' Technical Creative Work of the Republic is Lithuania's largest facility for high school students' after–school activities of a technical nature, such as model building and go-kart racing. The Grand Theater of Vilnius (Didysis Vilniaus teatras) is a small theater (its misnomer is intentional) that is formally based in Šiaurės miestelis; it has no venue of its own and holds performances in other theaters.^[56]

A building close to the western border of the Žirmūnai elderate, an example of Socialist historicism^[57] built soon after the end of World War II, was the home of the Tėvynė ("Motherland") Cinema until the early 1990s; it has been hosting the New York musical theatre and club since 2004.^[58] It is unclear whether this building will be demolished to make way for underground parking lots or saved by virtue of its inclusion into the Registry of Cultural Values.^[59]

Commercial and industrial facilities

1,414 businesses, comprising 8.7% of all Vilnius' businesses, were headquartered in the Žirmūnai elderate in 2003.^[47] Lithuania's largest electricity distribution network operator, Rytų skirstomieji tinklai, operates from Žirmūnai, as well as TELE2, one of Lithuania's three mobile communications operators; Ogmios, one of Lithuania's largest retailers and wholesalers of home appliances; and Vilpra, Lithuania's largest dealer of heating equipment.

In 1992, the former prominent Lithuanian basketball player Šarūnas Marčiulionis and his business partners opened the Šarūnas Hotel in Žirmūnai.

The Banginis and Rimi Hypermarket, located in Šiaurės miestelis, are among Lithuania's largest shopping centers. Vilniaus duona ("The Bread of Vilnius"), Lithuania's largest baking company, operates one of its bakeries in Žirmūnai.

An abundance of automotive service facilities and car dealerships are located in the elderate, including some of the Lithuania's largest Opel, SAAB, Chevrolet (Žaibo ratas), and Nissan (Raitas) dealerships.

The northern part of Žirmūnai was an important part of the Lithuanian SSR's industrial sector during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The Kuro aparatūros gamykla (Fuel Equipment Factory) is now bankrupt; Sigma, formerly one of the leading manufacturers of electronics and computer components in the Soviet Union, which contributed to the description of the Lithuanian SSR as "The Soviet Silicon Valley",^[60] continues to operate at a minimum level; and Vilma remains Lithuania's largest manufacturer of electrical products.

Transportation

Žirmūnai is well–served by Vilnius' bus and trolleybus transportation network. One of Vilnius' trolleybus hubs is located in the northernmost part of Žirmūnai elderate, and Vilniaus Autobusai, Vilnius' main bus operator, is headquartered and has its main depot in Žirmūnai. Not far from Vilnius center located Vilnius International Airport, closest airport to Žirmūnai. In Naujamiestis elderate, south from Žimūnai, located Vilnius railway station.

Žirmūnai is linked to the elderate of Antakalnis by three bridges over the River Neris: Valakupiai Bridge, the longest bridge in Vilnius, built in 1972; the Šilas Bridge, built in 1999, and Žirmūnai Bridge, built in 1965. The Mindaugas Bridge was built in 2003 to link Žirmūnai with Vilnius' Old Town. Passenger ferry transport on the Neris was active until the 1990s, but is now limited to occasional chartered sightseeing tours from the Mindaugas Bridge to Valakupiai in summer.

For some time in the first half of the 20th century, a narrow-gauge railway traversed Žirmūnai following the approximate course of the modern Minties Street; it crossed over the River Neris on a bridge located near the modern Šilas Bridge, as can be seen in the 1942 map of Vilnius.^[24]

Trivia

The MEDIA New Talent Prize of the European Union will be awarded at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival to a Lithuanian movie project (written by Saulius Drunga) titled "Anarchija Žirmūnuose" (Anarchy in Žirmūnai).^[61]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Template:Lt icon Žukovskis, Robertas. "Preliminary survey in Vilnius between Rinktinės and Žvejų Streets". Archeological Research in Lithuania (1996–1997). Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon Gediminas Gendrėnas, Egidijus Ožalas (2002–2003). "Archaeological research near King Mindaugas Bridge". Vilniaus pilys. Retrieved 2007-02-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
^ ^a ^b Template:En icon Traynor, Ian (2002-09-03). "After 190 years the bones of Boney's army are unearthed in a mass grave in Lithuania". The Guardian. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ ^a ^b Template:En icon "Stadiums in Lithuania". World Stadiums. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Decision No. 37: Regarding the number and boundaries of Vilnius City elderates". Vilnius City Council. 2006-06-09. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon Vilniaus planas, Municipality Company (2004). "Map of Žirmūnai elderate (1:12,000)" (GIF). Vilnius City Municipality. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c Template:En icon "5: Population". Vilnius City in Figures (PDF). Vilnius: Vilnius Regional Statistical Office. 2004. p. 44. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon "Number of population of Vilnius city by neighbourhood". Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Concerns of the Chairman of Sąjūdis and Žirmūnai elder". XX amžius. 10 (1017). 2002-02-06. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon "Total area and population in neighbourhoods (administrative districts) of Vilnius Municipality" (PDF). Vilnius Regional Statistical Office. p. 1. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon "Core Health Indicators". WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS). The World Health Organization. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c Template:Lt icon "Map of Safe City". Vilnius city municipality. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ ^a ^b Template:Lt icon "Unique discoveries in the uncovered historical suburb of Vilnius". Delfi.lt and Baltic News Service. 2005-07-22. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Ru icon "Вильна в 19 веке". 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c Template:Ru icon "План горда Вилны (Vilnius City Plan 1904)". 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "The Olympians Street – in honour of the valiant sportsmen". Delfi.lt and ELTA. 2000-10-05. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon Rabinowitz, Binyomin (2005-08-31). "Can Anything Be Done to Save The Remnants of Vilna's Old Jewish Cemetery?". Dei'ah veDibur. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon "The Tusculanum Villas". Ufficio Commerciale. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ ^a ^b Template:Lt icon "The objects in Vilnius County presented to the public during the European Heritage Days 2006". Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon Butkus, Visvaldas (2003-08-22). "Study on Tuskulėnai (Book Review)". Literatūra ir menas (2964). Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ ^a ^b Template:Pl icon "Vilnius City Plan in 1935". W. M. Stankiewicz. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Žirmūnų Street 1a". Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment). Vilnius city municipality. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Pl icon "Vilnius City Plan. Year 1921" (JPG). Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ ^a ^b Template:En icon Vilnius city municipality, Board of Construction. "Vilnius Map. Year 1942" (JPG). The Union of Supporters of the Lithuanian Narrow Gauge Railway. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon Papšys, Antanas "Vilnius. Turistui apie miestą", Vilnius "Mintis" 1977, IB No 1164, p. 100
^ Template:Lt icon Ethnographic map or Vilnius region in the 19th century. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
^ Template:Ru icon O. Janickij. "Sociology of the City". Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Ru icon G. Revzin. "Homeless Architector". Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Ru icon Л. Илья Георгиевич. "Ideal Contest for Ideal City". State Museum of Architecture in Moscow. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon "Smart Growth and the Ideal City". Vanishing Automobile update #53. Thoreau Institute. 2005-05-06. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon Leiman, Shnayer Z. (1998). "Who is buried in Vlina Gaon's tomb?". Jewish Action. 59 (2). Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
^ Template:Lt icon Neniškis, Aloyzas (2006-03-13). "Lost Vilnius: The infamous pontoon bridge, 1960" (JPG). Szhaman. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Peace Park to be established in Vilnius by 2007". Delfi.lt and Baltic News Service. 2002-06-13. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon Edelman, Alex. "Napoleon's plagued retreat". CNRS International Magazine. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon ""Moments in Time" (2003)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon ""Meet the Ancestors" (1998)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "BBC and Discovery wish to shoot the grave-site of the Napoleon's army soldiers". Delfi.lt. 2002-07-06. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "New secrets revealed to scientists by the grave-site of Napoleon's soldiers". Delfi.lt and Baltic News Service. 2002-09-13. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon "Population" (PDF). Statistikos departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės, 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
^ Template:En icon "The Sample Project of Complex Building Renovation". Renew the House – Renew the City (Vilnius City Municipality Programme). Vilnius City Heating Company. 2006-03-23. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "History". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Funds allocation to individual schools in 2006" (XLS). Ministry of Education and Science. 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Septima". Septima. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "History". Vilnius School of Radioelectronics and Precise Mechanics. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Žirmūnų Street 1c". Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment). Vilnius city municipality. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Lithuanian Computing Museum in Vilnius". Museums of Lithuania. 2004-09-24. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ ^a ^b Template:Lt icon "Map of Vilnius City business development: Žirmūnai elderate". Business News. Vilnius city municipality. 2003-05-23. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon "Getting physical in the Baltics". The Baltic Times. 2005-09-21. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon "Course" (JPG). International Vilnius Marathon 2006. 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Žvejų Street 2". Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment). Vilnius city municipality. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Vilnius Palace of Sports included in the Registry of Cultural Values". Delfi.lt. 2006-06-04. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon Kulvinskytė, Rimantė (2006-10-08). "Will the celebration of the European Capital of Culture take place in a pit?". Delfi.lt and Statyba ir architektūra. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Žirmūnų Street 1e". Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment). Vilnius city municipality. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon "9/11: The Twin Towers (2006)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "The New York tragedy resurrected by film makers in Vilnius". Delfi.lt and Baltic News Service. 2006-03-03. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "The Grand Theater of Vilnius". The Grand Theater of Vilnius. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "Kalvarijų Street 85 / Verkių Street 6". Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment). Vilnius city municipality. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "About the theatre/club". New York Club. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon Nemeikaitė, Sigita (2006-11-14). "Soviet-time architecture confronts us with the signs of history". Delfi.lt and Statyba ir architektūra. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:En icon Kurtyka, Michal. "Lithuania - Country Dossier" (PDF). Study on restructuring in new Member States. Bernard Brunhes Polska. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
^ Template:Lt icon "The Authors of the New Lithuanian Cinema - the Best in Europe". Delfi.lt. Retrieved 2007-05-03.

External links

Template:En icon Vilnius Regional Statistical Office. Statistics on Žirmūnai and other Vilnius elderates
Template:Lt icon Vilnius City Municipality. Map of Žirmūnai elderate (1:12,000) in 2004
Template:En icon Google Maps. Žirmūnai imagery of year 2002 or early 2003
Template:En icon Vilnius City Municipality. Žirmūnai elderate contact information
Template:Lt icon Miestai.net Forum. Cities and Architecture. Photos of Žirmūnai

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 |style="font-size: 90%;" align=left| '''Area:'''
 |style="font-size: 90%;"| 5.7 km²
+|-
+|style="font-size: 90%;" align=left| '''Altitude:'''
+|style="font-size: 90%;"| 119 metres
 |-
 |style="font-size: 90%;" align=left| '''Population:'''
@@ Line 28: / Line 31: @@
 |}
-'''Žirmūnai''' (pron. {{Audio-IPA|Lt_Zirmunai.ogg|ʒirm'''ū'''naǐ}}, approximate [[International Phonetic Alphabet for English|English transcription]] {{IPA|[ʒɝ.'muː.neɪ]}}, [[Wikipedia:Simplified phonetic transcription for Lithuanian|simplified Lithuanian transcription]] [ʒirm'''ū'''naǐ]) is the most populous [[elderate]] in [[Lithuania]]. It is also a neighbourhood in the capital city [[Vilnius]], encompassing the [[microdistrict]] of the same name, built in the [[1960s]].
+'''Žirmūnai''' (pron. {{Audio-IPA|Lt_Zirmunai.ogg|ʒirm'''ū'''naǐ}}, approximate [[International Phonetic Alphabet for English|English transcription]] {{IPA|[ʒɝ.'muː.neɪ]}}, [[Wikipedia:Simplified phonetic transcription for Lithuanian|simplified Lithuanian transcription]] [ʒirm'''ū'''naǐ]) is the most populous [[administrative division]] ([[elderate]]) in [[Lithuania]]. It is also a neighbourhood in the capital city [[Vilnius]], encompassing the [[microdistrict]] of the same name, built in the [[1960s]].
-Žirmūnai's history can been traced back to the late [[14th century]], when a fishing [[village]] was founded across the [[Neris|River Neris]] from [[Vilnius Old Town|Vilnius' Old Town]].<ref name=survey/> The Žirmūnai area is steeped in history, having at one time been the home of Lithuania's largest [[Jewish]] [[cemetery]], as well as the [[mass grave]]s of soldiers belonging to [[Napoleon|Napoleon's]] [[La Grande Armée|Grande Armée]] and victims of the [[NKGB|NKGB's]] and [[Ministry for State Security (USSR)|MGB's]] executions after [[World War II]].<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.lietuvospilys.lt/data/tiltas-krosnis.htm |title=Archaeological research near King Mindaugas Brigde|accessdate=2007-02-19 |author=Gediminas Gendrėnas, Egidijus Ožalas|date=2002-2003 |publisher=Vilniaus pilys}}</ref><ref name=Traynor/> [[Tuskulėnai Manor]], Žirmūnai's oldest existing structure (built in 1825), and the surrounding [[Peace Park]] are expected to become an important historical and cultural attraction in Vilnius after the completion of their restoration in 2007, thanks in part to Žirmūnai's convenient location within walking distance of Vilnius' Old Town.
+Žirmūnai's history has been traced to the late [[14th century]], when a fishing [[village]] was founded across the [[Neris|River Neris]] from [[Vilnius Old Town|Vilnius' Old Town]].<ref name=survey/> The Žirmūnai area is steeped in history, having at one time been the home of Lithuania's largest [[Jewish]] [[cemetery]], as well as the location of [[mass grave]]s of soldiers belonging to [[Napoleon|Napoleon's]] [[La Grande Armée|Grande Armée]] and victims of the [[NKGB|NKGB's]] and [[Ministry for State Security (USSR)|MGB's]] executions after [[World War II]].<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.lietuvospilys.lt/data/tiltas-krosnis.htm |title=Archaeological research near King Mindaugas Bridge|accessdate=2007-02-19 |author=Gediminas Gendrėnas, Egidijus Ožalas|date=2002-2003 |publisher=Vilniaus pilys}}</ref><ref name=Traynor/> [[Tuskulėnai Manor]], built in 1825, and the surrounding [[Peace Park]] are expected to become important historical and cultural attractions in Vilnius after their restoration, scheduled for completion in 2007.
-The area was given the name Žirmūnai during the early 1960s, when it became the site of an award&ndash;winning residential construction project, the first microdistrict in the [[Lithuanian SSR]] to be constructed applying urban planning concepts established in the [[USSR]] at the time. [[Žalgiris Stadium]], Lithuania's largest stadium, and the [[Palace of Concerts and Sports]], a striking example of architecture, are also relics of Žirmūnai's Soviet history.<ref name=stadium/>  Žirmūnai was important to the industrial sector in the USSR; since that time, this function has been replaced or supplanted by newer businesses, including some of Lithuania's leading companies.
+The area was given the name Žirmūnai during the early 1960s, when it became the site of an award&ndash;winning residential construction project; it was the first microdistrict in the [[Lithuanian SSR]] to be constructed applying [[urban planning]] concepts established in the [[USSR]] at the time. The massive Palace of Concerts and Sports and [[Žalgiris Stadium]] are other relics of Žirmūnai's Soviet history.<ref name=stadium/> Žirmūnai was important to the industrial sector in the USSR; since that time, this function has been replaced or supplanted by newer businesses, including some of Lithuania's leading companies.
-Žirmūnai has undergone major renovation and development in the 21st century, and this looks set to continue. ''Šiaurės miestelis'' (the "North Town" in English) is an area of Žirmūnai that has rapidly evolved into one of the key business and residential districts of the city. This quarter was for centuries used by a number of regimes for military purposes, and internationally significant historical findings are still being made in the area.
-[[Image:Zirmunai_pano.jpg|thumb|right|535 px|Panoramic view of Žirmūnai from the south]]
+Žirmūnai has undergone major renovation and development in the 21st century. ''Šiaurės miestelis'' ("North Town") is an area of Žirmūnai that has rapidly evolved into one of the key business and residential districts of the city. This quarter was used by a number of regimes as a military [[garrison]], and internationally significant historical findings have been made in the area.
+[[Image:Zirmunai_pano.jpg|thumb|352 px|right|Panoramic view of Žirmūnai from the south]]
+[[Image:New Zirmunai.jpg|thumb|352 px|New apartments in Žirmūnai]]
 ==Geography==
-[[Image:Vilniaus_zirmunai.png|thumb||260 px|Žirmūnai within the context of the [[Vilnius city municipality|municipality of Vilnius]]]]
+[[Image:Vilniaus_zirmunai.png|thumb|Žirmūnai within the context of the [[Vilnius city municipality|municipality of Vilnius]]]]
 The Žirmūnai elderate occupies 5.7&nbsp;km² or 1.4&nbsp;% of the total area of the [[Vilnius City Municipality|municipality of Vilnius]] according to data used for the 2001 census. Žirmūnai is located north of central Vilnius, along the western bank of the [[Neris|River Neris]], on a [[plain]] which rises to the north. The elderate extends for about 4.4&nbsp;kilometres from north to south, and is about 1.5&nbsp;kilometres across at its widest point. The southernmost point of the Žirmūnai elderate is only some 450&nbsp;metres from [[Vilnius Cathedral Square|Vilnius' Cathedral Square]], in the centre of the city. Žirmūnai is bordered by the [[elderate]]s of [[Verkiai]] in the north and [[Šnipiškės]] in the west, and is separated from [[Vilnius Old Town|Vilnius' Old Town]] and [[Antakalnis]] by the Neris. Žirmūnai's western boundary is defined by the following streets (from north to south): Verkių, Žvalgų, Kalvarijų, Žalgirio, and Rinktinės. The River Neris serves as Žirmūnai's northern, eastern and southern boundary.<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.vilnius.lt/vaktai/Default.aspx?item=find&dokid=21001447 |title=Decision No. 37: Regarding the number and boundaries of Vilnius City elderates |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006-06-09 |publisher=Vilnius City Council}}</ref> Žirmūnų Street is the district's main artery.
-Despite the proximity of the city centre, the Žirmūnai bank of the River Neris is covered with a strip of dense [[deciduous forest]] that begins at the Žirmūnai Bridge and continues upstream (northeasterly). The forested strip is largely uninterrupted, with gaps near bridges. At the approximate centrepoint of the Žirmūnai shoreline,<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.vilnius.lt/seniunijos/img/0127_1200.gif |title=Map of Žirmūnai elderate (1:12,000) |accessdate=2006-12-16 |author=Vilniaus planas, Municipality Company |year=2004 |format=GIF |publisher=Vilnius City Municipality}}</ref> the forest surrounds a [[backwater]], which had been used to park disused passenger ferries. The forest's northernmost section is part of a [[botany|botanical]] [[nature reserve]] within the [[Verkiai Regional Park]].
+Despite the proximity of the city centre, the Žirmūnai bank of the River Neris is covered with a strip of dense [[deciduous forest]] that begins at the Žirmūnai Bridge and continues upstream (northeasterly). The forested strip is largely uninterrupted, with gaps near bridges. At the approximate centrepoint of the Žirmūnai shoreline,<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.vilnius.lt/seniunijos/img/0127_1200.gif |title=Map of Žirmūnai elderate (1:12,000) |accessdate=2006-12-16 |author=Vilniaus planas, Municipality Company |year=2004 |format=GIF |publisher=Vilnius City Municipality}}</ref> the forest surrounds a [[backwater]], which had been used to park disused passenger ferries. The forest's northernmost section is part of a [[botany|botanical]] [[nature reserve]] within [[Verkiai Regional Park]].
 The Žirmūnai bank of the River Neris, from a point near Žirmūnai Bridge and continuing downstream, was stabilised during the 1980s with a steeply&ndash;sloped concrete net&ndash;like structure which includes patches of grass between the "webbing" of the net; the lower part of the fortification is a concrete tiled walkway, ending just over 4&nbsp;kilometres downstream, beyond [[Liubartas]] Bridge in [[Žvėrynas]]. The walkway is used extensively by walkers, joggers, and cyclists, as well as providing seating for [[angler]]s. Construction vehicles sometimes use it to reach work areas. The walkway is submerged during the river floods, mostly in springtime.
@@ Line 47: / Line 50: @@
 ==Demographics==
 ===Ethnicity===
-As of the census taken in April 2001, the ethnic makeup of Žirmūnai was 59.2% [[Lithuanians|Lithuanian]], 16.8% [[Russians|Russian]] (the third highest percentage among Vilnius' elderates, behind [[Naujoji Vilnia]] and [[Naujininkai]]), 14.4% [[Poles]] (the fourth lowest percentage), 3.8% [[Belarusians|Belarusian]], 1.7% [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] (the highest percentage, along with [[Naujamiestis]]), 0.8% [[Jewish]], 0.2% [[Tatar]], 0.1% [[Latvians|Latvian]], 0.1% [[Armenian]], and 2.9% other or unspecified ethnicity.<ref name=Regional/>[[Image:New Zirmunai.jpg|thumb|470 px|New apartments in Žirmūnai]]
+As of the census taken in April 2001, the ethnic makeup of Žirmūnai was 59.2% [[Lithuanians|Lithuanian]], 16.8% [[Russians|Russian]] (the third highest percentage among Vilnius' elderates, behind [[Naujoji Vilnia]] and [[Naujininkai]]), 14.4% [[Poles]] (the fourth lowest percentage), 3.8% [[Belarusians|Belarusian]], 1.7% [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] (the highest percentage, along with [[Naujamiestis]]), 0.8% [[Jewish]], 0.2% [[Tatar]], 0.1% [[Latvians|Latvian]], 0.1% [[Armenians|Armenian]], and 2.9% other or unspecified ethnicity.<ref name=Regional/>
 ===Population===
@@ Line 60: / Line 63: @@
 At the time of the 2001 census, persons aged between 0 and 15 years comprised 16.1 percent of Žirmūnai's population, the second lowest percentage among Vilnius' elderates, slightly higher than [[Viršuliškės]] at 15.5 percent.  However, it is likely that the average age of Žirmūnai's residents has decreased since the last census, and will continue to decrease, as a result of the active construction of new dwellings, which are acquired primarily by younger people. As housing prices rise, retirees are motivated to sell their apartments with the goal of acquiring cheaper housing elsewhere with funds to spare.
-[[Image:Zirmunai winter night.jpg|270 px|thumb|Residential quarter at night in winter]]
+[[Image:Zirmunai winter night.jpg|thumb|Residential quarter at night in winter]]
 === Crime statistics ===
@@ Line 70: / Line 73: @@
 ==History==
-[[Image:Zirmunai.jpg|thumb|210 px|right|A pleasure cruise on the [[River Neris]] along northern Žirmūnai]]
-Žirmūnai's street and neighbourhood names have changed a number of times in response to the various entities which have governed [[Vilnius]]: the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], the [[Russian Empire]], [[Poland]], the [[USSR]], and [[Lithuania]]. The turbulent nature of these changes, and the general secrecy of the [[Soviet]] regime from 1945 to 1990, including its restricted [[cartography]],<ref> {{en icon}} {{cite journal |quotes= |last=Postnikov |first=Alexey V. |year=2002 |title=Maps for Ordinary Consumers versus Maps for the Military: Double Standards of Map Accuracy in Soviet Cartography, 1917-1991 |journal=Cartography and Geographic Information Science |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=243-260 |url=http://www.geography.wisc.edu/histcart/v6initiative/10postnikov.pdf |accessdate=2006-12-16}}</ref> has made its history difficult to reconstruct, but the effort is ongoing.
+The elderate of Žirmūnai embraces three historical suburbs of Vilnius: ''Žvejai'', ''Tuskulėnai'' and ''Šiaurės miestelis''. These settlements were, respectively, a fishing village dated to the [[14th century]], a [[16th century]] [[manor]], and a [[19th century]] military [[garrison]] used by the armies of the [[Russian Empire]], [[Napoleon]]'s [[Grande Armée]], the armies of the [[Second Polish Republic]], and the [[Soviet]] regime. These entities were consolidated into Vilnius during the rapid period of growth that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s.
-===15th&ndash;19th centuries ===
+[[Image:Zvejai in 1545.jpg|179px|thumb|right|Žvejai in 1545; the "World's Cities' Atlas" by Georg Braun]]
+===14th&ndash;19th centuries ===
-The Žirmūnai elderate embraces several historical suburbs of Vilnius: ''Žvejai'', ''Tuskulėnai'' and ''Šiaurės miestelis''. Žirmūnai's southernmost section, which lies on the bank of the River Neris opposite the [[Vilnius Castle Complex]], was part of a 15th&ndash;century settlement known as ''Žvejai''; another part of that settlement is now located within the elderate of Šnipiškės. According to archaeological studies from 2005, a [[fisherman|fishing]] village may have been located here as early as the late 14th century, giving the area its name, literally, ''Fishermen''; it was later settled by [[artisan|craftsmen]] and housed the [[Orthodox]] Church of [[Saint Barbara|St Barbara]].<ref name=survey/> During the [[16th century]], the only glass factory in the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] was located in the suburb of ''Žvejai''.<ref name=Stiklas/> In 1563, after the construction of the first bridge over the River Neris (at the approximate location of today's Mindaugas Bridge), the suburb of ''Žvejai'' became an integral part of the city of Vilnius.<ref name=Stiklas> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=7133408 |title=Unique discoveries in the uncovered historical suburb of Vilnius |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2005-07-22 |publisher=Delfi.lt and Baltic News Service}}</ref> During [[Tsarist]] rule in the 19th century, the name of ''Žvejai'' was superseded by that of ''Piramont'', originating from the small estate of Piramont in the area.<ref> {{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://szhaman.livejournal.com/26211.html|title=Вильна в 19 веке |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006|publisher=}}</ref> ''Piramontskij'' Alley can be seen in a 1904 map of Vilnius<ref name=Tsarist> {{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://vilnius-liudi.nm.ru/map1904.gif|title=План горда Вилны (Vilnius City Plan 1904)|accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006|publisher=}}</ref> where today's ''A. Juozapavičiaus'' Street in the elderate of Šnipiškės is located, close to the boundary of Žirmūnai. The usage of ''Piramont'' as a placename gradually became limited to the southern part of ''Žvejai''.
+Žirmūnai's southernmost section, which lies on the bank of the River Neris opposite the [[Vilnius Castle Complex]], was part of the settlement known as ''Žvejai''; another part of that settlement is now located within the elderate of Šnipiškės. According to archaeological studies from 2005, a [[fisherman|fishing]] village may have been located here as early as the late 14th century, giving the area its name, literally, ''Fishermen''; it was later settled by [[artisan|craftsmen]] and housed the [[Orthodox]] Church of [[Saint Barbara|St Barbara]].<ref name=survey/> During the [[16th century]], the only glass factory in the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] was located in the suburb of ''Žvejai''.<ref name=Stiklas/> In 1563, after the construction of the first bridge over the River Neris (at the approximate location of today's Mindaugas Bridge), the suburb of ''Žvejai'' became an integral part of the city of Vilnius.<ref name=Stiklas> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=7133408 |title=Unique discoveries in the uncovered historical suburb of Vilnius |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2005-07-22 |publisher=Delfi.lt and Baltic News Service}}</ref> During [[Tsarist]] rule in the 19th century, the name of ''Žvejai'' was superseded by that of ''Piramont'', originating from the small estate of Piramont in the area.<ref> {{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://szhaman.livejournal.com/26211.html|title=Вильна в 19 веке |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006|publisher=}}</ref> ''Piramontskij'' Alley can be seen in a 1904 map of Vilnius<ref name=Tsarist> {{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://vilnius-liudi.nm.ru/map1904.gif|title=План горда Вилны (Vilnius City Plan 1904)|accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006|publisher=}}</ref> where today's ''A. Juozapavičiaus'' Street in the elderate of Šnipiškės is located, close to the boundary of Žirmūnai. The usage of ''Piramont'' as a placename gradually became limited to the southern part of ''Žvejai''.
-The heritage of ''Žvejai'' was retained in the name of ''Žvejų'' ("Fishermen's") Street, which runs alongside the River Neris in southern Šnipiškės and Žirmūnai. However, the Žirmūnai section of this street was renamed ''Olimpiečių'' ("Olympians") in 2000 to commemorate the achievements of Lithuanian Olympic athletes in the [[Sydney Olympics]].<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=86397 |title=The Olympians Street &ndash; in honour of the valiant sportsmen |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2000-10-05 |publisher=Delfi.lt and ELTA}}</ref>
+The heritage of ''Žvejai'' was retained in the name of ''Žvejų'' ("Fishermen's") Street, which runs alongside the River Neris in southern Šnipiškės and Žirmūnai. However, the Žirmūnai section of this street was renamed ''Olimpiečių'' ("Olympians") in 2000 to commemorate the achievements of Lithuanian Olympic athletes in the [[Sydney Olympics]].<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=86397 |title=The Olympians Street &ndash; in honour of the valiant sportsmen |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2000-10-05 |publisher=Delfi.lt and ELTA}}</ref>
-The largest and oldest [[Jewish]] cemetery in Lithuania, first mentioned in 1592, was also located in Žvejai. It was known in the local Jewish community as ''Shnipishok''.<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5765/REI65features2.htm |title=Can Anything Be Done to Save The Remnants of Vilna's Old Jewish Cemetery? |accessdate=2006-12-16 |last=Rabinowitz |first=Binyomin |date=2005-08-31 |publisher=Dei'ah veDibur}}</ref> The Yiddish placename later became associated with the whole borough of Šnipiškės, now bordering Žirmūnai on the west. Although the cemetery was officially closed in 1830 and was subject to gradual deterioration, there were further interments. [[Vilna Gaon]], as well as other famous Vilnian Jews, were interred in the cemetery.
+[[Image:Zvejai old panorama.jpg|thumb|left|Žvejai in the early 19th century, by [[Franciszek Smuglewicz]]]]
+The largest and oldest [[Jewish]] cemetery in Lithuania, first mentioned in 1592, was also located in Žvejai. It was known in the local Jewish community as ''Shnipishok''.<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5765/REI65features2.htm |title=Can Anything Be Done to Save The Remnants of Vilna's Old Jewish Cemetery? |accessdate=2006-12-16 |last=Rabinowitz |first=Binyomin |date=2005-08-31 |publisher=Dei'ah veDibur}}</ref> The [[Yiddish]] placename later became associated with the whole borough of Šnipiškės, now bordering Žirmūnai on the west. Although the cemetery was officially closed in 1830 and was subject to gradual deterioration, there were further interments. [[Vilna Gaon]], as well as other famous Vilnian Jews, were interred in the cemetery.
-In the area on the right bank of the River Neris opposite the [[St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Vilnius|St. Peter and St. Paul's Church]] in [[Antakalnis]], a Royal Manor called ''Derevnictva'' (Polish: ''Derewnictwo''), was established in the mid&ndash;16th century by King [[Sigismund Augustus]] as an outpost of the [[Vilnius Castles]]. The manor was held by the kings [[Sigismund III Vasa]] and [[Władysław IV Vasa]], nobleman M. Piegłowski, the Wołowicz family, the [[Grand Hetman of Lithuania]] [[Michał Kazimierz Pac]], as well by the [[Tyzenhaus|Tyzenhaus family]] after 1741. In the mid&ndash;18th century, [[Basilica of St. John Lateran|Lateran]] monks acquired the manor and named it ''Tusculanum'', after the resort area in the place of the ancient Roman city of [[Tusculum]] near [[Rome]].<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.villatuscolana.it/fsistemauk.htm |title=The Tusculanum Villas |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Ufficio Commerciale}}</ref> (see also: [[Villa Rufinella]]) Towards the end of the century, the manor was separated into the [[folwark]]s of Tuskulėnai, based on the core of the old royal manor, and Derevnictva.<ref name=European>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.heritage.lt/epd/2006/vilnius/pristatomi_objektai.htm |title=The objects in Vilnius County presented to the public during the European Heritage Days 2006 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture}}</ref>
+During the years of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]], in the area on the right bank of the River Neris opposite the [[St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Vilnius|St. Peter and St. Paul's Church]] in [[Antakalnis]], a Royal Manor called ''Derevnictva'' (Polish: ''Derewnictwo''), was established in the mid&ndash;16th century by King [[Sigismund Augustus]] as an outpost of the [[Vilnius Castles]]. The manor was held by the kings [[Sigismund III Vasa]] and [[Władysław IV Vasa]], nobleman M. Piegłowski, the Wołowicz family, the [[Grand Hetman of Lithuania]] [[Michał Kazimierz Pac]], as well by the [[Tyzenhaus|Tyzenhaus family]] after 1741. In the mid&ndash;18th century, [[Basilica of St. John Lateran|Lateran]] monks acquired the manor and named it ''Tusculanum'', after the resort outside the ancient [[Rome|Roman]] city of [[Tusculum]].<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.villatuscolana.it/fsistemauk.htm |title=The Tusculanum Villas |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Ufficio Commerciale}}</ref> (see also: [[Villa Rufinella]]) The surrounding forests were used as a [[game reserve]] and for sport fishing. Towards the end of the century, the manor was separated into the [[folwark]]s of Tuskulėnai, based on the core of the old royal manor, and Derevnictva.<ref name=European>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.heritage.lt/epd/2006/vilnius/pristatomi_objektai.htm |title=The objects in Vilnius County presented to the public during the European Heritage Days 2006 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture}}</ref>
-[[Image:Tuskulenai.jpg|thumb|left|250 px|Drawing of the Tuskulėnai Manor in 1848]]
+[[Image:Tuskulenai.jpg|thumb|Painting of the Tuskulėnai Manor in 1848]]
-Under the rule of the [[Russian Empire]] in the 19th century, the [[Tuskulėnai Manor]] was held by various noble families and high&ndash;ranking state officials, including the [[Governor General]] of Lithuanian&ndash;Vilnius [[Guberniya]], [[Alexander Rimsky-Korsakov]]. In the mid&ndash;19th century the main palace was transformed into a guesthouse that became a cultural center in Vilnius, often visited by [[Stanislaw Moniuszko]] and [[Józef Ignacy Kraszewski]].<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite journal |last=Butkus |first=Visvaldas |date=2003-08-22 |title=Study on Tuskulėnai (Book Review) |journal=Literatūra ir menas |issue=2964 |url=http://ct.svs.lt/lmenas/?leid_id=2964&kas=straipsnis&st_id=3028 |accessdate=2006-12-16 }}</ref> The manor passed into the possession of Julija Safranovich after 1886, and then was held by the noble family of Melentjevy until [[World War II]].
+Under the rule of the [[Russian Empire]] in the 19th century, the [[Tuskulėnai Manor]] was held by various noble families and high&ndash;ranking state officials, including [[Governor General]] of [[Vilna Governorate|Lithuanian&ndash;Vilna Governorate]], [[Alexander Rimsky-Korsakov]]. In the mid&ndash;19th century the main palace was transformed into a guesthouse that became a cultural center in Vilnius, often visited by [[Stanislaw Moniuszko]] and [[Józef Ignacy Kraszewski]].<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite journal |last=Butkus |first=Visvaldas |date=2003-08-22 |title=Study on Tuskulėnai (Book Review) |journal=Literatūra ir menas |issue=2964 |url=http://ct.svs.lt/lmenas/?leid_id=2964&kas=straipsnis&st_id=3028 |accessdate=2006-12-16 }}</ref> The manor passed into the possession of Julija Safranovich after 1886, and then was held by the noble family of Melentjevy until [[World War II]].
-The area surrounding the Tuskulėnai Manor was referred to as ''Tuskulėnai'' (Russian: ''Tuskuljany'';<ref name=Tsarist/> Polish: ''Tuskulanum'')<ref name="plan 1935">{{pl icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.ketrzyn.mm.pl/~wwmkiewicz/ws/wilno%20plan/index.htm |title= Vilnius City Plan in 1935|accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=W. M. Stankiewicz}}</ref> until World War II. This area was also known as ''Losiovka'' or ''Losiuvka'', colloquially named after Army General of the Russian Empire A. Losev, who owned the folwark of Tuskulėnai in 1869. The placenames are associated primarily with individual wooden houses, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some of which are still scattered among the apartment buildings.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.paveldas.vilnius.lt/objektas.php?ID=6072&nID=22524&gID=9 |title=Žirmūnų Street 1a. |accessdate=2006-12-16 |work=Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment) |publisher=Vilnius city municipality}}</ref>
+The area surrounding Tuskulėnai Manor was referred to as ''Tuskulėnai'' (Russian: ''Tuskuljany'';<ref name=Tsarist/> Polish: ''Tuskulanum'')<ref name="plan 1935">{{pl icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.ketrzyn.mm.pl/~wwmkiewicz/ws/wilno%20plan/index.htm |title= Vilnius City Plan in 1935|accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=W. M. Stankiewicz}}</ref> until World War II. This area was also known as ''Losiovka'' or ''Losiuvka'', colloquially named after Army General of the Russian Empire A. Losev, who owned the folwark of Tuskulėnai in 1869. The placenames are associated primarily with individual wooden houses, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some of which are still scattered among the apartment buildings.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.paveldas.vilnius.lt/objektas.php?ID=6072&nID=22524&gID=9 |title=Žirmūnų Street 1a. |accessdate=2006-12-16 |work=Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment) |publisher=Vilnius city municipality}}</ref>
-A military garrison was built in the approximate location of the modern ''Šiaurės miestelis'' (literally, "North Town", named so due to its historical location north of Old Vilnius) section of Žirmūnai by the [[Russian Empire]] during the [[19th century]]. This area went on to be used as a garrison by a number of armies: [[Napoleon]]'s [[Grande Armée]] in 1812, Tsarist for the rest of the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century (see: the 27th infantry division's camp in the map of 1904<ref name=Tsarist/>), the [[Bolshevik]]s during [[World War I]], the [[Polish army]] in the [[inter-war period]], and the [[Red Army]] from the 1950s to 1992.
+A military garrison was built in the approximate location of the modern ''Šiaurės miestelis'' ("North Town", that is, north of Old Vilnius) section of Žirmūnai by the [[Russian Empire]] during the [[19th century]]. This area went on to be used as a garrison by a number of armies: [[Napoleon]]'s [[Grande Armée]] in 1812, Tsarist for the rest of the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century (see: the 27th infantry division's camp in the map of 1904<ref name=Tsarist/>), the [[Bolshevik]]s during [[World War I]], the [[Polish army]] in the [[inter-war period]], and the [[Red Army]] from the 1950s to 1992.
 ===20th century ===
-During the [[Inter war]] period, when Vilnius was under Polish control, the southern part of ''Žvejai'' became known as ''Pióromont'';<ref name="plan 1935"/> the entire ''Žvejai'' area was referred to as ''Rybaki'' ([[Polish language|Polish]] for "Fishermen"); ''Šiaurės miestelis'' became known as ''Plac Broni'' (Polish for the "Square of Arms"); and the old placename of ''Derewnictwo'', dating back to the times of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]], was assigned again to the area north of Tuskulėnai Manor.<ref>{{pl icon}} {{cite web |url=http://vilnius-liudi.nm.ru/map_.jpg|title= Vilnius City Plan. Year 1921 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |author= |format=JPG |publisher=}}</ref>
+During the [[interwar]] period, when Vilnius was under Polish control, the southern part of ''Žvejai'' was known as ''Pióromont''<ref name="plan 1935"/>; the entire ''Žvejai'' area was referred to as ''Rybaki'' ([[Polish language|Polish]] for "Fishermen"); modern ''Šiaurės miestelis'' had been called ''Plac broni'' (Polish for the "Military training ground"); and the old placename of ''Derewnictwo'', dating back to the times of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]], applied to the area north of Tuskulėnai Manor.<ref>{{pl icon}} {{cite web |url=http://vilnius-liudi.nm.ru/map_.jpg|title= Vilnius City Plan. Year 1921 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |author= |format=JPG |publisher=}}</ref>
 A map of Vilnius published in 1942, while the city was under [[Nazi]] rule, shows the northern part of Žirmūnai as ''Paneriškės'' (comprised of the Lithuanian suffix ''&ndash;išk'', frequently used to construct placenames, the prefix ''pa&ndash;'', indicating proximity, and root ''Neris'', combining to indicate "a place by the River Neris"), the middle section as ''Kareiviškės'' ("place of soldiers") and the southern part, close to the Tuskulėnai Manor, as ''Mantiškės'' ("a place named in honour of Mantas"). One of the streets in the area, ''Enriko Manto'' Street, referred to Herkus Mantas ([[Herkus Monte]]), a hero of the [[Great Prussian Uprising]]; today ''H. Manto'' Street is a short street in the Šnipiškės elderate ending at the boundary of Žirmūnai.<ref name=Gauge>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.ngr.lt/map/vilnius42/vilnius42.php?kalba_l=EN&mast=100 |title=Vilnius Map. Year 1942 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |author=Vilnius city municipality, Board of Construction |format=JPG |publisher=The Union of Supporters of the Lithuanian Narrow Gauge Railway}}</ref>
@@ Line 98: / Line 102: @@
 A [[Soviet]] [[military base]] was established in the current ''Šiaurės miestelis'' section of Žirmūnai during the 1950s. The heavily wooded northernmost part of the elderate was thinly populated until the 1960s.
-[[Image:Zirmunai district.jpg|thumb|250 px|right|A view of central Žirmūnai in the evening]]
+[[Image:Zirmunai district.jpg|thumb|right|A view of central Žirmūnai in the evening]]
-During the 1960s, Žirmūnai attracted the attention of [[urban planning|urban planners]]; it became the first [[microdistrict]] in the [[Lithuanian SSR]] to be constructed applying urban planning concepts established in the [[USSR]] at that time. Designed in 1962, the microdistrict consisted of three residential and industrial sections centred around public facilities and had been the largest residential area in the city. The [[USSR State Prize]] was awarded to the architects and constructors of the district's middle section in 1968;<ref>{{lt icon}} Papšys, Antanas "Vilnius. Turistui apie miestą", Vilnius "Mintis" 1977, IB No 1164, p. 100 </ref> it was the first time this award had been presented to the designers of a large&ndash;scale residential construction. The microdistrict was then named after the Lithuanian village of ''Žirmūnai'' ({{lang-ru|''Zhirmuny''}}), now situated 16&nbsp;kilometres from the Lithuania&ndash;[[Belarus]] border in the Voranauski District, [[Hrodna Voblast|Hrodna Province]] of Belarus. This village is where [[Karol Podczaszyński]], an architect and designer of [[Tuskulėnai Manor]], was born.
+During the 1960s, Žirmūnai attracted the attention of [[urban planning|urban planners]]; it became the first [[microdistrict]] in the [[Lithuanian SSR]] to be constructed applying urban planning concepts established in the [[USSR]] at that time. Designed in 1962, the microdistrict consisted of three residential and industrial sections centred around public facilities and had been the largest residential area in the city. The [[USSR State Prize]] was awarded to the architects and constructors of the district's middle section in 1968;<ref>{{lt icon}} Papšys, Antanas "Vilnius. Turistui apie miestą", Vilnius "Mintis" 1977, IB No 1164, p. 100 </ref> it was the first time this award had been presented to the designers of a large&ndash;scale residential construction. The microdistrict was then named after the formerly Lithuanian<ref>{{lt icon}} [http://viduramziu.lietuvos.net/etno/etno19a.htm Ethnographic map or Vilnius region in the 19th century]. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.</ref> village of ''Žirmūnai'' ({{lang-ru|''Zhirmuny''}}), now situated 16&nbsp;kilometres from the Lithuania&ndash;[[Belarus]] border in the Voranauski District, [[Hrodna Voblast|Hrodna Province]] of Belarus. This village is where [[Karol Podczaszyński]], an architect and designer of [[Tuskulėnai Manor]], was born.
-The new residential housing in the microdistrict consisted almost exclusively of five&ndash;story [[concrete block]] apartment buildings. Three nine&ndash;story [[Tower block #Former communist countries|high&ndash;rise apartment buildings]] were built in 1969, and several more were constructed later, as well as seven brick&ndash;built twelve&ndash;storys. The apartment buildings were meant primarily to accommodate industrial workers who came to Vilnius from other regions of the Lithuanian SSR and from other [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Soviet Republic]]s. They typify the [[Brutalist architecture]] of the era. The principles governing the design of the microdistrict were set forth in the books by the [[University of Moscow]] planners, for instance in ''New Element of Populating. En Route to the New City'' published in the USSR in 1966<ref>{{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.i-u.ru/biblio/archive/jadov_sociologija/05.aspx|title=Sociology of the City|accessdate=2006-12-16 |author=O. Janickij |publisher=}}</ref> (although the concept of the "new element" was created back in 1959<ref>{{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.projectclassica.ru/project/19_2006/19_project_02a.htm|title=Homeless Architector|accessdate=2006-12-16 |author=G. Revzin|publisher=}}</ref>); the book was later published as ''The Ideal Communist City'' in the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]] and [[Italy]].<ref>{{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.muar.ru/exibitions/2003/exibit051203j.htm|title=Ideal Contest for Ideal City|accessdate=2006-12-16 |author=Л. Илья Георгиевич|publisher=State Museum of Architecture in Moscow}}</ref> According to the concept, the optimal apartment size was about 600&nbsp;square feet (56&nbsp;square metres), with one bathroom and two bedrooms. Single&ndash;family homes were considered "too
+The new residential housing in the microdistrict consisted almost exclusively of five&ndash;story [[concrete block]] apartment buildings. Three nine&ndash;story [[Tower block #Former communist countries|high&ndash;rise apartment buildings]] were built in 1969, and several more were constructed later, as well as seven brick&ndash;built twelve&ndash;storys. The apartment buildings were meant primarily to accommodate industrial workers who came to Vilnius from other regions of the Lithuanian SSR and from other [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Soviet Republic]]s. They typify the [[Brutalist architecture]] of the era. The principles governing the design of the microdistrict were set forth in books by the [[University of Moscow]] planners, for instance in ''New Element of Populating. En Route to the New City'' published in the USSR in 1966<ref>{{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.i-u.ru/biblio/archive/jadov_sociologija/05.aspx|title=Sociology of the City|accessdate=2006-12-16 |author=O. Janickij |publisher=}}</ref> (although the concept of the "new element" has been dated to 1959<ref>{{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.projectclassica.ru/project/19_2006/19_project_02a.htm|title=Homeless Architector|accessdate=2006-12-16 |author=G. Revzin|publisher=}}</ref>); the book was later published as ''The Ideal Communist City'' in the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]] and [[Italy]].<ref>{{ru icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.muar.ru/exibitions/2003/exibit051203j.htm|title=Ideal Contest for Ideal City|accessdate=2006-12-16 |author=Л. Илья Георгиевич|publisher=State Museum of Architecture in Moscow}}</ref> According to the book, the optimal apartment size was about 600&nbsp;square feet (56&nbsp;square metres), with one bathroom and two bedrooms. Single&ndash;family homes were considered "too
 autonomous".<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.ti.org/vaupdate53.html |title=Smart Growth and the Ideal City |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2005-05-06 |work=Vanishing Automobile update #53 |publisher=Thoreau Institute}}</ref>
@@ Line 107: / Line 111: @@
 An incident in Žirmūnai's history that has been difficult to reconstruct occurred in 1975, when a [[pontoon bridge]] across the [[River Neris]],<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://community.livejournal.com/lost_vilnius/21836.html |title=Lost Vilnius: The infamous pontoon bridge, 1960 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |first=Aloyzas |last=Neniškis |date=2006-03-13 |format=JPG |publisher=Szhaman}}</ref> that was customarily set up from spring to autumn, collapsed due to the weight of a crowd returning from a concert in the Palace of Concerts and Sports. It was rumoured that the bridge supports were not fully connected at the time. There were witnessed fatalities involving drownings and crushing by the bridge structures. Public discussion of the disaster was restricted and the number of casualties remains unknown. The pontoon bridge was never re&ndash;erected at the site; the Mindaugas Bridge now serves this need.
+[[Image:Tuskulenai columbarium.jpg|thumb|left|An entrance to a columbarium, containing the remains of victims]]
 Tuskulėnai Manor had been nationalised in 1940 and was later used as [[KGB]] officers' apartments and as a kindergarten. During excavations that took place between 1994 and 1996 in its territory, the remains of 706 bodies were found; 40 were identified.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=1106408 |title=Peace Park to be established in Vilnius by 2007 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2002-06-13 |publisher=Delfi.lt and Baltic News Service }}</ref> The area had been used to hide the bodies of Lithuanian residents&ndash;mostly [[Forest Brothers|resistance fighters against the Soviet occupation]], [[Non-German cooperation with Nazis during World War II #Lithuania|Nazi collaborators]] and [[Armia Krajowa]] soldiers &ndash; who had been executed by the [[NKGB]] and [[Ministry for State Security (USSR)|MGB]] in the Vilnius' KGB Palace between 1944 and 1947.  The remains from the [[mass grave]] were placed in a [[columbarium]] built underground, beneath an artificial hill, and [[consecrate]]d in 2004.
@@ Line 117: / Line 121: @@
 Due to the Soviet principles of urban planning, Žirmūnai, according to the 2001 census data, was among the three Vilnius elderates (the other two being [[Karoliniškės]] and Viršuliškės) with the lowest percentage of single&ndash;family housing in the city (0.1 percent). Of the remaining residents, 0.4 percent owned a share of individual housing, 0.7 percent lived in hostels, and  almost 99 percent lived in apartments.<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.stat.gov.lt/puslapiai/vasv/pdf/vs/05.pdf |title=Population |accessdate=2007-03-09 |publisher=Statistikos departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės, 2005}}</ref> The scarcity of buildable lots means that the number of single&ndash;family dwellings is not likely to increase; a reverse process is taking place: old wooden houses are being demolished, making room for new residential and commercial constructions. As of 2007, there were only a few modern single&ndash;family houses in Žirmūnai.
-[[Image:Zirmunai_renovated.jpg|left|210 px|thumb|A renovated 1965 apartment building in Žirmūnai]]
+[[Image:Zirmunai_renovated.jpg|left|thumb|A renovated 1965 apartment building in Žirmūnai]]
-Žirmūnai's housing, especially in its central sections, is in need of extensive [[renovation]], due to wear and tear of its low or medium&ndash;quality construction. A program to renew old apartment buildings (including the improvement of the poor heat insulation) is ongoing, partially assisted by the Vilnius City Municipality; Žirmūnai boasts the first finished renovation project &ndash; a completely renewed 60&ndash;apartment building built in 1965.<ref> {{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.renovacija.lt/en.php/sample_project/209 |title=The Sample Project of Complex Building Renovation |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006-03-23 |work=Renew the House &ndash; Renew the City (Vilnius City Municipality Programme) |publisher=Vilnius City Heating Company}}</ref> The area is, in some ways, analogous to [[public housing]] districts in [[Chicago]] and [[London]]; although much of the housing was quickly and inexpensively erected in the 1960s, its proximity to downtown Vilnius, its transportation [[infrastructure]], and its access to the River Neris account for its popularity. The principles of Soviet urban planning that led to its growth have converged with the modern concept of "[[Smart growth]]".
+Žirmūnai's housing, especially in its central sections, is in need of extensive [[renovation]], due to wear and tear of its low or medium&ndash;quality construction. A program to renew old apartment buildings (including the installation of better [[insulation]]) is ongoing in Vilnius, partially assisted by the Vilnius City Municipality; the first finished renovation project &ndash; a completely renewed 60&ndash;apartment building built in 1965 &ndash is located in Žirmūnai.<ref> {{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.renovacija.lt/en.php/sample_project/209 |title=The Sample Project of Complex Building Renovation |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006-03-23 |work=Renew the House &ndash; Renew the City (Vilnius City Municipality Programme) |publisher=Vilnius City Heating Company}}</ref> The area is, in some ways, analogous to [[public housing]] districts in [[Chicago]] and [[London]]; although much of the housing was quickly and inexpensively erected in the 1960s, its proximity to downtown Vilnius, its transportation [[infrastructure]], and its access to the River Neris account for its popularity. The principles of Soviet urban planning that led to its growth have converged with the modern concept of "[[Smart growth]]".
 The ''Šiaurės miestelis'' section of Žirmūnai is growing rapidly and in 2007 was one of Vilnius' most sought&ndash;after residential and commercial areas.
-Many of the military structures that were built in the late 19th century in ''Šiaurės miestelis'' have been preserved and restored. Meanwhile, much of the construction that was not deemed to be of permanent value, erected during the Soviet times, has been demolished, leaving room for new streets and housing. The combination of military heritage sites and newer construction is a distinctive feature of ''Šiaurės miestelis''.[[Image:Siaures miestelis.jpg|210 px|thumb|Residential construction in Šiaurės miestelis, sign of major developments taking place in Žirmūnai]]
+Many of the military structures that were built in the late 19th century in ''Šiaurės miestelis'' have been preserved and restored. Meanwhile, much of the construction that was not deemed to be of permanent value, erected during the Soviet times, has been demolished, leaving room for new streets and housing. The combination of military heritage sites and newer construction is a distinctive feature of ''Šiaurės miestelis''.[[Image:Siaures miestelis.jpg|thumb|Residential construction in Šiaurės miestelis]]
 Reflecting its military history, numerous street names in and around ''Šiaurės miestelis'' allude to military concepts, including ''Kareivių'' ("Soldiers"), ''Lakūnų'' ("Pilots"), ''Žygio'' ("March"), ''Apkasų'' ("Trenches"), ''Ulonų'' ("Light Cavalry"). The new streets built in ''Šiaurės miestelis'' during the beginning of the [[21st century]] were named for prominent figures in Lithuanian military history: Povilas Lukšys, Lithuanian army volunteer, the first to perish in the [[Freedom wars of Lithuania|Independence Fights in 1919]] with [[Bolshevik]] forces, as well as Kazys Ladyga, Silvestras Žukauskas, Jonas Galvydis-Bikauskas, Vladas Nagevičius, and Jurgis Kubilius, prominent officers of the [[inter-war]] [[Military of Lithuania|Lithuanian Army]], whose histories are not directly related to the area. On the contrary, these personalities distinguished themselves by opposing the Bolshevik and [[Armia Krajowa|Polish]] armies that were historically garrisoned in ''Šiaurės miestelis''. The naming was suggested by the Ministry of Defence.<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.kam.lt/index.php/lt/94966/ |title=History |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Ministry of Defence}}</ref> There are more streets not far from ''Šiaurės miestelis'' that bear military&ndash;themed names: ''Raitininkų'' ("Cavalrymen"), ''Žvalgų'' ("Scouts") and ''Rinktinės'' ("Platoon").
 ==Education==
+[[Image:Vilnius Zirmunai Gymnasium.jpg|thumb|left|Vilnius Žirmūnai Gymnazium]]
-Žirmūnai has a number of educational institutions, including three [[high school]]s, all Lithuanian&ndash;language. Tuskulėnai Secondary School ({{lang-lt|Tuskulėnų vidurinė mokykla}}, formerly Vilnius' Secondary School No. 31) had 1,463 students in 2006, which made it the fifth largest school in Vilnius. The school features advanced classes in the visual arts. [[St. Christopher]]'s Gymnasium ({{lang-lt|Šv. Kristoforo gimnazija}}, formerly Vilnius' Secondary School No. 9) was the eighth largest in Vilnius with 1,391 students in 2006. Žirmūnai Gymnasium ({{lang-lt|Žirmūnų gimnazija}}, formerly Vilnius' Secondary School No. 7) had 800 students in 2006.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.smm.lt/svietimo_bukle/docs/statistika/MK_lesos_atskiroms_mokykloms_2006.xls |title=Funds allocation to individual schools in 2006 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |year=2006 |format=XLS |publisher=Ministry of Education and Science}}</ref> It was granted the title ''[[Gymnasium (school)|Gymnasium]]'' in 2000. The gymnasium is home to the acclaimed [[brass band]] ''Septima'', established in 1966,<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://septima.dtiltas.lt/ |title=Septima |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Septima}}</ref> and has an indoor swimming pool.
+The educational institutions in Žirmūnai include three [[Secondary school|secondary school]]s, all Lithuanian&ndash;language. Tuskulėnai Secondary School ({{lang-lt|Tuskulėnų vidurinė mokykla}}, formerly Vilnius' Secondary School No. 31) had 1,463 students in 2006, which made it the fifth largest school in Vilnius. The school features advanced classes in the visual arts. [[St. Christopher]]'s Gymnasium ({{lang-lt|Šv. Kristoforo gimnazija}}, formerly Vilnius' Secondary School No. 9) was the eighth largest in Vilnius with 1,391 students in 2006. Žirmūnai Gymnasium ({{lang-lt|Žirmūnų gimnazija}}, formerly Vilnius Secondary School No. 7) had 800 students in 2006.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.smm.lt/svietimo_bukle/docs/statistika/MK_lesos_atskiroms_mokykloms_2006.xls |title=Funds allocation to individual schools in 2006 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |year=2006 |format=XLS |publisher=Ministry of Education and Science}}</ref> The school was granted the title ''[[Gymnasium (school)|Gymnasium]]'' in 2000; it is home to the acclaimed [[brass band]] ''Septima'', established in 1966.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://septima.dtiltas.lt/ |title=Septima |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Septima}}</ref>
-Along with the three high schools, there are three elementary schools: [[Antanas Vivulskis]], [[Emilia Plater|Emilija Pliaterytė]], and Kalvarijos (Lithuanian for "Calvary"). [[Šarūnas Marčiulionis]] Basketball School and Vilnius Sports School offer [[physical education]]. The Vilnius School of Radioelectronics and Precise Mechanics (Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus radioelektronikos ir tiksliosios mechanikos mokykla'')<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.vretmm.vilnius.lm.lt/Pradzia.htm |title=History |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Vilnius School of Radioelectronics and Precise Mechanics}}</ref> was established in 1965 to prepare workers for ''Vilma'', a manufacturer of electrical products still operating in Žirmūnai. The Vilnius School of Tourism and Commerce (Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus turizmo ir prekybos verslo mokykla'') offers certificates in retailing, basic bookkeeping, hotel and restaurant services, and other business areas. Vilnius Gija Youth School serves those students who have special needs and do not succeed in traditional classroom settings. Žirmūnai also has one of the three Children's Foster Home in Vilnius.
+Three elementary schools are located in Žirmūnai: [[Antanas Vivulskis]], [[Emilia Plater|Emilija Pliaterytė]], and Kalvarijos (''Cavalry''). [[Šarūnas Marčiulionis]] Basketball School and Vilnius Sports School offer [[physical education]]. The Vilnius School of Radioelectronics and Precision Mechanics (Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus radioelektronikos ir tiksliosios mechanikos mokykla'')<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.vretmm.vilnius.lm.lt/Pradzia.htm |title=History |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Vilnius School of Radioelectronics and Precise Mechanics}}</ref> was established in 1965 to prepare workers for ''Vilma'', a manufacturer of electrical products still operating in Žirmūnai. The Vilnius School of Tourism and Commerce (Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus turizmo ir prekybos verslo mokykla'') offers certificates in retailing, basic bookkeeping, hotel and restaurant services, and other business areas. Vilnius Gija Youth School serves those students who have special needs and do not succeed in traditional classroom settings. Žirmūnai also has one of the three Children's Foster Homes in Vilnius.
 As of the census taken in April 2001, 26.2 percent of Žirmūnai's residents aged 10 or older possessed a [[bachelor's degree|bachelor's]] or higher degree.
 ==Facilities==
+[[Image:Tuskulenai construction.jpg|thumb|right|The reconstruction of the palace]]
 ===Parks and museums===
 [[Tuskulėnai Manor]] is Žirmūnai's oldest extant architectural structure. The manor was built in 1825, following a design by [[Karol Podczaszyński]] in the [[neoclassical architecture|neoclassical style]]. It consists of the principal building (the palace), an ''officina'' (storage house), and several adjacent buildings, including a small [[Eclecticism|eclectic]] chapel of [[St. Theresa]] located approximately 100 metres south of the principal building.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.paveldas.vilnius.lt/objektas.php?ID=10717&nID=22524&gID=9 |title=Žirmūnų Street 1c |accessdate=2006-12-16 |work=Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment) |publisher=Vilnius city municipality}}</ref> The "Little White Manor", also known as the villa of Franciszek Walicki, was built in 1866 close to the manor, acquired by Walicki in 1928, and reconstructed to serve as a summer residence.<ref name=European/> All of these structures are undergoing [[Building restoration|restoration]], and will be part of Peace Park (''Rimties parkas''), which is scheduled for completion in 2007. The 7.5&ndash;hectare Peace Park will include the restored Tuskulėnai Manor, which will host a museum of [[martyrology]] in Lithuania in the second half of the 20th century (a branch of the Lithuanian [[Genocide]] Victims Museum), restored ponds and landscaping, as well as the columbarium.
+[[Image:Zirmunai.jpg|thumb|left|A pleasure cruise on the [[River Neris]] along northern Žirmūnai]]
 A Museum of [[Computing]] was opened in 2001 in Žirmūnai by the Lithuanian software company ''Sintagma'', showcasing the history of Lithuanian computing science and hardware production. It was based on a museum opened in 1985 by ''Sigma'', one of the leading computer manufacturers in the former Soviet Union. The museum's exhibits include EV&ndash;80, the first Soviet vacuum tube computing machine manufactured by ''Sigma'', a copy of the [[IBM 604]].<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.muziejai.lt/Vilnius/Kompiuterijos%20muziejus.htm |title=Lithuanian Computing Museum in Vilnius |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2004-09-24 |publisher=Museums of Lithuania}}</ref>
@@ Line 145: / Line 151: @@
 ===Governmental offices===
-[[Image:Forensic medicine institute.jpg|thumb|230 px|Institute of Forensic Medicine, housed in a former military building]]
+[[Image:Forensic medicine institute.jpg|thumb|Institute of Forensic Medicine, housed in a former military building]]
 As a primarily residential area, Žirmūnai hosted only 7.4% of Vilnius' public offices in 2003.<ref name=business/> Žirmūnai is the location of the Personal Identity Documents Centre of Lithuania's Ministry of the Interior which produces all of Lithuania's [[identity cards]], [[passports]], and [[driver licence|driver's licenses]], as well as residency permits. Issuance of residence permits is controlled by Vilnius City Migration Service, which is housed in Žirmūnai too. There are also several medicine&ndash;related institutions, such as the Ministry of Health's State Public Health Service, the Vilnius city [[morgue]] and the Institute of [[Forensic Medicine]] of the [[Mykolas Romeris University]]. The Lithuanian National Olympic Committee, the Vilnius Department of the Lithuanian [[Labour Exchange]] at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, the Honorary Vice&ndash;Consulate of the [[Kingdom of Spain]], and the National Examination Center, established by the Ministry of Education to organize centralized nationwide examinations of high school graduates, all have headquarters in Žirmūnai.
 ===Sports and entertainment venues===
-Some notable sports facilities are located in Žirmūnai, including [[Žalgiris Stadium]], Lithuania's largest stadium,<ref name=stadium>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.worldstadiums.com/europe/countries/lithuania.shtml |title=Stadiums in Lithuania |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=World Stadiums }}</ref> and Impuls Plus, which claims to be the largest fitness facility in the [[Baltic States]].<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/13637/ |title=Getting physical in the Baltics |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2005-09-21 |publisher=The Baltic Times}}</ref> [[Rowing (sport)|Rowing]] practices take place on the River Neris; there is a base of operation, as well as several piers, on the Žirmūnai bank of the river. One of Lithuania's largest indoor public [[swimming pools]] was situated in Žirmūnai until the 1990s. Part of the annual international Vilnius [[Marathon]] course runs along almost the whole length of the Žirmūnai bank of the River Neris.<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.maratonas.lt/trasa_en.htm |title=Course |accessdate=2006-12-16 |year=2006 |format=JPG |publisher=International Vilnius Marathon 2006}} </ref>
+Several notable sports facilities are located in Žirmūnai, including [[Žalgiris Stadium]], Lithuania's largest stadium,<ref name=stadium>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.worldstadiums.com/europe/countries/lithuania.shtml |title=Stadiums in Lithuania |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=World Stadiums }}</ref> and Impuls Plus, which claims to be the largest fitness facility in the [[Baltic States]].<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/13637/ |title=Getting physical in the Baltics |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2005-09-21 |publisher=The Baltic Times}}</ref> [[Rowing (sport)|Rowing]] practices take place on the River Neris; there is a base of operation, as well as several piers, on the Žirmūnai bank of the river. One of Lithuania's largest indoor public [[swimming pools]] was situated in Žirmūnai until the 1990s. Part of the annual international Vilnius [[Marathon]] course runs along the Žirmūnai bank of the River Neris.<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.maratonas.lt/trasa_en.htm |title=Course |accessdate=2006-12-16 |year=2006 |format=JPG |publisher=International Vilnius Marathon 2006}} </ref>
-[[Image:Sporto_rumai.jpg|thumb|left|200 px|Palace of Concerts and Sports]]
+[[Image:Sporto_rumai.jpg|thumb|left|Palace of Concerts and Sports]]
-The Palace of Concerts and Sports (''Koncertų ir sporto rūmai''), built in 1971 in the southernmost part of Žirmūnai opposite the Vilnius Castle Complex across the River Neris, is an example of Soviet [[Constructivist architecture|Constructivism]]<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.paveldas.vilnius.lt/objektas.php?ID=1845&nID=22529&gID=9 |title=Žvejų Street 2|accessdate=2006-12-16 |work=Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment) |publisher=Vilnius city municipality}}</ref> and [[Brutalist architecture]], remarkable for its [[vessel]]&ndash;like exterior. The Palace, once one of the architectonic icons of the Soviet Vilnius, was, until the 1990s, a major venue for sporting events, especially local and international basketball matches, as well as concerts and shows. Its seating capacity is about 4,400. On 22&ndash;23 October 1988 the building hosted the statutory meeting of [[Sąjūdis]], the Lithuanian political organization that led the struggle for Lithuanian independence; on [[14 January|14]]&ndash;[[15 January]] [[1991]], a public [[viewing]] of victims of the [[January Events]] took place at the Palace. Later in the 1990s, the building was used as a temporary mall where space was leased regularly for the fairs of small enterpreneurs; occasionally business exhibitions would take place at the Palace. Plans were announced to build a multifunctional complex, incorporating sports, business and residential structures, to replace Žalgiris Stadium and the Palace of Concerts and Sports; the project has been stalled due to the inclusion of the Palace into the list "Registry of Cultural Values" in July 2006,<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=10036631 |title=Vilnius Palace of Sports included in the Registry of Cultural Values |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006-06-04 |publisher=Delfi.lt}}</ref> and related litigation.<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=10892000 |title=Will the celebration of the European Capital of Culture take place in a pit? |accessdate=2006-12-16 |last=Kulvinskytė |first=Rimantė |date=2006-10-08 |publisher=Delfi.lt and Statyba ir architektūra}}</ref>
+The Palace of Concerts and Sports (''Koncertų ir sporto rūmai''), built in 1971 in the southernmost part of Žirmūnai in the middle of the former cemetery, is an example of Soviet [[Constructivist architecture|Constructivism]]<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.paveldas.vilnius.lt/objektas.php?ID=1845&nID=22529&gID=9 |title=Žvejų Street 2|accessdate=2006-12-16 |work=Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment) |publisher=Vilnius city municipality}}</ref> and [[Brutalist architecture]], remarkable for its [[Ship|vessel]]&ndash;like exterior. The Palace, once one of the architectonic icons of Soviet Vilnius, was, until the 1990s, a major venue for sporting events, especially local and international basketball matches, as well as concerts and shows. Its seating capacity is about 4,400. On 22&ndash;23 October 1988 the building hosted the statutory meeting of [[Sąjūdis]], the Lithuanian political organization that led the struggle for Lithuanian independence; on [[14 January|14]]&ndash;[[15 January]] [[1991]], a public [[funeral]] for the victims of the [[January Events]] took place at the Palace. Later in the 1990s, the building was used as a temporary [[shopping mall]] where space was leased to small entrepreneurs for business exhibitions and fairs. In the 2000s developers announced plans to build multifunctional complexes, incorporating sports, business and residential structures, that would replace Žalgiris Stadium and the Palace of Concerts and Sports; the projects have been stalled due to the inclusion of the Palace into the list "Registry of Cultural Values" in July 2006,<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=10036631 |title=Vilnius Palace of Sports included in the Registry of Cultural Values |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006-06-04 |publisher=Delfi.lt}}</ref> and related litigation.<ref> {{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=10892000 |title=Will the celebration of the European Capital of Culture take place in a pit? |accessdate=2006-12-16 |last=Kulvinskytė |first=Rimantė |date=2006-10-08 |publisher=Delfi.lt and Statyba ir architektūra}}</ref>
-The Vilnius Palace of Culture, Entertainment and Sports (an example of Soviet [[Functionalism (architecture)|functionalism]]<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.paveldas.vilnius.lt/objektas.php?ID=10713&nID=22524&gID=9 |title=Žirmūnų Street 1e |accessdate=2006-12-16 |work=Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment) |publisher=Vilnius city municipality}}</ref> built in 1980 as the Palace of Culture and Sports of the Ministry of Interior), hosts several amateur art clubs (choirs in particular), and is also used for indoor sports ([[wrestling]], [[martial arts]], [[artistic gymnastics]], volleyball, basketball), as well as lawn tennis, including two  [[Tennis court #Clay courts|clay courts]].
+The Vilnius Palace of Culture, Entertainment and Sports (an example of Soviet [[Functionalism (architecture)|functionalism]]<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.paveldas.vilnius.lt/objektas.php?ID=10713&nID=22524&gID=9 |title=Žirmūnų Street 1e |accessdate=2006-12-16 |work=Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment) |publisher=Vilnius city municipality}}</ref> built in 1980 as the Palace of Culture and Sports of the Ministry of Interior), hosts several amateur art clubs (choirs in particular), and is also used for indoor sports ([[wrestling]], [[martial arts]], [[artistic gymnastics]], volleyball, basketball), as well as lawn tennis, including two [[Tennis court #Clay courts|clay courts]].
-The [[Lietuvos Rytas]] Arena was the home of Lithuania's starring [[BC Lietuvos Rytas|basketball team Lietuvos Rytas]] until the 2004 season, was used by the women's basketball team [[BC Teo]]. Along with the Vilnius Palace of Culture, Entertainment and Sports , it was used in 2006 as part of the set for ''9/11: [[The Twin Towers]]'',<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808138/ |title= 9/11: The Twin Towers (2006) |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Internet Movie Database}}</ref> a [[docudrama]] about the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] in [[New York City]], a Dangerous Films production for [[BBC]] and [[Discovery Channel]].<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=8928941 |title=The New York tragedy resurrected by film makers in Vilnius |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006-03-03 |publisher=Delfi.lt and Baltic News Service}}</ref>
+The [[Lietuvos Rytas]] Arena was the home of Lithuania's starring [[BC Lietuvos Rytas|basketball team Lietuvos Rytas]] until the 2004 season, and was also used by the women's basketball team [[BC Teo]]. Along with the Vilnius Palace of Culture, Entertainment and Sports, it was used in 2006 as part of the set for ''9/11: [[The Twin Towers]]'',<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808138/ |title= 9/11: The Twin Towers (2006) |accessdate=2006-12-16 |publisher=Internet Movie Database}}</ref> a [[docudrama]] about the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] in [[New York City]], a Dangerous Films production for [[BBC]] and [[Discovery Channel]].<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=8928941 |title=The New York tragedy resurrected by film makers in Vilnius |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2006-03-03 |publisher=Delfi.lt and Baltic News Service}}</ref>
 Southern Žirmūnai's sporting connections are reflected in the names of the streets along the Žirmūnai side of the River Neris: ''Sporto'' ("Sports") and ''Olimpiečių'' ("Olympians"). The Palace of Students' Technical Creative Work of the Republic is Lithuania's largest facility for high school students' after&ndash;school activities of a technical nature, such as [[model building]] and [[Kart racing|go-kart racing]]. The Grand Theater of Vilnius (''Didysis Vilniaus teatras'') is a small theater (its misnomer is intentional) that is formally based in ''Šiaurės miestelis''; it has no venue of its own and holds performances in other theaters.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.dvt.lt |title=The Grand Theater of Vilnius |publisher=The Grand Theater of Vilnius |accessdate=2006-12-16}}</ref>
 [[Image:Rytu_skirstomieji_tinklai.jpg|thumb|''Rytų skirstomieji tinklai'', a major electricity provider]]
-The building close to the western border of the Žirmūnai elderate, an example of [[Stalinist architecture|Socialist historicism]]<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.paveldas.vilnius.lt/objektas.php?ID=4804&nID=22068&gID=9 |title=Kalvarijų Street 85 / Verkių Street 6 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |work=Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment) |publisher=Vilnius city municipality}}</ref> built soon after the end of World War II, the home of ''Tėvynė'' ("Motherland") cinema until early 1990s, has been hosting ''New York'' musical theatre and club since 2004.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.newyorkclub.lt/main.aspx?show=about&ID=1 |title=About the theatre/club |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date= |publisher=New York Club}}</ref> It is unclear whether the building will be demolished for underground parking lots or saved by virtue of inclusion into the Registry of Cultural Values.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=11212915 |title=Soviet-time architecture confronts us with the signs of history |accessdate=2006-12-16 |last=Nemeikaitė |first=Sigita |date=2006-11-14 |publisher=Delfi.lt and Statyba ir architektūra }}</ref>
+A building close to the western border of the Žirmūnai elderate, an example of [[Stalinist architecture|Socialist historicism]]<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.paveldas.vilnius.lt/objektas.php?ID=4804&nID=22068&gID=9 |title=Kalvarijų Street 85 / Verkių Street 6 |accessdate=2006-12-16 |work=Baltic InterSAVE (Survey of Architectural Values in the Environment) |publisher=Vilnius city municipality}}</ref> built soon after the end of World War II, was the home of the ''Tėvynė'' ("Motherland") Cinema until the early 1990s; it has been hosting the ''New York'' musical theatre and club since 2004.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.newyorkclub.lt/main.aspx?show=about&ID=1 |title=About the theatre/club |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date= |publisher=New York Club}}</ref> It is unclear whether this building will be demolished to make way for underground parking lots or saved by virtue of its inclusion into the Registry of Cultural Values.<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=11212915 |title=Soviet-time architecture confronts us with the signs of history |accessdate=2006-12-16 |last=Nemeikaitė |first=Sigita |date=2006-11-14 |publisher=Delfi.lt and Statyba ir architektūra }}</ref>
 ===Commercial and industrial facilities===
@@ Line 167: / Line 173: @@
 ,414 businesses, comprising 8.7% of all Vilnius' businesses, were headquartered in the Žirmūnai elderate in 2003.<ref name=business>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.vilnius.lt/new/inv_verslas.php?open=280&sub_cat1=281&id=78 |title=Map of Vilnius City business development: Žirmūnai elderate |accessdate=2006-12-16 |date=2003-05-23 |work=Business News |publisher=Vilnius city municipality }}</ref> Lithuania's largest electricity distribution network operator, ''Rytų skirstomieji tinklai'', operates from Žirmūnai, as well as  ''TELE2'', one of Lithuania's three mobile communications operators; ''Ogmios'', one of Lithuania's largest retailers and wholesalers of [[home appliance]]s; and ''Vilpra'', Lithuania's largest dealer of heating equipment.
-In 1992, the former prominent [[Lithuania national basketball team|Lithuanian basketball]] player [[Šarūnas Marčiulionis]] and his business partners opened the ''Šarūnas'' Hotel in Žirmūnai. [[Image:Hyper rimi.jpg|thumb|left|230px|[[Rimi Baltic|Rimi Hypermarket]] shopping center in Šiaurės miestelis]]
+In 1992, the former prominent [[Lithuania national basketball team|Lithuanian basketball]] player [[Šarūnas Marčiulionis]] and his business partners opened the ''Šarūnas'' Hotel in Žirmūnai. [[Image:Hyper rimi.jpg|thumb|left|[[Rimi Baltic|Rimi Hypermarket]] shopping center in Šiaurės miestelis]]
 The ''Banginis'' and ''[[Rimi Baltic|Rimi Hypermarket]]'', located in ''Šiaurės miestelis'', are among Lithuania's largest [[shopping center]]s. ''Vilniaus duona'' ("The Bread of Vilnius"), Lithuania's largest baking company, operates one of its bakeries in Žirmūnai.
@@ Line 175: / Line 181: @@
 ==Transportation==
-[[Image:Trolleybus in Zirmunai.jpg|thumb|340 px|A [[trolleybus]] crossing the ''Valakupiai'' Bridge]]
+[[Image:Trolleybus in Zirmunai.jpg|thumb|A [[trolleybus]] crossing the ''Valakupiai'' Bridge]]
-Žirmūnai is well&ndash;served by Vilnius' bus and [[trolleybus]] transportation network. One of Vilnius' trolleybus hubs is located in the northernmost part of Žirmūnai elderate, and ''Vilniaus Autobusai'', Vilnius' main bus operator, is headquartered and has its main depot in Žirmūnai.
+Žirmūnai is well&ndash;served by Vilnius' bus and [[trolleybus]] transportation network. One of Vilnius' trolleybus hubs is located in the northernmost part of Žirmūnai elderate, and ''Vilniaus Autobusai'', Vilnius' main bus operator, is headquartered and has its main depot in Žirmūnai. Not far from Vilnius center located [[Vilnius International Airport]], closest airport to Žirmūnai. In Naujamiestis elderate, south from Žimūnai, located Vilnius railway station.
 Žirmūnai is linked to the elderate of [[Antakalnis]] by three bridges over the River Neris:  ''Valakupiai'' Bridge, the longest bridge in Vilnius, built in 1972; the ''Šilas'' Bridge, built in 1999, and ''Žirmūnai'' Bridge, built in 1965. The [[Mindaugas]] Bridge was built in 2003 to link Žirmūnai with Vilnius' Old Town. Passenger [[ferry]] transport on the Neris was active until the 1990s, but is now limited to occasional chartered sightseeing tours from the Mindaugas Bridge to Valakupiai in summer.
 For some time in the first half of the 20th century, a [[narrow-gauge railway]] traversed Žirmūnai following the approximate course of the modern ''Minties'' Street; it crossed over the River Neris on a bridge located near the modern ''Šilas'' Bridge, as can be seen in the 1942 map of Vilnius.<ref name=Gauge/>
+==Trivia==
+The MEDIA New Talent Prize of the European Union will be awarded at the 2007 [[Cannes Film Festival]] to a Lithuanian movie project (written by Saulius Drunga) titled "Anarchija Žirmūnuose" (''Anarchy in Žirmūnai'').<ref>{{lt icon}} {{cite web |url=http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=13075636 |title=The Authors of the New Lithuanian Cinema - the Best in Europe |accessdate=2007-05-03 |publisher=Delfi.lt }}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 194: / Line 204: @@
 ==See also==
 {{commonscat|Vilnius}}
+* [[History of Vilnius]]
 * [[History of Lithuania]]
 * [[History of Poland]]
-* [[Vilnius]]
 {{Vilnius elderates}}
@@ Line 205: / Line 215: @@
 [[lt:Žirmūnai]]
+[[pl:Rybaki (dzielnica Wilna)]]

Žirmūnai

Location:	Vilnius, Lithuania
Coordinates:	54°41′56″N 25°18′10″E / 54.69889°N 25.30278°E / 54.69889; 25.30278 (Tuskulėnai Manor)
Area:	5.7 km²
Altitude:	119 metres
Population:	47,410 (2001 census)
Density:	8,317.5/km²
Elder:	Ona Suncovienė
Established:	Late 14th century; 1960s (modern)

v t e Vilnius
	History	Timeline Great Seimas
	Elderships	Antakalnis Fabijoniškės Grigiškės Justiniškės Karoliniškės Lazdynai Naujamiestis Naujininkai Naujoji Vilnia Aukštieji Paneriai Pašilaičiai Pilaitė Rasos Senamiestis Šeškinė Šnipiškės Verkiai Vilkpėdė Viršuliškės Žirmūnai Žvėrynas
	Government	Mayor
	Transport	Vilnius Airport Vilnius bus station Vilnius railway station Vilnius Airport railway station
	Education	Vilnius International French Lyceum Vilnius International School Vilnius University template Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania
	Landmarks	Gediminas Avenue Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Vilnius CBD Lukiškės Square Vilnius Castle Complex Vilnius Old Town Cathedral Square Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports