Juodšiliai Eldership 
    Juodšilių seniūnija  | |
|---|---|
![]() Eldership administrative building in Juodšiliai  | |
![]() Location of Juodšiliai Eldership  | |
| Country | |
| Ethnographic region | Dzūkija | 
| County | |
| Municipality | |
| Administrative centre | Juodšiliai | 
| Government | |
| • Elder | Tadeuš Aškalianec | 
| Area | |
| • Total | 23.63 km2 (9.12 sq mi) | 
| Population  (2019)[1]  | |
| • Total | 4,671 | 
| • Density | 200/km2 (510/sq mi) | 
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) | 
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) | 
| Website | https://www.vrsa.lt | 
Juodšiliai Eldership (Lithuanian: Juodšilių seniūnija) is an eldership in Lithuania, located in Vilnius District Municipality, south of Vilnius.
Etymology
The name Juodšiliai means "the black groves" . The village was named sometime after 1920, and takes its name from the surrounding coniferous forests.[2]
Geography and nature
Rudaminėlė, a tributary of Vokė, flows along the northwest border of the eldership.
History
The settlement appeared relatively recently. Until World War I, the area was a forest (named Juodasis Šilas), which was felled by German soldiers. A railway was laid to transport the timber, and a train station was built nearby.[3]
The cleared space near the railway gave rise to a railroad worker village Reslerava.[3]
The scenic area was favoured by the intelligentsia of Vilnius, and a campsite was built there.[2]
In 1919, a school was opened in the village, and a monastery worked between 1920 and 1939. An orphanage also worked from 1924 to 1946.[2]
The construction of a church was started in 1936, but was halted due to the war. After it, the church building was used to establish a foster home, later a hospital, but a fire in 1991 damaged the building. In 2001, the church was returned to its original purpose, and the church was officially inaugurated in 2016.[2]
Populated places
9 villages are located in the eldership, the largest of which are Juodšiliai and Valčiūnai.
Notable locations
- Juodšiliai Church of the Blessed Mykolas Sopočka
 - Juodšiliai tumulus
 - Dusinėnai tumuli
 - Prūdiškės Manor ruins
 - Writer Józef Mackiewicz farmhouse in Juodšiliai
 - Kelmytė ancient charcoal-burning place
 
Ethnic composition
According to the 2011 census:[4]
- Polish - 46.1%
 - Lithuanian - 27.9%
 - Russian - 13.7%
 - Belarusian - 6.8%
 
Notable people
- Uršulė Leduchovska (1865-1939), nun, actively helped the impoverished and young women. Recognized as a saint in 2003.
 - Mykolas Sopočka (1880-1975), catholic priest, professor of theology, who sheltered in the village from Soviet deportations.
 - Józef Mackiewicz (1902-1985), Polish writer, publicist and politician. Lived in Juodšiliai during the Soviet occupation.
 
Gallery
Church of Juodšiliai
Juodšiliai in 2013
Prūdiškės in 2014
Miškiniai
Former railway station at Valčiūnai
References
- ↑ "Department of Statistics". Retrieved 2021-01-07.
 - 1 2 3 4 "Vilniaus rajono savivaldybės administracija - Darbuotojų informacija". www.vrsa.lt. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
 - 1 2 "Juodšiliai". www.vle.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
 - ↑ Republic of Lithuania 2011 National Census data
 

