Juodšiliai Eldership () 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.
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.
The cleared space near the railway gave rise to a railroad worker village Reslerava.
The scenic area was favoured by the intelligentsia of Vilnius, and a campsite was built there.
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.
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.
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:Republic of Lithuania 2011 National Census data
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
References