Avižieniai Eldership

Avižieniai Eldership (Lithuanian: Avižienių seniūnija) is an eldership in Lithuania, located in Vilnius District Municipality, northwest of Vilnius. It is the most populous eldership in the municipality.^[2]

Avižieniai Eldership Avižienių seniūnija
Eldership
Riešė Upland crest near Mažoji Riešė
Location of Avižieniai Eldership
Country	Lithuania
Ethnographic region	Dzūkija
County	Vilnius County
Municipality	Vilnius District Municipality
Administrative centre	Avižieniai
Government
• Elder	Michail Bortkevič
Area
• Total	52.08 km2 (20.11 sq mi)
Population [1]
• Total	11,598
• Density	220/km2 (580/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Website	https://www.vrsa.lt

The eldership has a hillfort with a cultural layer dated to the beginning of 1st millennium A.D.^[1] The landscape is dominated by rolling hills in the Riešė Upland. Many small wooded areas and swamps, but the landscape is undergoing rapid change due to suburbanization and its proximity to the city. Notable rivers include Riešė and Čekonė, and there are several small lakes, such as Gilužis, Ežeraitis, Notiškis and Varlinka.

Avižieniai were known since the Interwar for their gardens. In the 19th century, an orthodox church was built in Bukiškis. It was damaged during World War II, and only ruins and the basement remain, and are known to have the buried corpses of a general. The church rebuilding project was initiated in 1990, and the church was rebuilt in 2007.^[1]

Coat of arms for Avižieniai was created in April of 2023 and is awaiting approbation. It depicts oats as Avižieniai is from Lithuanian – aviža (oat).^[3]

There are 27 villages located within the eldership, the largest of which are^[1]Avižieniai, Bukiškis, Riešė (of which only half of the village is located in the eldership, the other half belongs to Riešė Eldership), Bendoriai and Klevinė.

• Bukiškės Orthodox Church of Patron Mother of God
• Avižieniai hillfort
• Mažoji Riešė hillfort
• Pikutiškės/Švedai hillfort
• Aukštieji Rusokai tumulus
• Galinė Manor with preserved palace and farmhouses
• Kalno Riešė Manor farmhouse fragments near Riešė
• Tarandė old cemetery
• World War II Soviet soldier burial place in Bendoriai

According to 2021 census, out of 10,867 persons of the eldership:^[4]

• Lithuanians - 70.9% (7704)
• Poles - 18.8% (2043)
• Russians - 5.1% (559)
• Belarusians - 1.4% (157)
• Number of inhabitants: 10867

According to 2011 National Census data, the ethnic composition is as follows:^[5]

• Lithuanians - 65.0%
• Poles - 24.4%
• Russians - 5.6%
• Number of inhabitants: 7509

• Orthodox Church of Guardian Mother of God in Bukiškis

• Highway A2 crosses the eldership

• Landscape near Bajorai