Last modified: 2003-08-16 by dov gutterman
Keywords: lithuania | subdivisions |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
See also:
Lithuania is divided in two territorial administrative levels:
the counties and the municipalities. The counties have a governor
which represent the state on a regional level. Counties are
divided in municipalities. The municipalities are units of
local-governement. These are formed with residential areas
(towns, small towns and villages). There are two sort of
municipalities: cities and districts. According to the Law on the
Lithuanian state flag (26/06/1991), article 5 says that "the
order of approval and use of historical or new sample flags of
towns [read: cities] and districts shall be established by
laws." The article 29 of the Law on local self-government
(7/7/1994)gives some clues: "The coat of arms of the
administrative centre of a municipality shall be considered the
coat of arms of the respective local authority. (...) The local
authority coat of arms shall be used on the flag of the
municipality, seals of local self-government institutions, local
authority administration, its divisions and officers, insignia of
mayors, document forms and signs. (amended 14 march 1996).So we
have here an example, the coat of arms and the flag of the town
of Prienai is at the same time the coat of arms and the flag of
the Prienai Region Municipality.
Some things are unclear in this situation. It exists some
municipalities, districts, which capital is another municipalty,
a city. That is the case of Vilnius district which capital is
Vilnius city, and also the cases of Alytus, Kaunas, Mariampole,
Panevez^ys, Siauliai.Only the case of Klaipeda is clear, because
the capital of the district of Klaipeda is Gargz^daiand not the
municipality of Klaipeda which is located in the district.
I have seen at the CEBED in Belgium two photo of flags for
Vilnius. Both were the same, except that one showed the greater
coat of arms of the city, the other the shield only. I might
think the one with the shield only is for the district and the
other one for the city. The flag of Memel/ Klaipeda we have
discussed some times ago (yellow over red
with the coat of arms on the yellow stripe) is certainly the flag
of the city of Klaipeda now.
Pascal Vagnat, 22 October 1998
Currently there are three sort of municipalities: cities,
districts and small local authorities (called
"savivaldybe" - "a self-ruling one"), because
some districts were splited to smaller municipalities. It's true
that "The coat of arms of the administrative centre of a
municipality shall be considered the coat of arms of the
respective local authority." but only if the municipality
doesn't have its own coat of arms. Currently municipalities of
Trakai and Panevezys districts have got official CoA,
different from CoA of their administrative centres. The
Marijampole district exists no more, it is divided between
Marijampole city and Kalvarija and Kazlu Ruda small local
authorities.
Virginijus Misiunas, 15 May 2001
According to the Law on the Territorial Administrative Units
of the Republic of Lithuania and their Boundaries, 19th July
1994, Nr.I-558, Vilnius; Chapter 2 - Administrative Division of
the Territory of the Republic of Lithuania; Article 5 - The
Counties of the Republic of Lithuania and their Territories,
(full text - English version: <www3.lrs.lt/24729>,
Lithuanian version <www3.lrs.lt/189153>)
there shall be the following counties in the territory of the
Republic of Lithuania:
1. Alytus county - county centre is Alytus city.
2. Kaunas county - county centre is Kaunas city.
3. Klaipeda county - county centre is Klaipeda city.
4. Marijampole county - county centre is Marijampole city.
5. Panevezys county - county centre is Panevezys city.
6. Siauliai county - county centre is Siauliai city.
7. Taurage county - county centre is Taurage city.
8. Telsiai county - county centre is Telsiai city.
9. Utena county - county centre is Utena city.
10. Vilnius County - county centre is
Vilnius city.
Territories of counties includes the municipal territories:
1. Alytus county - municipality of Alytus
City (municipality centre is Alytus city), municipality of
Alytus district (municipality centre is Alytus city),
municipality of Druskininkai city (municipality centre is
Druskininkai city), municipality of Lazdijai
District (municipality centre is Lazdijai city), municipality
of Varena District (municipality
centre is Varena city).
2. Kaunas county - municipality of Birstonas city (municipality
centre is Birstonas city), municipality of Jonava district
(municipality centre is Jonava city), municipality of Kaisiadorys
district (municipality centre is Kaisiadorys city), municipality
of Kaunas City (municipality centre
is Kaunas city), municipality of Kaunas district (municipality
centre is Kaunas city), municipality of Kedainiai district
(municipality centre is Kedainiai city), municipality of Prienai District (municipality centre is
Prienai city), municipality of Raseiniai district (municipality
centre is Raseiniai city).
3. Klaipeda county - municipality of Klaipeda district
(municipality centre is Klaipeda city), municipality of Klaipeda City (municipality centre is
Klaipeda city), municipality of Kretinga district (municipality
centre is Kretinga city), municipality of Neringa
(municipality centre is Nida city), municipality of Palanga City (municipality centre is
Palanga city), municipality of Skuodas
District (municipality centre is Skuodas city), municipality
of Silute district (municipality centre is Silute city).
4. Marijampole county - municipality of Kalvarija city
(municipality centre is Kalvarija city), municipality of Kazlu Ruda City (municipality centre is
Kazlu Ruda city), municipality of Marijampole
City (municipality centre is Marijampole city), municipality
of Sakiai district (municipality centre is Sakiai city),
municipality of Vilkaviskis district (municipality centre is
Vilkaviskis city).
5. Panevezys county - municipality of Birzai district
(municipality centre is Birzai city), municipality of Kupiskis
district (municipality centre is Kupiskis city), municipality of Panevezys City (municipality centre is
Panevezys city), municipality of Panevezys
District (municipality centre is Panevezys city),
municipality of Pasvalys district (municipality centre is
Pasvalys city), municipality of Rokiskis district (municipality
centre is Rokiskis city).
6. Siauliai county - municipality of Joniskis district
(municipality centre is Joniskis city), municipality of Kelme
district (municipality centre is Kelme city), municipality of
Pakruojis district (municipality centre is Pakruojis city),
municipality of Akmene district (municipality centre is Naujoji
Akmene city), municipality of Radviliskis district (municipality
centre is Radviliskis city), municipality of Siauliai City (municipality centre is
Siauliai city), municipality of Siauliai
District (municipality centre is Siauliai city).
7. Taurage county - Jurbarkas district (municipality centre is
Jurbarkas city), Pagegiai city (municipality centre is Pagegiai
city), Silale district (municipality centre is Silale city),
Taurage district (municipality centre is Taurage city).
8. Telsiai county - municipality of Mazeikiai district
(municipality centre is Mazeikiai city), municipality of Plunge
district (municipality centre is Plunge city), municipality of
Rietavas city (municipality centre is Rietavas city),
municipality of Telsiai district (municipality centre is Telsiai
city).
9. Utena county - municipality of Anyksciai district
(municipality centre is Anyksciai city), municipality of Ignalina District (municipality centre
is Ignalina city), municipality of Moletai district (municipality
centre is Moletai city), municipality of Utena district
(municipality centre is Utena city), municipality of Visaginas City (municipality centre is
Visaginas city), municipality of Zarasai district (municipality
centre is Zarasai city).
10. Vilnius County - municipality of Elektrenai City (municipality centre is
Elektrenai city), municipality of Salcininkai district
(municipality centre is Salcininkai city), municipality of
Sirvintos district (municipality centre is Sirvintos city),
municipality of Svencionys district (municipality centre is
Svenconys city), municipality of Trakai District (municipality
centre is Trakai city), municipality of Ukmerge district
(municipality centre is Ukmerge city), municipality of Vilnius City (municipality centre is
Vilnius city), municipality of Vilnius
District (municipality centre is Vilnius city).
Audrius, 27 December 2002
Counties:
Municipalities:
I located a lot of LT small images - CoA's ,banners (?) and
more at <http://www.litva.lt/o_litve/gerb/gerb.php>.
Dov Gutterman, 12 September 1999 and Audrius
Slapsinskas, 24 June 2003
In fact, there are only CoA's of communes of Lithuania. What
look like "banners" in this site are in fact CoA's with
a shield dating back to the USSR period. The Lithuanian
Presidential commission have suppressed those shields and
replaced them with more "round" shields. The only flag
present here is the Lithuanian flag. There are flags for the
communes and certainly for districts, as the law allows this.
Pascal Vagnat, 13 September 1999
Pascal Vagnat reports in the German vexillology list
about two volumes of "The Heraldry of Lithuania",
published by Baltos Lankos. The first volume appeared
recently and showed mostly municipal arms, but also some
districts' arms, the State arms, the State flag and the
Presidential flag with many explanations about them. All
illustrations in colour, texts in Lithuanian and English. Volume
two is scheduled for next year, with more municipal arms and also
municipal flags.
I found the book mentioned in the Heraldica website: <www.heraldica.org>
as Edmundas Rimsa, The Heraldry of Lithuania I, Vilnius 1998.
Also in this website about Baltos Lankos publishers: <www.melina-verlag.de>.
The book has 192 pages, hardbound, ISBN 3-929255-54-5, price DM40
(approx. $18). Elsewhere I found that the book was published by
the Lithuanian Presidential Commission on Heraldry.
Santiago Dotor, 8 June 2001