Viešvilės valsčiaus teritorijos ir gyventojų raida

LTŠio straipsnio tikslas – atskleisti Viešvilės valsčiaus teritorijos gyventojų ir gyvenviečių raidos ypatybes. Taikant anksčiau skelbtos literatūros ir statistinių duomenų analizės bei sintezės metodus, siekta pateikti apibendrintą šio Mažosios Lietuvos pakraščio teritorijos istorinės raidos vaizdą per gyventojų ir gyvenviečių tinklo kaitos prizmę, jai įtakos turėjusius veiksnius. Ypatingas dėmesys taip pat skirtas valsčiaus teritorijos ir administracinės priklausomybės, gyventojų tautinės sudėties kaitai. [Iš straipsnio, p. 2301]

ENThe aim of this article is to reveal the peculiarities of the development of the population and settlements within the territory of Viešvilė Valsčius (Rural District). Using methods of analysis and synthesis of previously published literature and statistics, an attempt is made to present a generalised picture of the historical development of this periphery of Lithuania Minor through the prism of the change of population and settlement network and the factors influencing it. Special attention is also paid to the change of the territory and administrative dependence of the district and ethnic composition of the population. Precise data on the settlements and inhabitants of Viešvilė and its surroundings and their composition are almost non-existent in written sources until the middle of the 19th century. This topic has not been researched on special system basis before; there was no general picture and assessment of the situation. The analysis and generalization of the collected material allowed to draw several conclusions. From ancient times to the present day, there were few inhabitants and settlements in Viešvilė area, the area is forested, there is little good arable land, it was mainly concentrated along the Nemunas, the town was in a peripheral geographical position, therefore the country was always sparsely populated. This is probably the most important feature of this region of Lithuania Minor, which has not changed for centuries and determined the development of settlements and inhabitants of Viešvilė district. The peripheral geographical location of Viešvilė is now one of the most important factors determining the tendency of population decline and settlement wane.A favourable factor for the development of the territory was the Nemunas River, which promoted the development of transport and communication, trade, and the use of forest resources. This promoted the growth of manors, settlements and population. The development of Viešvilė and other settlements was hindered by various disasters (plague, wars and fires) and the competition of other larger settlements, nevertheless both the town and the whole country recovered quickly. The change in the administrative dependence and status of the territory of Viešvilė district also had an impact on the development of Viešvilė and the territory administered by it. The importance of Viešvilė in particular began to grow in the second half of the 19th century, when it became the centre of the rural district Valsčius. The ethnic composition of the population has changed twice: colonisation and Germanisation, which began after the plague in the 18th century, and voluntary assimilation, eventually turned the inhabited area of the Baltic population into a German-inhabited area, where Lithuanians formed a minority, and after the World War II, the almost completely emptied territory was inhabited by Lithuanians. Despite the accelerating depopulation, the Viešvilė eldership becoming a sparsely populated area and some of the undesirable tendencies of the social and economic condition, Viešvilė, located in a beautiful natural, increasingly managed, peaceful and cosy living environment, does not use the resort potential suitable for a quiet life and rest. This is the perspective of this region, the development of which would create preconditions for the recovery of settlements and stabilisation of the population. Keywords: Klaipėda Region, Viešvilė Valsčius, population, settlement network, ethnic composition. [From the publication p. 2738]

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