Visaginas is the youngest town in Lithuania, situated by the pine forests on the shore of a beautiful Visaginas lake. Visaginas town was planned by the “8 minute principle”, i.e. the very heart of the town - the square by the catholic church can be reached from any place in the town in 8 – 10 minutes.
The architecture of the town is well-balanced, multi-storey houses form beautiful harmony with verdure that is adorned with well-maintained city flower gardens. Living houses in the town form peculiar closed courtyards protected against draughts and traffic noise. City pedestrians‘ streets lead to the recreation zone – park and Visaginas lake, where a beach with pontoon bridge, children’s and sports grounds are installed. Visaginas lake is decorated with small islands, which can be reached by a boat or pedalo rented. The pontoon bridge is the adornment of the beach. A little bit further there is a stadium, in which a festival famous in Europe - “Visaginas country” is organised in the middle of August, every year.
Next to the stadium - there is an Acrobatic sports school, the only school of this type in Lithuania, graduates of which make Lithuania famous all over the world.
Within the zone of 10 km radius Visaginas boasts about 110 lakes of various sizes fitted with recreation facilities on their picturesque shores.
History
In the distant past, the surroundings of Visaginas were once inhabited by the Seliai tribe. Historical annals first mention the location in 1526, when it was presented by the nobleman Vaitiekus Gostautas to the Naujasis (New) Daugeliskis parish. In the 14th-19th centuries the region was invaded by Crusaders and Swedish, Russian and French troops.
The settlement was founded in 1975. In 1977 it was granted the status of a town, and received city rights in 1994. It is governed by a town council, which elects the mayor. In 1996, the city's coat of arms was confirmed by a decree of the President of the Republic.
The settlement was developed in complexes, with construction designed to create an infrastructure for the cultural and everyday life of the residents. All effort was made to preserve the natural surroundings as much as possible.
