# Birštonas

> city in Lithuania

**Wikidata**: [Q185555](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q185555)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birštonas)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/birstonas

## Summary
Birštonas is a city in Lithuania that serves as the administrative capital of Birštonas Municipality. Founded in 1382, it covers an area of 13 square kilometers and had a population of 3,094 residents as of January 1, 2023. Located at coordinates 54.6°N, 24.033°E, the city sits at an elevation of 62 to 79 meters above sea level.

## Key Facts
- **Official Name**: Birštonas
- **Country**: Lithuania
- **Classification**: City (large human settlement)
- **Inception/Earliest Written Record**: 1382
- **Area**: 13 square kilometers
- **Coordinates**: 54.6°N latitude, 24.033°E longitude
- **Elevation**: 62-79 meters above sea level
- **Postal Code**: LT-59009
- **Official Website**: https://birstonas.lt
- **Administrative Role**: Capital of Birštonas Municipality
- **Population (2023)**: 3,094 residents (demographic balance method)
- **Twin Cities**: Keila, Leck, Żnin, Sigulda, Sysmä, Bykle Municipality, Neringa, Mena, Chiatura
- **Wikipedia Coverage**: Available in 39 languages

## FAQs

**What is the population of Birštonas?**
Birštonas had 3,094 residents as of January 1, 2023, according to demographic balance methodology. The population has fluctuated significantly over time, ranging from a low of 234 residents in 1862 to a high of 4,142 residents recorded in the 1989 census.

**Where is Birštonas located administratively?**
Birštonas has been located in Birštonas Municipality since June 22, 1966, and serves as its capital. Prior to that date, from June 20, 1950, it was part of Prienai District Municipality.

**What encyclopedic sources document Birštonas?**
The city is documented in multiple authoritative sources including the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (both full and small editions), the Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron, the Geographical Statistical Dictionary of the Russian Empire, and the Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia) with contributions from scholars Vidmantas Daugirdas, Algimantas Miškinis, and Jūratė Tutlytė.

**What international partnerships does Birštonas maintain?**
Birštonas is twinned with nine administrative bodies across Europe: Keila (Estonia), Leck (Germany), Żnin (Poland), Sigulda (Latvia), Sysmä (Finland), Bykle Municipality (Norway), Neringa (Lithuania), Mena (Ukraine), and Chiatura (Georgia).

## Why It Matters
Birštonas represents a historically significant Lithuanian urban center with over six centuries of documented existence since 1382. As the administrative capital of Birštonas Municipality, it plays a central governance role in the region. The city maintains an active international profile through nine sister city relationships spanning from the Baltic region to the Caucasus, demonstrating its commitment to cross-border municipal cooperation. Its comprehensive documentation across major encyclopedic works and presence in 39 language editions of Wikipedia underscores its cultural and geographical significance.

## Notable For
- **Historical Continuity**: One of the older continuously documented Lithuanian settlements with records dating to 1382
- **Administrative Independence**: Serves as the capital of its own municipality, distinguishing it from smaller settlements
- **Extensive International Network**: Maintains twinning relationships with nine foreign municipalities across Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe
- **Multilingual Documentation**: Wikipedia presence in 39 languages including Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Hebrew
- **Academic Recognition**: Documented in multiple prestigious reference works including Brockhaus and Efron encyclopedias
- **Geographic Database Coverage**: Indexed in Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names, GeoNames, and Great Russian Encyclopedia Online

## Body

### Geography and Location
Birštonas occupies a land area of 13 square kilometers in Lithuania. The city is positioned at geographic coordinates 54.6 degrees north latitude and 24.033 degrees east longitude. Elevation measurements vary between 62 and 79 meters above sea level according to different reference sources. The city falls within the LT-59009 postal code area.

### Historical Development
The city's documented history begins in 1382, which serves as both its inception date and the time of earliest written record. Administrative boundaries have shifted over time: Birštonas was part of Prienai District Municipality from June 20, 1950, until June 22, 1966, when it became part of Birštonas Municipality, where it currently remains as the administrative center.

### Demographic Trends
Population data reveals significant fluctuations across nearly two centuries of record-keeping:

**19th Century**: 234 residents (1862)

**Mid-20th Century Census Data**:
- 1,317 residents (January 15, 1959)
- 2,228 residents (January 15, 1970)

**Late 20th Century Census Data**:
- 3,366 residents (January 17, 1979)
- 4,142 residents (January 12, 1989) — historical peak
- 3,225 residents (April 6, 2001)

**21st Century Annual Statistics** (selected years via demographic balance method):
- 3,138 residents (2005)
- 2,600 residents (1976, separate record)
- 2,416 residents (January 1, 2017)
- 2,380 residents (January 1, 2018)
- 2,369 residents (January 1, 2019)
- 2,916 residents (January 1, 2020)
- 3,072 residents (January 1, 2021)
- 3,032 residents (January 1, 2022)
- 3,094 residents (January 1, 2023) — current preferred figure

### International Partnerships
Birštonas maintains formal twinning relationships with nine municipalities across Europe:
- **Keila** — Estonia
- **Leck** — Germany
- **Żnin** — Poland
- **Sigulda** — Latvia
- **Sysmä** — Finland
- **Bykle Municipality** — Norway
- **Neringa** — Lithuania (domestic partnership)
- **Mena** — Ukraine
- **Chiatura** — Georgia

### Reference Works and Documentation
The city appears in multiple authoritative encyclopedic and reference sources:
- Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
- Small Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
- Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
- Geographical Statistical Dictionary of the Russian Empire
- Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia), with entries authored by Vidmantas Daugirdas, Algimantas Miškinis, and Jūratė Tutlytė
- Great Russian Encyclopedia Online (2017 edition), entry 4113824

### Digital and Database Presence
Birštonas is indexed across numerous international knowledge systems:
- **Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names**: ID 1052797
- **GeoNames**: IDs 600444 and 600443
- **GND (German National Library)**: 4455028-5
- **VIAF (Virtual International Authority File)**: 155967793
- **Library of Congress Authority File**: n82165993
- **National Library of Israel J9U**: 987007552697105171
- **MusicBrainz Area ID**: 3afb80f1-457b-47a7-8809-01a3cc2b4ed9
- **Online PWN Encyclopedia**: 3877973
- **ArchInform Location**: 51318
- **Who's On First**: 101817923
- **Freebase**: /m/0bpsyk
- **Facebook Location**: 115774918436885
- **Yale LUX**: place/6af1a3ad-31db-46e5-9551-ae0a63758240

### Multilingual Coverage
Wikipedia articles about Birštonas exist in 39 language editions, including: Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Azerbaijani, Samogitian, Belarusian (both standard and Taraškievica orthography), Catalan, Cebuano, Czech, German, Zazaki, Greek, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Persian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Upper Sorbian, Armenian, Indonesian, Japanese, Georgian, Korean, Lithuanian, Latvian, Moksha, Dutch, Polish, Piedmontese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Swedish, Silesian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Chinese.

### Visual and Media Resources
Official imagery available includes the city's coat of arms (Birstonas_COA.svg), aerial photography (Birstonas_by_air_1rhb.jpg), and a Wikivoyage banner image. An audio pronunciation file (Birstonas.ogg) is also archived. The city maintains an official website at https://birstonas.lt and a Wikimedia Commons category hosting additional media resources.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. MusicBrainz
4. [State Data Agency of Lithuania](https://osp-rs.stat.gov.lt/rest_xml/data/S3R167_M3010210/?startPeriod=2017&endPeriod=2017)
5. [State Data Agency of Lithuania](https://osp-rs.stat.gov.lt/rest_xml/data/S3R167_M3010210/?startPeriod=2018&endPeriod=2018)
6. Resident population by city / town at the beginning of the year
7. [Source](http://pop-stat.mashke.org/lithuania-cities.htm)
8. GeoNames
9. Quora
10. [archINFORM](https://www.archinform.net/service/wd_aiort.php)