Along withVilnius region, a large part of Varėna District Municipality was on the Polish side of not-mutually recognized border during the interwar period. This was mainly due to the strategicWarsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway. Unlike in neighboring regions, where the number of Poles is high, the territories now comprising the municipality always had a Lithuanian majority. TheVarėna District, as it was then called, was formed during the Soviet Union, with the small town ofVarėna chosen as the capital. Varėna was chosen over the then much largerSenoji Varėna (literally "Old Varėna") as the capital, due to its proximity to a railroad. It only became the center of region in the 1970s when it underwent industrialization under Soviet leadership. During a municipality reform the territory was renamed to Varėna District Municipality and the westernmost parts of it ceded toDruskininkai Municipality.
The district is in the Nemunas Basin. The Nemunas itself passes by its western edge while theMerkys (with its tributariesŪla,Grūda,Varėnė) is the main watercourse. There is the largest march in Lithuania theČepkeliai March which is declared as a strict natural reserve. There are more than 100 lakes. Most of them are small, endorhetic, while some, likeIlgis,Nedingis,Lavysas,Glėbas, are larger.
68.9% of the district's territory is occupied by forests, mostly, by theDainava Forest (ancient Hrodna Wood), the largest in the country. There are circa 40 nature monuments - old pine trees used for beekeeping, some outcrops, unique geological landforms.
The main part of the district is in theDainava Plain. North-western side is covered by theDzūkian Highland, while eastern side is in theEišiškės Plateau where is the highest point of Varėna District Municipality - the Riliškiai Hill (193 m).[3]
Tourism is on rise, asDzūkija National Park is located in the region. Also, forestry, construction materials, textile, food (milk) industry is being developed.[3]
Varėna district municipality council currently has 25 seats. The last elections took place in December 2002, and the term limit is 4 years. The results of the 2002 elections:
^"Population by locality".2011 Population and Housing Census. Statistics Lithuania. Archived fromthe original(XLS) on 22 September 2013. Retrieved10 September 2013.ward (seniūnija)
Lithuania
