The centre of the district is Šalčininkai, a town 45 km from Vilnius, with a current population of 7000. The town is located on the Šalčia River, from which it gets its name. The first mention of Šalčininkai dates back to the 13th century in historical Crusader sources, where the place is called ‘Salsininken’ or ‘Saletzniken’. From the 14th century, the settlement belonged to the Glebavičiai family, later it was ruled by the noblemen Chodkevičius, and in 1823, Šalčininkai was bought by the Vagner family, who managed the area until the Second World War.
The main square of the town is decorated with a monument to the poet Adam Mickiewicz. It was created by Bronius Vyšniauskas. The monument was erected in 1998 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the poet’s birth. In December 1998, the monument was unveiled at the Municipal Square. The one-and-a-half metre high bronze sculpture stands on a white pedestal symbolising a rainbow. It is inscribed with the last line of Mickiewicz’s ballad “Romantika” (“Romantyczność”) in Lithuanian and Polish: “Miej serce i patrzaj w serce / Look with your heart into your heart”.
