Vilnietė chose Ignalina after studying towns and election results

Vilnius resident and art historian Beatričė Vanagaitė chose the town of Ignalina as her new home after comparing several towns and even analysing how local residents had voted in elections, LRT reported.

Vanagaitė said she had reached a point in her life when she wanted to make a change and try a different experience. After living in Vilnius, where she was born and raised, she now works as a cultural projects manager at the local library in Ignalina.

“Life in the capital follows one rhythm, while life in a small town is completely different,” Vanagaitė said.

She said her busy life in Vilnius had left her exhausted. Although she described the capital as a city of great opportunities, she felt she was constantly caught up in activities and had little time for reflection.

“In Vilnius, you constantly have to react to something and do not really have time to reflect. Here, you have more time to turn towards yourself and your surroundings,” she said.

Vanagaitė initially made a list of towns and planned to “try them on” before deciding where to move. She knew she wanted to live in eastern Lithuania, partly because her family had a homestead nearby.

Her list included Ignalina, Zarasai, Švenčionėliai and Švenčionys. She visited all of the towns without preconceived ideas, trying to understand how each one felt to her.

Vanagaitė said she did not choose Ignalina because it was perfectly maintained. She noticed the town’s shortcomings and said she did not know a single local person when she first arrived to look around.

Ignalina nevertheless gained several advantages in her assessment. She considered it the most attractive of the towns in terms of infrastructure because it has a train service, a swimming pool and a hospital.

“When you get older, you start thinking that these things are very necessary,” she said.

She also researched what she could do after moving, saying she was an active person who liked walking, taking part in activities and doing things. It was important to her that Ignalina was convenient for cyclists.

As she got to know the town, Vanagaitė concluded that it had considerable potential. She pointed to the seven lakes surrounding it and its natural environment, saying Ignalina could become an ideal town for walking because of its distances.

However, she said the town was neglected and poorly maintained in some places, where she felt as if she were in Belarus. She said this made her feel sorry for Ignalina.