Demographical changes in Visaginas town and some of their causes

Vienos didžiausių pasaulyje Ignalinos atominės jėgainės saugos arealas apima 18 Europos valstybių teritorijas, tad suprantama, kad ties ja telkiasi tarptautiniai politiniai ir ekonominiai interesai. Daugiatautis Visaginas, kuriame gyvena kone visi jėgainės darbuotojai, taip pat sulaukia ir tarptautinio, ir mūsų valstybės dėmesio: neaiški jėgainės ateitis daro neaiškias ir miesto perspektyvas. Didėjantis išvykstančių ir mažėjantis atvykstančių žmonių srautas dvelkia demografine krize. Etniniai ir kultūriniai savitumai trukdo daliai miesto gyventojų integruotis į Lietuvos valstybės gyvenimą.Visaginas town was built near the Ignalina nuclear power plant, one of the biggest nuclear power plants in the world. As the safety area relates to the territories of 18 European countries with 14 capitals and 12 cities with population more than 1 million each, it is clear therefore, that the Ignalina nuclear power plant attracts some of international political and economical interests. Political movements oriented against the Ignalina nuclear power plant, which is serviced by Visaginas town, take place in 7 European countries. During the last 10 years 99.5–99.9 percents of the Ignalina nuclear power plant staff live in Visaginas. Therefore not only the Ignalina nuclear Power Plant, but also Visaginas, is far from lack of attention, as inside our country, as internationally. During 1997–2000 2095 people left Visaginas, and, by preliminary calculations, most of them left Lithuania too. During the last two years the number of people who wanted to leave Visaginas temporarily for foreign countries increased nearly by hundred percent: in 1999 – 242 people, in 2000 – 483 people. The sociological research carried out in spring 1999 shows that after the closure of the Ignalina nuclear power plant even 26 percent of the inhabitants will leave Visaginas and emigrate. Vague future of the Ignalina nuclear power plant makes the future of Visaginas unclear, therefore some of inhabitants re-emigrate to the East or go to the European countries