It was established in place of four villages that were demolished, the largest of which was known as Visaginas. The new town was named after Antanas Sniečkus, a former first secretary of the Lithuanian Communist Party, and was granted the status of an urban-type settlement. Following the restoration of independence, the city was renamed to Visaginas in 1992 and received municipal rights in 1995.[2][3] It is governed by a town council, which elects the mayor.