Cathedral of Šiauliai, 19th centuryVilnius Street in ŠiauliaiChaimas Frenkelis Villa
The city was first mentioned in written sources asSoule inLivonian Order chronicles describing theBattle of Saule.[4] Thus the city's founding date is now considered to be 22 September 1236, the same date when the battle took place, not far from Šiauliai.[4] At first, it developed as a defence post against the raids by theTeutonic andLivonian Orders. After theBattle of Grunwald in 1410, the raids stopped and Šiauliai started to develop as an agricultural settlement. In 1445, a wooden church was built. It was replaced in 1625 with the brick church, which can be seen in the city center today.[6]
Šiauliai was grantedMagdeburg city rights in the 16th century when it also became an administrative centre of the area.[7] However, in the 16th to 18th centuries, the city was devastated byThe Deluge and epidemics of theBubonic plague.[6][7]
The credit for the city's rebirth goes toAntoni Tyzenhaus (1733–1785) who, after a violent revolt of peasants of the Crown properties in Northern Lithuania (so-called in Polish: Powstanie Szawelskie, 1769), started the radical economic and urban reforms.[8][9][7] He decided to rebuild the city according to theClassicism ideas; at first, houses were built randomly in a radial shape, but Tyzenhaus decided to build the city in an orderly rectangular grid. Šiauliai grew to become a well-developed city, with several prominent brick buildings.[citation needed] In 1791,Stanisław August Poniatowski, king of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, confirmed once again Šiauliai's city rights and granted it acoat of arms which depicted a bear, the symbol ofSamogitia, theEye of Providence, and a red bull, the symbol of the Poniatowski family. The modern coat of arms has been modelled after this version.
After thePartitions of Poland, Šiauliai received a new coat of arms. The city grew and became an important educational and cultural centre. Also, infrastructure was rapidly developing; in 1836–1858, a road connectingRiga andTilsit was built, while in 1871, arailroad connecting Liepāja with Romny was built.[10] Šiauliai, being on the crossroad of important merchant routes, started to develop as an industrial town. Already in 1897, it was the third-largest city in Lithuania, with a population of about 16,000. The demographics changed also; 56.4% of the inhabitants were Jewish in 1909. Šiauliai was known for its leather industry. Chaim Frenkel owned the biggest leather factory in theRussian Empire.
During World War I, about 85% of the buildings were burned down and the city centre was destroyed.[6] After the war and re-establishment of Lithuania, the importance of Šiauliai grew. BeforeKlaipėda was attached to Lithuania, the city was second after Kaunas bypopulation size. By 1929, the city centre was rebuilt. Modern utilities were also included; streets were lit and there was public transportation, telephone and telegraph lines, awater supply network and asewer.
The first years of independence were difficult because the industrial city lost its markets in Russia. It needed to find new clients in Western Europe. In 1932, a railroad to Klaipėda was built and it connected the city to the Western markets. In 1938, the city produced about 85% of Lithuania's leather, 60% of footwear, 75% offlax fibre, and 35% of candies. Culture also flourished as many new periodicals were printed, new schools and universities opened, a library, theatre, museum, and conventional school opened.
In 1939, one-fifth of the city's population was Jewish.[11]German soldiers entered Šiauliai on June 26, 1941. The first mass murder of Šiauliai Jews was perpetrated in the Kužiai forest, about 12 kilometres outside Šiauliai, on June 29, 1941. According to one of the Jewish survivors of Šiauliai,Nesse Godin, some 700 people were shot in nearby woods during the first weeks of occupation after having been forced to dig their own graves. Beginning on July 29, 1941, and continuing throughout the summer, the Germans murdered about 8,000 Jews from Šiauliai and the Šiauliai region in the Kužiai forest. One hundred twenty-five Jews fromLinkuva were also murdered there, along with ethnic Lithuanian and Russian members of the Communist Party and the Communist Youth.[12]
TheŠiauliai Ghetto was established in July 1941. There were twoJewish ghetto areas in Šiauliai, one in the Kaukas suburb, and one in Trakų. During World War II, the Jewish population was reduced from 8,000 to 500. Approximately 80% of the buildings were destroyed.[13][14]
The Mayor of Šiauliai, officially the Mayor of the municipality of the city of Šiauliai (Lithuanian: "Šiaulių miesto savivaldybės meras"),[15] is the head of the Lithuanian municipality of the city of Šiauliai. The current incumbent isArtūras Visockas,[16] who has been mayor since 2015.[17][18][19]
Šiauliai is located in the eastern part of the northern plateau, Mūša, Dubysa, andVenta River divide. There is a distance of 210 kilometres (130 miles) to get to Vilnius, 142 km (88 mi) to Kaunas, 161 km (100 mi) to Klaipėda, 128 km (80 mi) to Riga, and 250 km (155 mi) to Kaliningrad. The totalcity area is 81.13 square kilometres (31.32 sq mi), with the green areas making up 18.87 square kilometres (7.29 sq mi) and water covering 12.78 square kilometres (4.93 sq mi). Urban land outside the perimeter of the administrative 70,317 kilometres (43,693 miles).
Altitude: Lake Rėkyvos water level – 129.8 m (425.85 ft)above sea level, Talsos lake level – 103.0 m (337.93 ft) in the city center – 128.4 m (421.26 ft), Salduvės Hill – 149.7 m (491.14 ft) above sea level.
In 1795, there were 3,700 people living in Šiauliai, rising to 16,128 by 1897, when it was the third-most populous city in Lithuania afterKaunas.[6] The Jewish population of Šiauliai rose steadily through the second half of the nineteenth century, from 2,565 in 1847 to around 7,000 by the century's end.[24] By the outbreak ofWorld War I, 12,000 of the town's inhabitants were Jews, making Šiauliai majority Jewish.[24] A battlefield during World War I, Šiauliai saw thousands of its Jewish citizens flee, never to return.[24] In 1923, Šiauliai population's was third to that of Kaunas and Klaipėda.
According to the 2021 census, the city population was 100,653 people, of which:[25]
Beginning in the 19th century, Šiauliai became an industrial centre. During the Russian Empire period, the city had the largest leather factory in the whole empire, owned by Chaim Frenkel. Šiauliai contributed to around 85% of all leather production in Lithuania, 60% of the footwear industry, 75% of the flax fibre industry, and 35% of the sweets industry.[citation needed]
During the Soviet years, the city produced electronics (Nuklonas), mechanical engineering,wood processing, construction industry. Most of the industrial enterprises were concentrated in urban areas.
In 2020, construction of Europe's largest aircraft maintenance and repair centre began on the territory ofŠiauliai International Airport. The related company repairsAirbus A320,Boeing 737 Classic, andBoeing 737 Next Generation aircraft and also provides aircraft administration and parking services. It is planned that the centre will create 1000 new jobs.[27]
1898 - Girls' Gymnasium (now Didždvaris Gymnasium) was opened
1920 - Jewish Gymnasium was opened
1920 - Šiauliai Teachers seminary was founded
1928 - Primary education became compulsory
1930 - Vincas Kudirka primary school was opened
1939 - The Institute of trade was moved from Klaipėda, it was the first Higher Education school in Šiauliai
1948 - Šiauliai Teachers Institute was founded. In 1954, it became the Pedagogical Institute, and since 1996, when the Šiauliai faculty ofKaunas Polytechnic Institute was connected, it isŠiauliai University. In 2021, Šiauliai University was reorganised to Vilnius University Šiauliai Academy.
Students in the city (in 2006):
In Šiauliai University – 10,440
In Šiauliai College – 2,770
In Northern Lithuania College – 700
In Šiauliai region College of Management and Languages – 517
There are 8 gymnasiums, 7 high schools, 16 secondary schools, 7 primary schools, 9 children's non-formal education schools, and 29 kindergartens.[28] 21,000 students studied in general education schools in 2006.
The city park to the creation of Anton Tyzenhaus essentially graduated Vladimir Zubov. The 19th-century park was of a rectangular shape and was similar to English-style freely designed parks. For a small fee, citizens were allowed to walk in the park. In 1931, the Park and Alley chestnut was officially donated to the Šiauliai city municipality.[citation needed]
Šiauliai has 16 parks, covering an area of 1,177 hectares. Didždvario province and Rėkyvos parks add to the cultural values of the registry.
Šiauliai has always been a major intersection. The famous Saulės battle took place near atrade route from Riga to Bubiai and Tauragė. Between 1836 and 1858, the Riga–Tilsit (Sovetsk) highway was built near it.[citation needed] Around 1912, the first cars appeared on the city's streets.[citation needed]
In 2006, Šiauliai had 297 km (185 mi) of roads, of which 32% had a gravel surface. The longest streets are Tilžės street – 9.72 km (6.04 mi) and Vilnius street – 5.67 km (3.52 mi) with 1.28 km (0.80 mi) of it being a pedestrian boulevard.
In 1871, the Liepaja-Romny railway was built. The Tilžė–Riga and Šiauliai–Klaipeda railways were built in 1916 and 1931, respectively. The city has a railway station.
The first passenger transport company in Šiauliai was founded in 1940.[citation needed] It was Autotrestas, which had 29 buses. In 1944, a motor firm replaced Autotrestas. In 1947, the first taxi company, Šiauliai cars, appeared. Subsequently, to meet the needs of an increasing population, more buses and Taksomotorų Autoūkis were added in 1955. In 2006, a modern bus station with a trade centre was constructed. The city has 27 city routes, the maximum number is 29.
Šiauliai of communication in 1897 could be used not only for mail or telegraph, and telephone. Telephone subscribers in 1923 was 170, while in 1937 – 700 rooms. 1936; the city to install a phone machine.[citation needed]
1957, atelevision tower, which are equipped with radio and antenna lines. In 1995 launched the construction of cable television lines, 1998 started to install thecable internet, since 2003 – Optical Internet line. In 2008, the city has 14 post offices (central LT-76001).
The most popular sports in the city are rugby, basketball, football, athletics, and cycling. The local rugby clubs Vairas and Baltrex are multi-time Lithuanian champions and are the main academies of Lithuanian rugby players.
View of ŠiauliaiŠiauliai Cockerel Love Clock is a popular meeting and dating place
According to thepopulation census of 2001, ethnic Lithuanians comprise 93%, Russians – 5%, and the remaining 2% consist of Ukrainians, Belarusians, Jews, Roma, Latvians, Armenians, and otherethnic groups. About 94% of the city's population consider Lithuanian theirnative language, 5% are Russian speakers and the remainder speak Ukrainian, Belarusian, Latvian, Roma, Armenian etc. About 80% of those older than 20 have a command of the Russian language, while only 17% can speak English and 7% – German.[33]
Dovilė Dzindzaletaitė, athlete triple jumper, Lithuanian national record holder and former European Under-23 Champion, World Junior silver medalist, wife of British former World Indoor 60 metres championRichard Kilty.
^abc"Šiaulių istorija".Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). RetrievedMarch 26, 2023.
^Petrauskas, R (2016).Galia ir tradicija. Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės giminių istorijos. Vilnius: Baltų lankų leidyba. pp. 206–208.
^Merkys, Vytautas (1985–1988). "Tyzenhauzas, Antanas". In Jonas Zinkus; et al. (eds.).Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija. Vol. 4. Vilnius, Lithuania: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. p. 324.LCCN86232954.(in Lithuanian)
^Levin, Dov (2008). "Šiauliai".Encyclopaedia Judaica. The Gale Group.
^Bubnys, A (2002).The Fate of Jews in Šiauliai and Šiauliai Region" – The Šiauliai Ghetto: Lists of Prisoners 1942. Vilnius.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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