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Šiauliai

Šiauliai (/ʃˈl/; Lithuanian: [ɕɛʊ̯ˈlʲɛɪ̯ˑ] (listen); Samogitian: Šiaulē) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 99,462 in 2022. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.

Šiauliai
City municipality
Nickname: 
Saulės miestas (The City of the Sun)
Šiauliai
Location of Šiauliai in Lithuania
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (Europe)
Coordinates: 55°56′N 23°19′E / 55.933°N 23.317°E / 55.933; 23.317Coordinates: 55°56′N 23°19′E / 55.933°N 23.317°E / 55.933; 23.317
CountryLithuania
Ethnographic regionSamogitia
CountyŠiauliai County
MunicipalityŠiauliai city municipality
Capital ofŠiauliai County
Šiauliai city municipality
Šiauliai district municipality
First mentioned1236
Granted city rights1589
EldershipsMedelynas eldership, Rėkyva eldership
Government
 • MayorArtūras Visockas
Area
 • City municipality81.13 km2 (31.32 sq mi)
Elevation
151 m (495 ft)
Population
 (2022[2])
 • City municipality99,462
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
 • Metro
140,379[1]
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
76xxx
Area code(+370) 41
ClimateDfb
Websitewww.siauliai.lt

Names

Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different languages: Samogitian Šiaulē, Latvian Saule (historic) and Šauļi (modern), German (outdated) Schaulen, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯lən] ( listen), Polish Szawle, Russian Шавли (Shavli – historic) and Шяуля́й (Shyaulyai – modern), Yiddish שאַװל (Shavel).

History

 
Šiauliai church, 19th century
 
Pedestrian boulevard at night
 
Venclauskai Palace

The city was first mentioned in written sources as Soule in Livonian Order chronicles describing the Battle of Saule. 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. At first, it developed as a defence post against the raids by the Teutonic and Livonian Orders. After the Battle 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.[3]

Šiauliai was granted Magdeburg city rights in the 16th century when it also became an administrative centre of the area. However, in the 16th to 18th centuries the city was devastated by The Deluge and epidemics of the Bubonic plague.[3]

 
Former Šiauliai Jewish school

The credit for the city's rebirth goes to Antoni 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.[4][5] He decided to rebuild the city according to the Classicism 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 the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, confirmed once again that Šiauliai's city rights and granted it a coat of arms which depicted a bear, the symbol of Samogitia, the Eye of Providence, and a red bull, the symbol of the Poniatowski family. The modern coat of arms has been modelled after this version.

After the Partitions 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 connecting Riga and Tilsit was built, in 1871 a railroad connecting Liepāja with Romny was built.[6] Šiauliai, being in a 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 the Russian Empire.

World War I and independent Lithuania

 
Šiauliai after the First World War

During World War I, about 85% of the buildings were burned down and the city centre was destroyed.[3] After the war and re-establishment of Lithuania, the importance of Šiauliai grew. Before Klaipėda was attached to Lithuania, the city was second after Kaunas by population size. By 1929 the city centre was rebuilt. Modern utilities were also included: streets were lighted, they had public transportation, telephone and telegraph lines, water supply network and sewer.

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% of flax fibre, 35% of candies. Culture also flourished as many new periodicals were printed, new schools and universities opened, a library, theatre, museum, and normal school were opened.

World War II

In 1939, one-fifth of the city's population was Jewish.[7] 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 from Linkuva were also murdered there, along with ethnic Lithuanian and Russian members of the Communist Party and the Communist Youth.[8]

The Šiauliai Ghetto was established in July 1941. There were two Jewish 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.[9][10]

Soviet era

 
Šiauliai on January 13, 1991, after the Soviet Army killed peaceful Lithuanians following Lithuania's declaration of independence (March 11, 1990)

The city was largely rebuilt anew in a typical Soviet fashion during the years of subsequent Soviet occupation.

Mayors

  • 1990–1991 – Kazimieras Šavinis
  • 1991–1995 – Arvydas Salda
  • 1995–2000 – Alfredas Lankauskas
  • 2000–2002 Vida Stasiūnaitė
  • 2002–2003 – Vaclovas Volkovas
  • 2003–2007 – Vytautas Juškus
  • 2007–2011 – Genadijus Mikšys
  • 2011–2015 – Justinas Sartauskas
  • 2015–present – Artūras Visockas

Geography

Šiauliai located in eastern part of the northern plateau, Mūša, Dubysa and Venta River divide. Distance of 210 kilometres (130 miles) to Vilnius, Kaunas – 142 km (88 mi), Klaipėda – 161 km (100 mi), Riga – 128 km (80 mi), Kaliningrad – 250 km (155 mi). The total city area 81.13 square kilometres (31.32 sq mi), from the green areas 18.87 square kilometres (7.29 sq mi), water – 12.78 square kilometres (4.93 sq mi). Urban land outside perimeter of the administrative 70,317 kilometres (43,693 miles).

Altitude: Rėkyvos the lake 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.

Water

The total water area – 1,280 ha, 15.7% in urban areas.

  • Šiauliai Lakes
    • Rėkyva Lake, 1,179 ha
    • Talkša Lake, 56.2 ha
    • Ginkūnai Lake, 16.6 ha
  • Rivers
    • Kulpė
    • Rūdė
    • Vijolė
    • Švedė
    • Šimša
    • Tilžė
    • Šventupis

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, Šiauliai has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb). The average temperature in January; −3 °C (27 °F) in July; +18 °C (64 °F). The amount of precipitation in a year – 620 mm (24.4 in).

In 1942, the city recorded the lowest Lithuania year mean temperature (+3.6 °C).

Climate data for Šiauliai (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1937-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.5
(50.9)
13.3
(55.9)
21.0
(69.8)
26.6
(79.9)
30.4
(86.7)
32.1
(89.8)
35.0
(95.0)
35.7
(96.3)
30.1
(86.2)
23.3
(73.9)
16.9
(62.4)
13.4
(56.1)
35.7
(96.3)
Mean maximum °C (°F) 5.9
(42.6)
6.2
(43.2)
12.9
(55.2)
21.9
(71.4)
26.3
(79.3)
28.2
(82.8)
30.2
(86.4)
29.6
(85.3)
24.1
(75.4)
17.7
(63.9)
10.9
(51.6)
6.6
(43.9)
31.4
(88.5)
Average high °C (°F) −0.4
(31.3)
−0.1
(31.8)
4.7
(40.5)
12.4
(54.3)
17.9
(64.2)
21.2
(70.2)
23.6
(74.5)
22.9
(73.2)
17.3
(63.1)
10.7
(51.3)
4.5
(40.1)
0.8
(33.4)
11.4
(52.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −2.5
(27.5)
−2.9
(26.8)
1.1
(34.0)
7.4
(45.3)
12.4
(54.3)
16.0
(60.8)
18.5
(65.3)
17.9
(64.2)
13.0
(55.4)
7.6
(45.7)
2.4
(36.3)
−1.2
(29.8)
7.6
(45.7)
Average low °C (°F) −4.9
(23.2)
−5.7
(21.7)
−2.5
(27.5)
2.3
(36.1)
6.8
(44.2)
10.8
(51.4)
13.4
(56.1)
12.8
(55.0)
8.7
(47.7)
4.3
(39.7)
0.4
(32.7)
−3.2
(26.2)
3.6
(38.5)
Mean minimum °C (°F) −17.3
(0.9)
−17.2
(1.0)
−11.0
(12.2)
−3.7
(25.3)
0.1
(32.2)
4.9
(40.8)
8.5
(47.3)
7.2
(45.0)
1.6
(34.9)
−3.0
(26.6)
−7.2
(19.0)
−12.7
(9.1)
−21.3
(−6.3)
Record low °C (°F) −36.0
(−32.8)
−36.4
(−33.5)
−27.0
(−16.6)
−13.2
(8.2)
−3.5
(25.7)
0.1
(32.2)
5.2
(41.4)
2.1
(35.8)
−5.7
(21.7)
−8.5
(16.7)
−19.3
(−2.7)
−31.1
(−24.0)
−36.4
(−33.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 44.2
(1.74)
35.1
(1.38)
36.3
(1.43)
33.4
(1.31)
54.4
(2.14)
71.0
(2.80)
77.5
(3.05)
68.8
(2.71)
53.8
(2.12)
71.9
(2.83)
52.3
(2.06)
45.4
(1.79)
642.7
(25.30)
Average precipitation days 11.32 9.86 9.45 7.12 8.65 10.04 10.12 10.36 9.07 12.17 11.25 11.91 121.50
Average relative humidity (%) 88 85 78 67 68 70 73 75 81 85 91 90 79
Average dew point °C (°F) −6
(21)
−6
(21)
−3
(27)
1
(34)
7
(45)
10
(50)
14
(57)
13
(55)
10
(50)
5
(41)
2
(36)
−2
(28)
4
(39)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 37 65 125 176 263 277 261 243 166 100 42 29 1,784
Source 1: Météo Climat[11]
Source 2: NOAA (extremes and sun),[12] Time and Date (humidity and dewpoints, 2005-2015)[13]

Demographics

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 after Kaunas.[3] The Jewish population of Šiauliai rose steadily through the second half of the nineteenth century, from 2,565 in 1847 to around 7,000 at century's end.[14] By the outbreak of World War I, 12,000 of the town's inhabitants were Jews, making Šiauliai majority Jewish.[14] A battlefield during the Great War, Šiauliai saw thousands of its citizens flee, never to return.[14]

In 1923, Šiauliai population's was third to that of Kaunas and Klaipėda.

Economy

 
Shopping centre Saulės miestas

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.

According to 2005 data,[citation needed] the city has:

  • Manufacturing and service companies – 3195
  • Commercial enterprises – 781
  • Shopping centres – 30, including
    • Akropolis, opened March 2009
    • Saulės Miestas, opened March 2007
    • Bruklinas, opened November 2007
    • Tilžė, opened February 2008
    • Arena, opened November 2007

In 2020, construction of Europe's largest aircraft maintenance and repair centre will begin on the territory of Šiauliai International Airport. The related company will repair Airbus A320, Boeing 737 Classic, Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft and will also provide aircraft administration and parking services. It is planned that the centre will create 1000 new workplaces.[15]

Education

 
Didždvaris gymnasium
 
Šiauliai State College
  • 1851 Boys' Gymnasium (now Julius Janonis Gymnasium) was opened
  • 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 Pedagogical Institute, and since 1996, when the Šiauliai faculty of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute was connected, it is Šiauliai 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
  • In Šiauliai Conservatory – 149
  • In Šiauliai Vocational Training Center – 2,663

There are 8 gymnasiums, 7 high schools, 16 secondary schools, 7 primary schools, 9 children's non-formal education schools, 29 kindergartens. 21,000 students studied in general education schools in 2006.

Parks

 
City municipality building

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.

Transport

 
Trains in Šiauliai Train Station
 
Public transport buses of Šiauliai
 
U.S. Air Force F-15C in Šiauliai

Šiauliai has always been a major intersection. The famous Saulės battle took place near a trade route from Riga to Bubiai and Tauragė.In 1836–1858 Riga–Tilsit (Sovetsk) highway was built near it.[citation needed] About 1912, first cars appeared on city's streets.[citation needed]

Highways passing through Šiauliai :

  • A9 / E272 Šiauliai – Panevėžys (79 km)
  • A11 / E272 Šiauliai – Palanga (147 km)
  • A12 / E77 Riga – Šiauliai – Sovetsk (186 km).
  • City has is western bypass A18.

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.

In 1930, an air strip was developed. It was expanded in 1961 during the Soviet period and developed into a large VVS base. It is now a military base for NATO, and home to the Šiauliai International Airport.

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 busses 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.

Communications

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, a television tower, which are equipped with radio and antenna lines. In 1995 launched the construction of cable television lines, 1998 started to install the cable internet, since 2003 – Optical Internet line. In 2008 the city has 14 post offices (central LT-76001).

Sport

 
Šiauliai arena

Since 1924 soccer was played in Šiauliai. By the year 1936 there were 14 soccer teams in the city. Later other sports also started to be played professionally: basketball, handball, rugby, hockey, athletics, cycling, boxing and other sports. On July 25, 2007, in preparation for the 37th European men basketball championship, a modern Šiauliai Arena was opened to the public.

Club Sport League Venue
BC Šiauliai Basketball Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), Baltic Basketball League (BBL), Eurocup Šiaulių arena
FK Šiauliai Football The A League A Lyga Šiaulių stadionas
ABRO- Saulė Basketball Šiaulių sporto rūmai
RK Šiauliai Handball Lithuanian Handball League (LRL) Šiaulių sporto rūmai
RK Vairas Rugby union Lithuanian Rugby Championship Zoknių stadionas
RK Baltrex Rugby union Talšos stadionas
RK Šiauliai Rugby union Talšos stadionas
 
Šiauliai central square

Twin towns – sister cities

 
Iron Fox
 
Chaim Frenkel Palace (villa)

Šiauliai is twinned with:[16]

The city was previously twinned with:[17]

Notable people

 
View of Šiauliai
 
Šiauliai Cockerel Love Clock is a popular meeting and dating place

According to the population census of 2001, ethnic Lithuanians comprise 93%, Russians – 5%, and the remaining 2% consist of Ukrainians, Belarusians, Jews, Roma, Latvians, Armenians and other ethnic groups. About 94% of the city's population consider Lithuanian their native 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.[18]

The list of notable people who were born in Šiauliai:

Significant depictions in popular culture

See also

References

  1. ^ including Šiauliai district municipality
  2. ^ "Šiauliai – už 100 tūkstančių ribos | Šiaulių kraštas".
  3. ^ a b c d "History of the city". Šiauliai. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  4. ^ Petrauskas, R (2016). Galia ir tradicija. Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės giminių istorijos. Vilnius: Baltų lankų leidyba. pp. 206–208.
  5. ^ Merkys, Vytautas (1985–1988). "Tyzenhauzas, Antanas". In Jonas Zinkus; et al. (eds.). Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija. Vol. 4. Vilnius, Lithuania: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. p. 324. LCC 86232954. (in Lithuanian)
  6. ^ Cohen-Mushlin, Aliza; Kravtsov, Sergey; Levin, Vladimir; Mickūnaitė, Giedrė; Šiaučiūnaitė-Verbickienė, Jurgita (2010). Synagogues in Lithuania N-Ž: A Catalogue. VDA leidykla. ISBN 9786094470042. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  7. ^ Urieli, Assaf. "Shavl – שאַװל – Šiauliai, Lithuania". Kehila Links. JewishGen. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  8. ^ "Mass Murder of the Šiauliai Jews at Kužiai Forest". Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania. Vilnius, Lithuania: Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum. 2010.
  9. ^ Levin, Dov (2008). "Šiauliai". Encyclopaedia Judaica. The Gale Group.
  10. ^ Bubnys, A (2002). The Fate of Jews in Šiauliai and Šiauliai Region" – The Šiauliai Ghetto: Lists of Prisoners 1942. Vilnius.
  11. ^ "Météo Climat stats for Siauliai". Météo Climat. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  12. ^ "Siauliai Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  13. ^ "Climate & Weather Averages in Šiauliai". Time and Date. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Stanislawski, Michael. "Šiauliai". The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. YIVO. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  15. ^ "Šiauliuose iškils didžiausias Europoje orlaivių techninės priežiūros ir remonto centras". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  16. ^ "Tarptautiniai ryšiai". siauliai.lt (in Lithuanian). Šiauliai. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  17. ^ "Šiaulių miestas nutraukė ryšius su Rusijos ir Baltarusijos miestais". siauliai.lt (in Lithuanian). March 3, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  18. ^ "Population by Sex, Age, Nationality and Religion". Official Statistics Portal. Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  19. ^ Арлоў, Уладзімер (2020). ІМЁНЫ СВАБОДЫ (Бібліятэка Свабоды. ХХІ стагодзьдзе.) [Uładzimir Arłou. The Names of Freedom (The Library of Freedom. ХХІ century).] (PDF) (in Belarusian) (4-е выд., дап. ed.). Радыё Свабодная Эўропа / Радыё Свабода - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. pp. 204–205.
  20. ^ Арлоў, Уладзімер (2020). ІМЁНЫ СВАБОДЫ (Бібліятэка Свабоды. ХХІ стагодзьдзе.) [Uładzimir Arłou. The Names of Freedom (The Library of Freedom. ХХІ century).] (PDF) (in Belarusian) (4-е выд., дап. ed.). Радыё Свабодная Эўропа / Радыё Свабода - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. pp. 118–119.
  21. ^ "Lithuania (M2TW-K-TC faction)". wiki.totalwar.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.

External links

  • Official website
  • Šiauliai Tourism Information Centre
  • "Here Their Stories Will Be Told..." The Valley of the Communities at Yad Vashem, Siauliai, at Yad Vashem website
  • Šiauliai, Lithuania at JewishGen

Šiauliai, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, january, 2009, le. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Siauliai news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message Siauliai ʃ aʊ ˈ l eɪ Lithuanian ɕɛʊ ˈlʲɛɪ ˑ listen Samogitian Siaule is the fourth largest city in Lithuania with a population of 99 462 in 2022 From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Siauliai County SiauliaiCity municipalityCathedral of SiauliaiFlagCoat of armsNickname Saules miestas The City of the Sun SiauliaiLocation of Siauliai in LithuaniaShow map of LithuaniaSiauliaiSiauliai Europe Show map of EuropeCoordinates 55 56 N 23 19 E 55 933 N 23 317 E 55 933 23 317 Coordinates 55 56 N 23 19 E 55 933 N 23 317 E 55 933 23 317CountryLithuaniaEthnographic regionSamogitiaCountySiauliai CountyMunicipalitySiauliai city municipalityCapital ofSiauliai County Siauliai city municipality Siauliai district municipalityFirst mentioned1236Granted city rights1589EldershipsMedelynas eldership Rekyva eldershipGovernment MayorArturas VisockasArea City municipality81 13 km2 31 32 sq mi Elevation151 m 495 ft Population 2022 2 City municipality99 462 Density1 200 km2 3 200 sq mi Metro140 379 1 Time zoneUTC 2 EET Summer DST UTC 3 EEST Postal code76xxxArea code 370 41ClimateDfbWebsitewww wbr siauliai wbr lt Contents 1 Names 2 History 2 1 World War I and independent Lithuania 2 2 World War II 2 3 Soviet era 2 4 Mayors 3 Geography 3 1 Water 3 2 Climate 4 Demographics 5 Economy 6 Education 7 Parks 8 Transport 9 Communications 10 Sport 11 Twin towns sister cities 12 Notable people 13 Significant depictions in popular culture 14 See also 15 References 16 External linksNames EditSiauliai is referred to by various names in different languages Samogitian Siaule Latvian Saule historic and Sauli modern German outdated Schaulen pronounced ˈʃaʊ len listen Polish Szawle Russian Shavli Shavli historic and Shyaulya j Shyaulyai modern Yiddish שא װל Shavel History Edit Siauliai church 19th century Pedestrian boulevard at night Venclauskai Palace Hill of Crosses The city was first mentioned in written sources as Soule in Livonian Order chronicles describing the Battle of Saule 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 Siauliai At first it developed as a defence post against the raids by the Teutonic and Livonian Orders After the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 the raids stopped and Siauliai 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 3 Siauliai was granted Magdeburg city rights in the 16th century when it also became an administrative centre of the area However in the 16th to 18th centuries the city was devastated by The Deluge and epidemics of the Bubonic plague 3 Former Siauliai Jewish school The credit for the city s rebirth goes to Antoni 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 4 5 He decided to rebuild the city according to the Classicism ideas at first houses were built randomly in a radial shape but Tyzenhaus decided to build the city in an orderly rectangular grid Siauliai grew to become a well developed city with several prominent brick buildings citation needed In 1791 Stanislaw August Poniatowski king of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth confirmed once again that Siauliai s city rights and granted it a coat of arms which depicted a bear the symbol of Samogitia the Eye of Providence and a red bull the symbol of the Poniatowski family The modern coat of arms has been modelled after this version After the Partitions of Poland Siauliai 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 connecting Riga and Tilsit was built in 1871 a railroad connecting Liepaja with Romny was built 6 Siauliai being in a 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 Siauliai was known for its leather industry Chaim Frenkel owned the biggest leather factory in the Russian Empire World War I and independent Lithuania Edit Siauliai after the First World War During World War I about 85 of the buildings were burned down and the city centre was destroyed 3 After the war and re establishment of Lithuania the importance of Siauliai grew Before Klaipeda was attached to Lithuania the city was second after Kaunas by population size By 1929 the city centre was rebuilt Modern utilities were also included streets were lighted they had public transportation telephone and telegraph lines water supply network and sewer 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 Klaipeda 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 of flax fibre 35 of candies Culture also flourished as many new periodicals were printed new schools and universities opened a library theatre museum and normal school were opened World War II Edit See also Siauliai Ghetto and Siauliai Offensive In 1939 one fifth of the city s population was Jewish 7 German soldiers entered Siauliai on June 26 1941 The first mass murder of Siauliai Jews was perpetrated in the Kuziai forest about 12 kilometres outside Siauliai on June 29 1941 According to one of the Jewish survivors of Siauliai 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 Siauliai and the Siauliai region in the Kuziai forest One hundred twenty five Jews from Linkuva were also murdered there along with ethnic Lithuanian and Russian members of the Communist Party and the Communist Youth 8 The Siauliai Ghetto was established in July 1941 There were two Jewish ghetto areas in Siauliai one in the Kaukas suburb and one in Traku During World War II the Jewish population was reduced from 8 000 to 500 Approximately 80 of the buildings were destroyed 9 10 Soviet era Edit Siauliai on January 13 1991 after the Soviet Army killed peaceful Lithuanians following Lithuania s declaration of independence March 11 1990 The city was largely rebuilt anew in a typical Soviet fashion during the years of subsequent Soviet occupation Mayors Edit 1990 1991 Kazimieras Savinis 1991 1995 Arvydas Salda 1995 2000 Alfredas Lankauskas 2000 2002 Vida Stasiunaite 2002 2003 Vaclovas Volkovas 2003 2007 Vytautas Juskus 2007 2011 Genadijus Miksys 2011 2015 Justinas Sartauskas 2015 present Arturas VisockasGeography EditSiauliai located in eastern part of the northern plateau Musa Dubysa and Venta River divide Distance of 210 kilometres 130 miles to Vilnius Kaunas 142 km 88 mi Klaipeda 161 km 100 mi Riga 128 km 80 mi Kaliningrad 250 km 155 mi The total city area 81 13 square kilometres 31 32 sq mi from the green areas 18 87 square kilometres 7 29 sq mi water 12 78 square kilometres 4 93 sq mi Urban land outside perimeter of the administrative 70 317 kilometres 43 693 miles Altitude Rekyvos the lake 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 Salduves Hill 149 7 m 491 14 ft above sea level Water Edit The total water area 1 280 ha 15 7 in urban areas Siauliai Lakes Rekyva Lake 1 179 ha Talksa Lake 56 2 ha Ginkunai Lake 16 6 ha Rivers Kulpe Rude Vijole Svede Simsa Tilze SventupisClimate Edit Under the Koppen climate classification Siauliai has a warm summer humid continental climate Dfb The average temperature in January 3 C 27 F in July 18 C 64 F The amount of precipitation in a year 620 mm 24 4 in In 1942 the city recorded the lowest Lithuania year mean temperature 3 6 C Climate data for Siauliai 1991 2020 normals extremes 1937 present Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high C F 10 5 50 9 13 3 55 9 21 0 69 8 26 6 79 9 30 4 86 7 32 1 89 8 35 0 95 0 35 7 96 3 30 1 86 2 23 3 73 9 16 9 62 4 13 4 56 1 35 7 96 3 Mean maximum C F 5 9 42 6 6 2 43 2 12 9 55 2 21 9 71 4 26 3 79 3 28 2 82 8 30 2 86 4 29 6 85 3 24 1 75 4 17 7 63 9 10 9 51 6 6 6 43 9 31 4 88 5 Average high C F 0 4 31 3 0 1 31 8 4 7 40 5 12 4 54 3 17 9 64 2 21 2 70 2 23 6 74 5 22 9 73 2 17 3 63 1 10 7 51 3 4 5 40 1 0 8 33 4 11 4 52 5 Daily mean C F 2 5 27 5 2 9 26 8 1 1 34 0 7 4 45 3 12 4 54 3 16 0 60 8 18 5 65 3 17 9 64 2 13 0 55 4 7 6 45 7 2 4 36 3 1 2 29 8 7 6 45 7 Average low C F 4 9 23 2 5 7 21 7 2 5 27 5 2 3 36 1 6 8 44 2 10 8 51 4 13 4 56 1 12 8 55 0 8 7 47 7 4 3 39 7 0 4 32 7 3 2 26 2 3 6 38 5 Mean minimum C F 17 3 0 9 17 2 1 0 11 0 12 2 3 7 25 3 0 1 32 2 4 9 40 8 8 5 47 3 7 2 45 0 1 6 34 9 3 0 26 6 7 2 19 0 12 7 9 1 21 3 6 3 Record low C F 36 0 32 8 36 4 33 5 27 0 16 6 13 2 8 2 3 5 25 7 0 1 32 2 5 2 41 4 2 1 35 8 5 7 21 7 8 5 16 7 19 3 2 7 31 1 24 0 36 4 33 5 Average precipitation mm inches 44 2 1 74 35 1 1 38 36 3 1 43 33 4 1 31 54 4 2 14 71 0 2 80 77 5 3 05 68 8 2 71 53 8 2 12 71 9 2 83 52 3 2 06 45 4 1 79 642 7 25 30 Average precipitation days 11 32 9 86 9 45 7 12 8 65 10 04 10 12 10 36 9 07 12 17 11 25 11 91 121 50Average relative humidity 88 85 78 67 68 70 73 75 81 85 91 90 79Average dew point C F 6 21 6 21 3 27 1 34 7 45 10 50 14 57 13 55 10 50 5 41 2 36 2 28 4 39 Mean monthly sunshine hours 37 65 125 176 263 277 261 243 166 100 42 29 1 784Source 1 Meteo Climat 11 Source 2 NOAA extremes and sun 12 Time and Date humidity and dewpoints 2005 2015 13 Demographics EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message In 1795 there were 3 700 people living in Siauliai rising to 16 128 by 1897 when it was the third most populous city in Lithuania after Kaunas 3 The Jewish population of Siauliai rose steadily through the second half of the nineteenth century from 2 565 in 1847 to around 7 000 at century s end 14 By the outbreak of World War I 12 000 of the town s inhabitants were Jews making Siauliai majority Jewish 14 A battlefield during the Great War Siauliai saw thousands of its citizens flee never to return 14 In 1923 Siauliai population s was third to that of Kaunas and Klaipeda Economy Edit Shopping centre Saules miestas Beginning in the 19th century Siauliai became an industrial centre During the Russian Empire period the city had the largest leather factory in the whole empire owned by Chaim Frenkel Siauliai 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 According to 2005 data citation needed the city has Manufacturing and service companies 3195 Commercial enterprises 781 Shopping centres 30 including Akropolis opened March 2009 Saules Miestas opened March 2007 Bruklinas opened November 2007 Tilze opened February 2008 Arena opened November 2007In 2020 construction of Europe s largest aircraft maintenance and repair centre will begin on the territory of Siauliai International Airport The related company will repair Airbus A320 Boeing 737 Classic Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft and will also provide aircraft administration and parking services It is planned that the centre will create 1000 new workplaces 15 Education Edit Didzdvaris gymnasium Siauliai State College 1851 Boys Gymnasium now Julius Janonis Gymnasium was opened 1898 Girls Gymnasium now Didzdvaris Gymnasium was opened 1920 Jewish Gymnasium was opened 1920 Siauliai Teachers seminary was founded 1928 Primary education became compulsory 1930 Vincas Kudirka primary school was opened 1939 The Institute of trade was moved from Klaipeda it was the first Higher Education school in Siauliai 1948 Siauliai Teachers Institute was founded in 1954 it became Pedagogical Institute and since 1996 when the Siauliai faculty of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute was connected it is Siauliai University In 2021 Siauliai University was reorganised to Vilnius University Siauliai Academy Students in the city in 2006 In Siauliai University 10 440 In Siauliai College 2 770 In Northern Lithuania College 700 In Siauliai region College of Management and Languages 517 In Siauliai Conservatory 149 In Siauliai Vocational Training Center 2 663There are 8 gymnasiums 7 high schools 16 secondary schools 7 primary schools 9 children s non formal education schools 29 kindergartens 21 000 students studied in general education schools in 2006 Parks Edit City municipality building 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 Siauliai city municipality citation needed Siauliai has 16 parks covering an area of 1 177 hectares Didzdvario province and Rekyvos parks add to the cultural values of the registry Transport Edit Trains in Siauliai Train Station Public transport buses of Siauliai U S Air Force F 15C in Siauliai Siauliai has always been a major intersection The famous Saules battle took place near a trade route from Riga to Bubiai and Taurage In 1836 1858 Riga Tilsit Sovetsk highway was built near it citation needed About 1912 first cars appeared on city s streets citation needed Highways passing through Siauliai A9 E272 Siauliai Panevezys 79 km A11 E272 Siauliai Palanga 147 km A12 E77 Riga Siauliai Sovetsk 186 km City has is western bypass A18 In 2006 Siauliai had 297 km 185 mi of roads of which 32 had a gravel surface The longest streets are Tilzes 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 Tilze Riga and Siauliai Klaipeda railways were built in 1916 and 1931 respectively The city has a railway station In 1930 an air strip was developed It was expanded in 1961 during the Soviet period and developed into a large VVS base It is now a military base for NATO and home to the Siauliai International Airport The first passenger transport company in Siauliai 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 Siauliai cars appeared Subsequently to meet the needs of an increasing population more busses and Taksomotoru Autoukis 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 Communications EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed September 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Siauliai 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 a television tower which are equipped with radio and antenna lines In 1995 launched the construction of cable television lines 1998 started to install the cable internet since 2003 Optical Internet line In 2008 the city has 14 post offices central LT 76001 Sport Edit Siauliai arena Since 1924 soccer was played in Siauliai By the year 1936 there were 14 soccer teams in the city Later other sports also started to be played professionally basketball handball rugby hockey athletics cycling boxing and other sports On July 25 2007 in preparation for the 37th European men basketball championship a modern Siauliai Arena was opened to the public Club Sport League VenueBC Siauliai Basketball Lithuanian Basketball League LKL Baltic Basketball League BBL Eurocup Siauliu arenaFK Siauliai Football The A League A Lyga Siauliu stadionasABRO Saule Basketball Siauliu sporto rumaiRK Siauliai Handball Lithuanian Handball League LRL Siauliu sporto rumaiRK Vairas Rugby union Lithuanian Rugby Championship Zokniu stadionasRK Baltrex Rugby union Talsos stadionasRK Siauliai Rugby union Talsos stadionas Siauliai central squareTwin towns sister cities EditSee also List of twin towns and sister cities in Lithuania Iron Fox Chaim Frenkel Palace villa Siauliai is twinned with 16 Czestochowa Poland Etten Leur Netherlands Fredericia Denmark Jelgava Latvia Khmelnytsky Ukraine Kristianstad Sweden Omaha United States Parnu Estonia Plauen Germany The city was previously twinned with 17 Baranavichy Belarus Kaliningrad RussiaNotable people Edit View of Siauliai Siauliai Cockerel Love Clock is a popular meeting and dating place According to the population census of 2001 ethnic Lithuanians comprise 93 Russians 5 and the remaining 2 consist of Ukrainians Belarusians Jews Roma Latvians Armenians and other ethnic groups About 94 of the city s population consider Lithuanian their native 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 18 The list of notable people who were born in Siauliai Regimantas Adomaitis movie and stage actor born here Andre Andrejew a classic Russian and French movie art director born here Sarunas Bartas film director born here Ligia B Bieliukas WWII underground member clubwoman Wojciech Buyko Polish classic photographer born here in 1882 1942 Virgilijus Noreika opera singer born here Yosef Shalom Eliashiv image rabbi and grandson of a kabbalist Rabbi Shalom Ben Hayim Haikel Eliashiv zt l Leshem a native of this city Jacob Gens self proclaimed Vilnius Ghetto police commander under the Nazi occupation 1941 1943 born here 1903 Tobias Dantzig American mathematician and author Nesse Godin Shoah survivor and Shoah awareness advocate in the United States Robertas Javtokas professional basketball player Olga Jegunova classical pianist Veniamin Kagan mathematician specializing in geometry Samuel Kessel father of Joseph Kessel physician was born here Igor Kisiel scientist professor at the Technical University of Wroclaw born in Illovieciai near Siauliai Anton Luckievic Belarusian publisher journalist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Belarusian People s Republic in 1918 19 Ivan Luckievic leading figure of the Belarusian independence movement in the early 20th century publicist and archaeologist 20 Albrycht Stanislaw Radziwill magnate noble a duke and a politician He held the post of Starosta city foreman of this city Jan Sawicki Stella colonel in the Russian army who during the insurrection against Russia in 1863 went to fight on the Polish Lithuanian side born here Meyer Schapiro art historian born here Henrietta Schumann concert pianist born here in 1909 before emigrating to America in 1924 Antanas Sireika born near Siauliai was a coach for a hometown basketball team for many seasons Olegas Truchanas Lithuanian photographer went to school here recognized in Australia for his ecological conscious photography Wiktoryn Witkiewicz father of the legendary Russian envoy to Afghanistan Jan Prosper Witkiewicz has been the Vice Marshall of Siauliai in Kingdom of Poland Mindaugas Zukauskas professional basketball player was born here Marius Zaromskis mixed martial artist fighter Dovile Dzindzaletaite 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 champion Richard Kilty Significant depictions in popular culture EditSiauliai is one of the starting towns of Lithuania in the turn based strategy game Medieval II Total War Kingdoms 21 See also EditBC Siauliai Telshe yeshiva Hill of CrossesReferences Edit including Siauliai district municipality Siauliai uz 100 tukstanciu ribos Siauliu krastas a b c d History of the city Siauliai Retrieved August 22 2016 Petrauskas R 2016 Galia ir tradicija Lietuvos Didziosios Kunigaikstystes giminiu istorijos Vilnius Baltu lanku leidyba pp 206 208 Merkys Vytautas 1985 1988 Tyzenhauzas Antanas In Jonas Zinkus et al eds Tarybu Lietuvos enciklopedija Vol 4 Vilnius Lithuania Vyriausioji enciklopediju redakcija p 324 LCC 86232954 in Lithuanian Cohen Mushlin Aliza Kravtsov Sergey Levin Vladimir Mickunaite Giedre Siauciunaite Verbickiene Jurgita 2010 Synagogues in Lithuania N Z A Catalogue VDA leidykla ISBN 9786094470042 Retrieved January 24 2019 Urieli Assaf Shavl שא װל Siauliai Lithuania Kehila Links JewishGen Retrieved April 26 2012 Mass Murder of the Siauliai Jews at Kuziai Forest Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania Vilnius Lithuania Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum 2010 Levin Dov 2008 Siauliai Encyclopaedia Judaica The Gale Group Bubnys A 2002 The Fate of Jews in Siauliai and Siauliai Region The Siauliai Ghetto Lists of Prisoners 1942 Vilnius Meteo Climat stats for Siauliai Meteo Climat Retrieved October 17 2017 Siauliai Climate Normals 1961 1990 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved March 22 2015 Climate amp Weather Averages in Siauliai Time and Date Retrieved July 28 2022 a b c Stanislawski Michael Siauliai The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe YIVO Retrieved August 22 2016 Siauliuose iskils didziausias Europoje orlaiviu technines prieziuros ir remonto centras DELFI in Lithuanian Retrieved December 14 2019 Tarptautiniai rysiai siauliai lt in Lithuanian Siauliai Retrieved March 23 2021 Siauliu miestas nutrauke rysius su Rusijos ir Baltarusijos miestais siauliai lt in Lithuanian March 3 2022 Retrieved January 8 2023 Population by Sex Age Nationality and Religion Official Statistics Portal Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania Retrieved January 24 2019 Arloy Uladzimer 2020 IMYoNY SVABODY Bibliyateka Svabody HHI stagodzdze Uladzimir Arlou The Names of Freedom The Library of Freedom HHI century PDF in Belarusian 4 e vyd dap ed Radyyo Svabodnaya Eyropa Radyyo Svaboda Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty pp 204 205 Arloy Uladzimer 2020 IMYoNY SVABODY Bibliyateka Svabody HHI stagodzdze Uladzimir Arlou The Names of Freedom The Library of Freedom HHI century PDF in Belarusian 4 e vyd dap ed Radyyo Svabodnaya Eyropa Radyyo Svaboda Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty pp 118 119 Lithuania M2TW K TC faction wiki totalwar com Retrieved November 27 2019 External links Edit Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Siauliai Wikimedia Commons has media related to Siauliai Official website Siauliai Tourism Information Centre Here Their Stories Will Be Told The Valley of the Communities at Yad Vashem Siauliai at Yad Vashem website Siauliai Lithuania at JewishGen Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Siauliai amp oldid 1132331838, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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