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Šiauliai
Šiauliai (/ʃaʊˈleɪ/ show-LAY; Lithuanian: [ɕɛʊ̯ˈlʲɛɪ̯ˑ] ⓘ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the country's fourth largest city and the sixth largest city in the Baltic states, with a population of 112,581 in 2024. From 1994 to 2010, it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different languages: Samogitian Šiaulē; Latvian Saule (historic) and Šauļi (modern); Polish Szawle [ˈʂavlɛ]; German Schaulen pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯lən] ⓘ; Belarusian Шаўляй [ʂau̯ˈlʲaj]; Russian Шавли Šavli [ˈʂavlʲɪ] (historic) and Шяуляй Šjauljaj [ʂɐʊˈlʲaj] (modern); Yiddish: שאַװל, romanized: Shavl.
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.
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.
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. 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 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, while in 1871, a railroad connecting Liepāja with Romny was built. 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 the Russian Empire.
During World War I, about 85% of the buildings were burned down and the city centre was destroyed. 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 lit and there was public transportation, telephone and telegraph lines, a water supply network and a 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, 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.
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Šiauliai
Šiauliai (/ʃaʊˈleɪ/ show-LAY; Lithuanian: [ɕɛʊ̯ˈlʲɛɪ̯ˑ] ⓘ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the country's fourth largest city and the sixth largest city in the Baltic states, with a population of 112,581 in 2024. From 1994 to 2010, it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different languages: Samogitian Šiaulē; Latvian Saule (historic) and Šauļi (modern); Polish Szawle [ˈʂavlɛ]; German Schaulen pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯lən] ⓘ; Belarusian Шаўляй [ʂau̯ˈlʲaj]; Russian Шавли Šavli [ˈʂavlʲɪ] (historic) and Шяуляй Šjauljaj [ʂɐʊˈlʲaj] (modern); Yiddish: שאַװל, romanized: Shavl.
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.
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.
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. 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 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, while in 1871, a railroad connecting Liepāja with Romny was built. 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 the Russian Empire.
During World War I, about 85% of the buildings were burned down and the city centre was destroyed. 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 lit and there was public transportation, telephone and telegraph lines, a water supply network and a 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, 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.
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