Šiauliai

• Name — Šiauliai • Nickname — Saulės miestas (The City of the Sun) • Settlement Type — City municipality • Map Caption — Location of Šiauliai in Lithuania • Pushpin Map — Lithuania#Europe • Pushpin Relief — 1 • Image Flag — Flag of Šiauliai.svg • Image Shield — Šiauliai COA great.svg • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Lithuania • Subdivision Type1 — Ethnographic region • Subdivision Name1 — a border of Samogitia and Aukštaitija • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Šiauliai County • Subdivision Type3 — Municipality • Subdivision Name3 — Šiauliai city municipality • Subdivision Type6 — Capital of • Subdivision Name6 — Šiauliai County Šiauliai city municipality Šiauliai district municipality • Parts Type — Elderships • Parts Style — para • P1 — Rekyva • P2 — Medelynas • Established Date — 1236 • Established Title — First mentioned • Established Date2 — 1589 • Established Title2 — Granted city rights • Population Total — 112,581 • Population Metro — 140,379 • Population As Of — 2024 • Population Density Km2 — auto • Area Total Km2 — 81.13 • Elevation M — 151 • Postal Code Type — Postal code • Postal Code — 76xxx • Area Code — (+370) 41 • Population Demonym — Šiaulian(s) (English) šiauliečiai (Lithuanian) • Timezone — EET • Utc Offset — +2 • Timezone Dst — EEST • Utc Offset Dst — +3 • Blank Name Sec2 — Climate • Blank Info Sec2 — Dfb • Website — https: siauliai.lt • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Artūras Visockas Šiauliai 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; German Schaulen; Belarusian Шаўляй; Russian Шавли Shavli (historic) and Шяуляй Shyaulyay (modern); Shavl.

• Illustration — Cathedral of Šiauliai, 19th century • Illustration — Vilnius Street in Šiauliai • Illustration — Chaimas Frenkelis Villa The city was first mentioned in written sources as Soule in chronicles of the Livonian Order 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 near Šiauliai. At first, Šiauliai was developed as a defence post against raids by the Teutonic and Livonian Orders. After the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, the raids stopped and Šiauliai developed as an agricultural settlement. In 1445, a wooden church was built. It was replaced in 1625 with the brick church that 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 introduced reforms after a violent revolt of peasants of the Crown properties in Northern Lithuania (so-called in Polish: Powstanie Szawelskie 1769),. This refers to the Peasant uprising of 1769, against the Polish-Lithuanian introduction of economic reforms which endeavoured to enforce serfdom and unpaid labour on the peasants. The uprising was finally quelled by both polish and Russian Forces which resulted in radical economic and urban reforms. Antoni Tyzenhaus decided to rebuild the city according to Classicist ideas; at first, houses were built randomly in a radial shape, but was rebuilt in an orderly rectangular grid. Šiauliai grew to become a well-developed city, with several prominent brick buildings, like a post office, hotel, and court house. In 1791, Stanisław August Poniatowski, king of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, once again confirmed the city's rights and granted it a coat of arms. It 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 at the crossroads of important merchant routes, started to develop as an industrial town. 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.

• Illustration — Parade of the Lithuanian Armed Forces in Šiauliai in 1928 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: new periodicals such as the Šiaulių Metraštis, a prominent annual publication featuring articles about local history and culture, started.

• Illustration — Soldiers of the Wehrmacht in Šiauliai in 1941 In 1939, one-fifth of the city's population was Jewish. 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. 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.

• Illustration — Šiauliai 13 January 1991, after the Soviet Army killed peaceful civilians during the January Events The city was largely rebuilt anew in a typical Soviet fashion during the years of subsequent Soviet occupation.

The mayor of Šiauliai, officially the mayor of the municipality of the city of Šiauliai (Šiaulių miesto savivaldybės meras), is the head of the Lithuanian municipality of the city of Šiauliai. The current incumbent is Artūras Visockas, who has been mayor since 2015. • 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

Šiauliai is located in the eastern part of the northern plateau, near the Mūša, Dubysa, and Venta rivers. There is a distance of 210 km to get to Vilnius, 142 km to Kaunas, 161 km to Klaipėda, 128 km to Riga, and 250 km to Kaliningrad. The total city area is 81.13 km², with the green areas making up 18.87 km² and water covering 12.78 km². Urban land outside the perimeter of the administrative 70317 km. Altitude: Lake Rėkyvos water level – 129.8 m above sea level, Talsos lake level – 103.0 m in the city center – 128.4 m, Salduvės Hill – 149.7 m above sea level.

• Illustration — Kiteboarding on the Lake Rėkyva • Illustration — Lake Talkša in late autumn The total water area – 1,280 ha, 15.7% in urban areas. • Šiauliai Lakes • Lake Rėkyva, 1,179 ha • Lake Talkša, 56.2 ha • Lake Ginkūnai, 16.6 ha • Rivers • Kulpė • Rūdė • Vijolė • Švedė • Šimša • Tilžė • Šventupis

Under the Köppen climate classification, Šiauliai has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb). The average temperature in January; -3 °C in July; +18 °C. The amount of precipitation in a year – 620 mm. In 1942, the city recorded the lowest Lithuanian year mean temperature (+3.6 °C).

• Illustration — Participants of the Šiauliai Days • Illustration — Jewish community center in Šiauliai In 1795, there were 3,700 people living in Šiauliai, rising to 16,128 by 1897. 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. By the outbreak of World War I, 12,000 of the town's inhabitants were Jews, making Šiauliai majority Jewish. A battlefield during World War I, Šiauliai saw thousands of its Jewish citizens flee, never to return. In 1923, Šiauliai population's was third to that of Kaunas and Klaipėda. 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. According to the 2021 census, the city population was 100,653 people, of which: • Lithuanians – 94.12% (94,735) • Russians – 3.15% (3,173) • Ukrainians – 0.43% (436) • Belarusians – 0.25% (249) • Poles – 0.14% (138) • Others / did not specify – 1.92% (1936)

• Illustration — 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 candy industry. 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, 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 began on the territory of Šiauliai International Airport. The related company repairs Airbus A320, Boeing 737 Classic, and Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft and also provides aircraft administration and parking services. It is planned that the centre will create 1000 new jobs.

• Illustration — Didždvaris gymnasium • Illustration — 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 the 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 Academy – 10,440 • In Šiauliai College – 2,770 • In Northern Lithuania College – 700 • In Šiauliai 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, and 29 kindergartens. 21,000 students studied in general education schools in 2006. In 2025, Šiauliai joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.

• Illustration — Trains in Šiauliai Train Station • Illustration — Public transport buses of Šiauliai • Illustration — Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force's F-16 Fighting Falcons flying over the Šiauliai Air Base as a part of the Baltic Air Policing The following highways pass through Šiauliai: • A9 / E272 Šiauliai – Panevėžys (79 km) • A11 / E272 Šiauliai – Palanga (147 km) • A12 / E77 Riga – Šiauliai – Sovetsk (186 km). • The city's western bypass, A18. In 2006, Šiauliai had 297 km of roads, of which 32% had a gravel surface. The longest streets are Tilžės street, which is 9.72 km long, and Vilnius street, which is 5.67 km long, of which 1.28 km is a pedestrian boulevard.

The Tilžė–Riga and Šiauliai–Klaipėda railways were completed in 1916 and 1931, respectively. The city has a railway station. As of 2026, the services calling at Šiauliai Railway Station are the following: • Vilnius–Klaipėda • Vilnius–Ryga • Šiauliai–Panevėžys • Kaunas–Šiauliai • Radviliškis–Klaipėda • Šiauliai–Mažeikiai

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, Autotrestas, was founded in 1940 and operated 29 buses. Since 1955, Šiauliai bus and taxi operations were managed by one single entity, but in 1972, bus and taxi operations within the city were restructured to establish the dedicated Šiauliai Bus Depot. Since 1995, the bus operations have been managed by Busturas, UAB. As of 2026, the operator provides 37 urban and six feeder services. Regional, national, and international services are calling or terminating at Šiauliai Bus Station (Tilžės g. 107) by the shopping mall Saulės miestas. The combined shopping mall and bus station complex opened in 2007.

• Illustration — Šiauliai Arena 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. BC Šiauliai, a basketball club established in 1984, has won seven consecutive Lithuanian Basketball League bronze medals sets between 2004–2010 and three consecutive Baltic Basketball League Elite Division titles between 2014–2016. On July 25, 2007, to host the 37th men's European 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 — Šiauliai Arena • FA Šiauliai — Football — The A League A Lyga — Savivaldybės Stadium • 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

• Illustration — Iron Fox Šiauliai is twinned with: • Częstochowa, Poland • Etten-Leur, Netherlands • Fredericia, Denmark • Jelgava, Latvia • Khmelnytsky, Ukraine • Kristianstad, Sweden • Omaha, United States • Pärnu, Estonia • Plauen, Germany The city was previously twinned with: • Baranavichy, Belarus • Kaliningrad, Russia

• Illustration — View of Šiauliai • Illustration — Šiauliai Cockerel Love Clock is a popular meeting and dating place People who were born in or near Šiauliai include: • Regimantas Adomaitis, movie and stage actor • André Andrejew, a classic Russian and French movie art director • Šarūnas Bartas, film director • Ligia B. Bieliukas, WWII underground member, clubwoman • Tobias Dantzig, American mathematician and author. • Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, rabbi • Jacob Gens, self-proclaimed Vilnius Ghetto police commander under the Nazi occupation (1941–1943) • Nesse Godin, Holocaust survivor and Holocaust awareness advocate in the United States. • Robertas Javtokas, professional basketball player • Olga Jegunova, classical pianist • Veniamin Kagan, mathematician specializing in geometry • Anton Luckievič, Belarusian publisher, journalist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Belarusian People's Republic in 1918. • Ivan Luckievič, leading figure of the Belarusian independence movement in the early 20th century, publicist and archaeologist. • Virgilijus Noreika, opera singer, • Albrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł, magnate, noble, a duke and a politician. He held the post of Starosta (city foreman) of the city. • Abraham B. Rhine (1877–1941), American rabbi • Meyer Schapiro, art historian • Antanas Sireika, born near Šiauliai was a coach for a hometown basketball team for many seasons. • Olegas Truchanas, Lithuanian photographer, went to school in the city • Mindaugas Žukauskas, professional basketball player • Marius Žaromskis, mixed martial artist fighter • 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 champion Richard Kilty.

• Šiauliai is one of the starting towns of Lithuania in the turn-based strategy game Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms. • Pietinis residential district is the setting of the 2016 novel Pietinia Kronikas by Rimantas Kmita. The novel has been adapted into a 2024 coming-of-age drama film The Southern Chronicles by Ignas Miškinis. The film has become one of the highest-grossing Lithuanian productions.