Šilalė
Town
Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Šilalė
Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Šilalė
Flag of Šilalė
Flag
Coat of arms of Šilalė
Coat of arms
Šilalė is located in Šilalė District Municipality
Šilalė
Šilalė
Location in Šilalė district municipality
Location of Šilalė district in Lithuania
Coordinates: 55°29′N 22°11′E / 55.483°N 22.183°E / 55.483; 22.183
Country Lithuania
Ethnographic regionSamogitia
CountyTauragė County
MunicipalityŠilalė district municipality
EldershipŠilalė city eldership
Capital ofŠilalė district municipality
Šilalė city eldership
Šilalė rural eldership
Traksėdžiai eldership
First mentioned1533
Granted town rights1950
Population
 (2020)
 • Total4,640
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Šilalė (pronunciationⓘ; Samogitian: Šėlalė, Polish: Szyłele) is a town in western Lithuania, Samogitia, Tauragė County. It is located 30 km (19 mi) north of Tauragė. The River Lokysta flows through the town and there is a pond in the centre of the town.

History

The town is part of the Samogitian ethnographic region of Lithuania and was first mentioned in the sixteenth century. Its name derives from the generic word sila ("Pinewood") and Samogitian suffix -alė. It was located in the Duchy of Samogitia in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

During World War II, the town was under Soviet occupation from 1940, and then under German occupation from 1941 to 1944. In July 1941, 135 Jewish men from Šilalė were shot on a site in the Jewish cemetery.[1] In September 1941, the Jewish women and children of Šilalė were shot in the Tūbinės forest. Around 1,300 Jews were massacred by an Einsatzgruppen of Germans and local Lithuanian collaborators.[2]

Population

Ethnic composition

2011 – population of 5,492 people:

  • Lithuanian – 99.02% (5438);
  • Russian – 0.33% (18);
  • Other – 0.66% (36).

2001 – population of 6,281 people:

  • Lithuanian – 99.23% (6235);
  • Russian – 0.37% (23);
  • Other – 0.37% (23).

Notable people

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Šilalė.
  1. ↑ "Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania".
  2. ↑ "Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania".


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