| Šiauliai | |||
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| — City municipality — | |||
| Cathedral of Šiauliai | |||
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| Nickname(s): Saulės miestas (The Sun City) | |||
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Šiauliai
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Lithuania | ||
| Ethnographic region | Samogitia | ||
| County | Šiauliai County | ||
| Municipality | Šiauliai city municipality | ||
| Capital of | Šiauliai County Šiauliai city municipality Šiauliai district municipality |
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| First mentioned | 1236 | ||
| Granted city rights | 1589 | ||
| Elderships | Medelynas eldership, Rėkyva eldership | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 81 km2 (31.3 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| • Total | 128,396 | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Website | http://www.siauliai.lt | ||
Šiauliai (), is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.
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Šiauliai is referred to by a various names in different languages: Samogitian: Šiaulē, Latvian Saule (historic) and Šauļi (modern), German: Schaulen, Polish: Szawle, Russian: Шавли (Shavli - historic) and Шяуля́й (Shaulyai - modern), Yiddish: שאַװל (Shavel).
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 September 22, 1236, the same date when the battle took place, not far from Šiauliai. At first it developed as a defense 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 1634 with the brick church which can be seen in the city center today.
Šiauliai was granted Magdeburg city rights in 1589. In the 16th century it became an administrative center of the area. However, in the 17th and 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 the Northern Lithuania (so-called in Polish: Powstanie Szawelskie, 1769), started the radical economic and urban reforms. He decided to rebuilt 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. 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 modeled after this version.
After the Partitions of Poland, Šiauliai got a new coat of arms. The city grew and became an important educational and cultural center. 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. 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 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 65% of the buildings were burned down and the city center 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 center was rebuilt. Modern utilities were also included: streets were lighted, it had public transportation, telephone and telegraph lines, water supply network and sewer.
The first independence years 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 fiber, 35% of candies. Culture also flourished as many new periodicals were printed, new schools and universities opened, a library, theater, museum, and normal school were opened.
In 1939, one fifth of the city's population was Jewish.[1] German soldiers entered Šiauliai on June 26, 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. There were two ghetto areas in Šiauliai, one in the Kaukas suburb, and one in Trakų. During World War II, the Jewish population was reduced from 6,000 to 500. About 80% of the buildings were destroyed.
The city was largely rebuilt anew in a typical Soviet fashion during the years of subsequent Soviet occupation.
Šiauliai Žemaičių located in eastern part of the northern plateau, Mūša, Dubysa and Venta River divide. Distance of 210 km to Vilnius, Kaunas - 142 km, Klaipėda - 161 km, Riga - 128 km, Kaliningrad - 250 km. The total city area 81.13 square km, from the green areas 18.87 square km, water - 12.78 km ². Urban land outside perimeter of the administrative 70,317 km.
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.
The total water area - 1,280 ha, 15.7% in urban areas.
The average temperature in January; −7 °C (19 °F) in July; +18 °C (64 °F). The amount of precipitation in a year - 538.5 mm.
In 1942, the city recorded the lowest Lithuania year mean temperature (+3.6 °C).
| Climate data for Šiauliai (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −2.6 (27.3) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
2.8 (37.0) |
10.1 (50.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
21.2 (70.2) |
16.3 (61.3) |
10.5 (50.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
10.01 (50.01) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.1 (22.8) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−1 (30.2) |
5.2 (41.4) |
11.8 (53.2) |
15.5 (59.9) |
16.7 (62.1) |
16.1 (61.0) |
11.7 (53.1) |
7.0 (44.6) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
6.03 (42.86) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −7.9 (17.8) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
1.2 (34.2) |
6.7 (44.1) |
10.5 (50.9) |
12.3 (54.1) |
11.7 (53.1) |
8.1 (46.6) |
4.1 (39.4) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−5 (23.0) |
2.46 (36.42) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 33 (1.3) |
24 (0.94) |
32 (1.26) |
38 (1.5) |
47 (1.85) |
60 (2.36) |
74 (2.91) |
77 (3.03) |
60 (2.36) |
53 (2.09) |
58 (2.28) |
44 (1.73) |
600 (23.62) |
| Sunshine hours | 37.2 | 65.0 | 124.0 | 177.0 | 263.5 | 276.0 | 260.4 | 241.8 | 165.0 | 99.2 | 42.0 | 27.9 | 1,779 |
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory,[2] | |||||||||||||
In 1795 Šiauliai were 3 700 people, but already in 1897 Šiauliai population (16 128 population) was the second provincial city of Kaunas. In 1909 56.4% of the population was Jewish. In 1923 Šiauliai population was in third place in Kaunas and Klaipėda. Under the occupied territory of the area (24 km ²) remained fourth in the city of Kaunas, Klaipėda and Panevėžys.
In 22 December 2005, Šiauliai City Council set some strategic directions and objectives for economic growth until 2015. Šiauliai vision: "Šiauliai - Sun City: the open, pushing and safe."
Starting from the 19th century Šiauliai become an industrial center. 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 footwear the industry, 75% of the flax fiber industry, and 35% of the sweets industry.
During the Soviet years, the city produced electronics, mechanical engineering, wood processing, construction industry. Most of the industrial enterprises were concentrated in urban areas.
According to 2005 data, the city has:
The first steam machine was equipped in 1867, Governorate beer brewery. In 1900 Šiauliai's Chaim Frenkel leather factory is equipped with a 50 kW Dynamo machine, which was used to produce electricity for the factory premises, and to illuminate the area and suko of 16 and 12 horsepower power. Šiauliai average annual per capita is 2,170 kWh of electricity (in Lithuania - 3264 kWh in Europe - 6482 kWh).
Šiauliai city municipality council is the governing body of the Šiauliai city municipality. It is responsible for municipality laws. The council is composed of 31 member elected for four-year terms.
Students in city (in 2006):
There are 8 gymnasiums, 7 high schools, 16 secondary schools, 7 primary schools, 9 children non-formal education schools, 29 kindergartens. 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 the middle of regular rectangular shape, and age at the end was close to the English style of the free layouts. Citizens for a small fee was allowed to walk in the park. In 1931, Park and Alley chestnut was officially donated to the Šiauliai city municipality.
Šiauliai has 16 parks, covering an area of 1177 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 a trade route from Riga to Bubiai and Tauragė.In 1836-1858 Riga-Sovetsk highway was built near it.
About 1912 first cars appeared on city's streets.
Highways passing through Šiauliai :
In 2006 Šiauliai had 297 km of roads, of which 32% had gravel surface. Longest streets are Tilžės street - 9.72 km and Vilnius street - 5.67 km with 1.28 km of pedestrian Boulevard.
In 1871 Liepāja-Romny railway was built.In 1916 Tilžė-Riga and in 1931 - Šiauliai-Klaipėda railways were built. The city has a railway station.
In 1930, an air strip was developed. It was expanded in 1961 during the Soviet period, and is now a military (NATO) base, and home to the Šiauliai International Airport.
The first passenger transport company in the city of Šiauliai was founded in 1940. It was autotrestas, which had 29 buses. In 1944 instead of autotresto was organized motor firm. In 1947 the first taxi Šiauliai machines. And then, a growing city, increasing the number of passengers - in 1955 founded the city of Šiauliai bus and taksomotorų autoūkis. In 2006, a modern bus station with the trade center. 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.
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).
Šiauliai since 1924, played soccer, 1936 were 14 teams. Then started to play basketball, handball, rugby, hockey, kultyvuojama athletics, cycling, boxing and other sports. In 2007 25 July, in preparation for the 37th European men basketball championship, a modern Šiauliai Arena was erected.
| Club | Sport | League | Venue |
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| 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 |
Šiauliai is twinned with:
According to the population census of 2001, ethnic Lithuanians comprise 93 %, Russians - 5%, and the remaining 2 % consist of Ukrainians, Belarussians, 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, Belarussian, Latvian, Roma, Armenian etc. About 80% of those older than 20 have command of the Russian language, while only 17% can speak English and 7 % - German.
The list of famous people who were born in Šiauliai:
http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/siauliai/siauliai.html
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