Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, the country's fourth largest city and the sixth largest city in the

Baltic States The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

, with a population of 112 581 in 2024. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of

Šiauliai County Šiauliai County () is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Šiauliai. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished, and since that date, Šiauliai County remains as a territorial a ...

Names

Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different languages: Samogitian ; Latvian (historic) and (modern); Polish ; German ; Belarusian ; Russian (historic) and (modern);

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

History

The city was first mentioned in written sources as ''Soule'' in

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

chronicles describing the

Battle of Saule The Battle of Saule (; ; ) was fought on 22 September 1236, between the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and pagan troops of Samogitians and Semigallians. Between 48 and 60 knights were killed, including the Livonian Master, Volkwin. It was the ea ...

. 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

s. After the

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), a ...

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 Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

. 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 Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthe ...

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 Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...

, king of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

, confirmed once again that Šiauliai's city rights and granted it a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

which depicted a bear, the symbol of

Samogitia Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...

, 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 The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

, 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 Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

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 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 The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

World War I and independent Lithuania

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 Klaipėda ( ; ) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, third-largest city in Lithuania, the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, fifth-largest city in the Baltic States, and the capi ...

was attached to Lithuania, the city was second after Kaunas by

population size In population genetics and population ecology, population size (usually denoted ''N'') is a countable quantity representing the number of individual organisms in a population. Population size is directly associated with amount of genetic drift, a ...

. By 1929 the city centre was rebuilt. Modern utilities were also included: streets were lighted and there was public transportation, telephone and telegraph lines,

water supply network A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following: # A drainage basin (see water purification – sour ...

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 Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

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.

World War II

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 Linkuva (); is a town in the Pakruojis district municipality, Lithuania. It is located north-east of Pakruojis.The town is more than 500 years old. Linkuva is a state-protected urbanistic monument. It is one of the oldest towns of Lithuanian ...

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.

Soviet era

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

Mayors

The Mayor of Šiauliai, officially the Mayor of the municipality of the city of Šiauliai (Lithuanian: "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

Geography

Šiauliai located in eastern part of the northern plateau, Mūša, Dubysa and Venta River divide. Distance of to Vilnius, Kaunas – , Klaipėda – , Riga – , Kaliningrad – . The total city area , from the green areas , water – . Urban land outside perimeter of the administrative . Altitude: Rėkyvos the lake water level –

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

, Talsos lake level – in the city center – , Salduvės Hill – above sea level.

Water

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

Climate

Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Šiauliai has a

warm-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfb''). The average temperature in January; in July; +. The amount of precipitation in a year – . In 1942, the city recorded the lowest Lithuania year mean temperature (+3.6 °C).

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 Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

. 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. By the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 2021 census, the city population was 100,653 people, of which: *

Lithuanians Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...

– 94.12% (94,735) *

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

– 3.15% (3,173) *

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

– 0.43% (436) *

Belarusians Belarusians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Belarus. They natively speak Belarusian language, Belarusian, an East Slavic language. More than 9 million people proclaim Belarusian ethnicity worldwide. Nearly 7.99&n ...

– 0.25% (249) *

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

– 0.14% (138) * Others / did not specify – 1.92% (1936)

Economy

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. During the Soviet years, the city produced electronics ( Nuklonas), mechanical engineering,

wood processing Wood processing is an engineering discipline in the wood industry comprising the production of forest products, such as pulp and paper, construction materials, and tall oil. Paper engineering is a subfield of wood processing. The major wo ...

, 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 will begin on the territory of Šiauliai International Airport. The related company will repair

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first membe ...

Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300 ...

Boeing 737 Next Generation The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twinjet, twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it ha ...

aircraft and will also provide aircraft administration and parking services. It is planned that the centre will create 1000 new workplaces.

Education

* 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 Vocational education is education that prepares people for a Skilled worker, skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self em ...

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

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. 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

Šiauliai has always been a major intersection. The famous Saulės battle took place near a

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over land or water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a singl ...

from Riga to Bubiai and Tauragė.In 1836–1858 Riga– Tilsit (Sovetsk) highway was built near it. About 1912, first cars appeared on city's streets. Highways passing through Šiauliai : * A9 / E272 Šiauliai –

Panevėžys Panevėžys () is the fifth-largest List of cities in Lithuania, city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, eighth-most-populous city in the Baltic States. it occupies with 89,100 inhabitants. As defined by Eu ...

(79 km) * A11 / E272 Šiauliai –

Palanga Palanga (; ; ) is a resort town, resort city in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Palanga is the busiest and the largest summer resort in Lithuania and has sand, sandy beaches (18 km, 11 miles long and up to 300 metres, 10 ...

(147 km) * A12 / E77

– Šiauliai – Sovetsk (186 km). * City has is western bypass A18. In 2006, Šiauliai had of roads, of which 32% had a gravel surface. The longest streets are Tilžės street – and Vilnius street – with 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 The history of the Soviet Union (USSR) (1922–91) began with the ideals of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and ended in dissolution amidst economic collapse and political disintegration. Established in 1922 following the Russian Civil War, ...

and developed into a large VVS base. It is now a military base for

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, and home to the Šiauliai International Airport. The first passenger transport company in Šiauliai was founded in 1940. 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. 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 In telecommunications, cable Internet access, shortened to cable Internet, is a form of broadband internet access which uses the same infrastructure as cable television. Like digital subscriber line (DSL) and fiber to the premises, cable Internet ...

, since 2003 – Optical Internet line. In 2008 the city has 14 post offices (central LT-76001).

Sport

Since 1924 football was played in Šiauliai. By the year 1936 there were 14 football 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. Siauliai centras

Twin towns – sister cities

Šiauliai is twinned with: *

Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship. However, Częstochowa is historically part of Lesser Poland, not Si ...

, Poland *

Etten-Leur Etten-Leur () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Dutch province North Brabant. Its name is a combination of the two villages from which the municipality originally arose: Etten and Leur. History The villages were always pa ...

, Netherlands *

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region Denmark, Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vej ...

, Denmark *

Jelgava Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...

, Latvia * Khmelnytsky, Ukraine *

Kristianstad Kristianstad ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 41,198 inhabitants in 2023. Since the 1990s, the city has gone from being a garrison town to a developed commercial city, ...

, Sweden *

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, United States *

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...

, Estonia *

Plauen Plauen (; ; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany with a population of around 65,000. It is Saxony's 5th most populated city after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the largest cit ...

, Germany The city was previously twinned with: * Baranavichy, Belarus *

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...

, Russia

Notable people

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 group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

s. About 94% of the city's population consider Lithuanian their

native language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''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. 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 Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Šarūnas Bartas Šarūnas Bartas (born 16 August 1964) is a Lithuanian film director. He is one of the most prominent Lithuanian film directors internationally from the late 20th century. His 2015 film '' Peace to Us in Our Dreams'' was screened in the Director ...

, film director * Ligia B. Bieliukas, WWII underground member, clubwoman *

Tobias Dantzig Tobias Dantzig (; February 19, 1884 – August 9, 1956) was a Russian-American mathematician, the father of George Dantzig, and the author of '' Number: The Language of Science (A critical survey written for the cultured non-mathematician)'' (1930) ...

, 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 The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

survivor and Holocaust awareness advocate in the United States. *

Robertas Javtokas Robertas Javtokas (born March 20, 1980) is a Lithuanian professional basketball executive and former player. He most recently served as sports director of Žalgiris Kaunas. Standing at , he played the center position. He has been a member of th ...

, 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 Starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', ) is a community elder in some Slavic lands. The Slavic root of "starost" translates as "senior". Since the Middle Ages, it has designated an official in a leadersh ...

(city foreman) of the city. * Abraham B. Rhine (1877–1941), American rabbi * Meyer Schapiro,

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

Antanas Sireika Antanas Sireika (born May 11, 1956

, 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 Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

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.

Depictions in popular culture

* Šiauliai is one of the starting towns of

in the turn-based strategy game Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms.

References

External links

*
Šiauliai Tourism Information Centre

"Here Their Stories Will Be Told..." The Valley of the Communities at Yad Vashem, Siauliai
at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Siauliai Municipalities of Šiauliai County Cities in Lithuania Cities in Šiauliai County Capitals of Lithuanian counties Municipalities administrative centres of Lithuania Holocaust locations in Lithuania