Šiauliai County () is one of ten counties in

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 ...

. 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 and statistical unit. It borders

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

History

Formation of administrative regions in Lithuania started in the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, with the bulk of the territory of the current Šiauliai County forming part of the Duchy of Samogitia, itself divided into tracts. In October 1795, Catherine II of Russia granted Šiauliai the city rights and the privilege to become the capital town of the region. Administrative division of

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 ...

remained unchanged up to the end 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 ...

. When the war came to its end, in 1918 Lithuania was restored as an independent state. On December 17, 1918, a circular No.1 was issued "On Municipalities in Lithuania" that declared that the entire area of Lithuania would be divided into the regions - apskritys (county sometimes translated into English as a provinces or counties). There were ten apskritys in Lithuania. In 1937, Siauliai county's overall territory was 6042 km² and 210 thousands people lived there. It was the largest apskritis in Lithuania. In 1940, the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

occupied Lithuania and reformed the administrative system. The county system remained until 1950 when the counties were abolished and entire area was divided into smaller units - districts, or rajonas in Lithuanian. Only in 1994 - four years after the restoration of Lithuania's independence in 1990 - the apskritys were created again. However, the interwar apskritys should not be mixed with current apskritys, as their purpose, sizes, and number are all different, see administrative division of Lithuania. The entire area of Lithuania is currently divided into ten larger units - apskritys and smaller districts, consisting of urban and rural elderships.

Municipalities

The County encompasses municipalities of:

Cities

# Šiauliai # Radviliškis # Kuršėnai # Joniškis # Naujoji Akmenė # Kelmė # Pakruojis # Šeduva # Akmenė # Venta # Tytuvėnai # Žagarė # Linkuva # Užventis

Gallery

Baisogala manor.jpg, Baisogala Manor Tytuvėnų Švč. Mergelės Marijos bažnyčios ir bernardinų vienuolyno ansamblio Švč. Mergelės Marijos, Švč. M. Marijos Angelų Karalienės bažnyčia ir vienuolyno namas - panoramio.jpg, Tytuvėnai Monastery Kelme manor.jpg, Kelmė Manor Kraziu Svc. Mergeles Marijos Nekaltojo Prasidejimo baznycia 01 (2012).jpg, Church of the Immaculate Conception in Kražiai The Hill of Crosses - panoramio (1).jpg, Hill of Crosses

References

External links

Social and demographic characteristics of Šiauliai CountyEconomy of Šiauliai CountyEnvironment of Šiauliai CountyŠiauliai Region Main Post Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siauliai County Counties of Lithuania