Žemaitija Brigade

Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania alongside Lithuania proper.

Žemaitija is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its capital city is Telšiai and the largest city is Šiauliai (located on the border between Samogitia and Aukštaitija). Throughout centuries, Samogitia developed a separate culture featuring diverse architecture, folk costumes, dances, songs, traditions, and a distinct Samogitian language.

Famous landmarks include Tauragė Castle, Plungė Manor and Hill of Crosses.

Etymology and alternative names

The region is primarily referred to by its Lithuanian name, ''Žemaitija'', in both local and national contexts. The Latin-derived term Samogitia, once widely used in historical sources, largely fell out of common administrative and colloquial use in the 19th century. The name Žemaitija, derived from the Lithuanian words ''žemas'' ("low") and ''žemė'' ("land"), translates to "lowlands," reflecting the region’s geographical characteristics. While Samogitia persists in historical and academic discussions, it is considered an archaic exonym in modern contexts, with Žemaitija remaining the standard designation.

Ruthenian sources mentioned the region as жемотьская земля, ''Žemot'skaja zemlja''; this gave rise to its Polish form, , and probably to the Middle High German . In Latin texts, the name is usually written as , etc. The region is also known in English as Lower Lithuania or, in reference to its Yiddish names, or .

Geography

The largest city is Šiauliai (''Šiaulē''). Telšiai (''Telšē'') is the capital, although Medininkai (now ''Varniai''; ''Varnē'') was once the capital of the Duchy of Samogitia.

The major cities are:
* Šiauliai (''Šiaulē'') (99,462 inhabitants)
* Mažeikiai (''Mažeikē'') (32,477 inhabitants)
* Tauragė (''Tauragie'') (21,516 inhabitants)
* Telšiai (''Telšē'') (21,294 inhabitants) – considered capital
* Plungė (''Plongė'') (16,750 inhabitants)
* Kretinga (''Kretinga'') (16,580 inhabitants)
* Palanga (''Palonga'') (16,046 inhabitants)
* Gargždai (Gargždā) (15,932 inhabitants)

Samogitia is bordered by Lithuania Minor in the south-west, Suvalkija in the south-east, Aukštaitija in the east, and Semigallia and Courland in the north.

Subdivisions

Demographics and language

The people of Žemaitija speak Samogitian, a variety of Lithuanian that was previously considered one of three main dialects (modern linguists have determined that it is one of two dialects, the other being the Aukštaitian dialect and that both of these dialects have subdialects each).
Samogitian has northern and southern dialects, which are further subdivided. A western dialect once existed in the Klaipėda region, but it became extinct after World War II after its inhabitants fled the region as a result of being expelled or persecuted by the Soviet authorities.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Samogitians of the Klaipėda region called themselves "Lietuvininkai", whereas at the end of the 19th century when the area, known in German as the Memelland, was part of Prussia (Germany), they were known as "Prūsai". After World War II, the territory of the western subdialect was resettled mainly by northern and southern Žemaičiai and by other Lithuanians. Samogitian has a broken intonation ("laužtinė priegaidė", a variant of a start-firm accent) similar to that of the Latvian language. In 2010, the Samogitian language was assigned with an ISO 639-3 standard language code ("sgs"), as some languages, that were considered by ISO 639-2 to be dialects of one language, are now in ISO 639-3 in certain contexts considered to be individual languages themselves.

Žemaitija is one of the most ethnically homogeneous regions of the country, with an ethnic Lithuanian population exceeding 99.5% in some districts. During the first part of the 19th century, Žemaitija was a major center of Lithuanian culture (Žemaičiai traditionally tended to oppose any anti-Lithuanian restrictions). The local religion is predominantly Roman Catholic, although there are significant Lutheran minorities in the south.

The use of the Samogitian language is decreasing as more people tend to use Lithuanian, although there have been some minor attempts by local councils, especially in Telšiai, to write certain roadside information in Samogitian as well some schools teach children Samogitian in schools.

History

The modern concept of "dialectological" Žemaitija appeared only by the end of the 19th century. The territory of ancient Samogitia was much larger than current ethnographic or "dialectological" Žemaitija and embraced all of central and western Lithuania.

The very term "Samogitians" is a Latinized form of the ancient Lithuanian name for the region's lowlanders, who dwelt in Central Lithuania's lowlands. The original subethnic Samogitia, i.e. Central Lithuania's flat burial grounds culture, was formed as early as the 5th-6th centuries. The western part of historical Žemaitija (before 12th–13th centuries it was inhabited by southern Semigallians and southern Curonians) became ethnically Lithuanian between the 13th and 16th centuries. The primal eastern boundary of historical Samogitia was the Šventoji River (a tributary of the Neris River); in 1387, the Lithuanian ruler (regent of Lithuania for Jogaila) Skirgaila had expanded the territory of Grand Duke's domain in Aukštaitija along the Nevėžis River

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