Šilalė

Šilalė
Town
Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Šilalė

Flag
Coat of arms
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; 22.183Coordinates: 55°29′N 22°11′E / 55.483°N 22.183°E / 55.483; 22.183
Country  Lithuania
Ethnographic region Samogitia
County Tauragė County
Municipality Šilalė district municipality
Eldership Šilalė city eldership
Capital of Šilalė district municipality
Šilalė city eldership
Šilalė rural eldership
Traksėdžiai eldership
First mentioned 1533
Granted city rights 1950
Population (2011)
 • Total 5,492
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)

Šilalė ( pronunciation , Samogitian: Šėlalė, Yiddish: שילעל‎ Shilel) 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.

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

  1. ↑ http://www.holocaustatlas.lt/EN/#a_atlas/search//page/1/item/218/
  2. ↑ http://www.holocaustatlas.lt/EN/#a_atlas/search/vcntfr=1000.vcntto=5000/page/3/item/219/


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.