Šiauliai (; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the country's fourth largest city and the sixth largest city in the Baltic states, with a population of 112,581 in 2024. From 1994 to 2010, it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different languages: Samogitian ; Latvian (historic) and (modern); Polish ; German ; Belarusian ; Russian (historic) and (modern); .
History
The city was first mentioned in written sources as Soule in chronicles of the Livonian Order describing the Battle of Saule. Thus, the city's founding date is now considered to be 22 September 1236, the same date when the battle took place near Šiauliai. At first, Šiauliai was developed as a defence post against raids by the Teutonic and Livonian Orders. After the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, the raids stopped and Šiauliai developed as an agricultural settlement. In 1445, a wooden church was built. It was replaced in 1625 with the brick church that 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.
The credit for the city's rebirth goes to Antoni Tyzenhaus (1733–1785) who introduced reforms after a violent revolt of peasants of the Crown properties in Northern Lithuania (so-called in Polish: Powstanie Szawelskie 1769),. This refers to the Peasant uprising of 1769, against the Polish-Lithuanian introduction of economic reforms which endeavoured to enforce serfdom and unpaid labour on the peasants. The uprising was finally quelled by both polish and Russian Forces which resulted in radical economic and urban reforms.
Antoni Tyzenhaus decided to rebuild the city according to Classicist ideas; at first, houses were built randomly in a radial shape, but was rebuilt in an orderly rectangular grid. Šiauliai grew to become a well-developed city, with several prominent brick buildings, like a post office, hotel, and court house. In 1791, Stanisław August Poniatowski, king of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, once again confirmed the city's rights and granted it a coat of arms. It 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 modelled after this version.
After the Partitions of Poland, 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 and Tilsit was built, while in 1871, a railroad connecting Liepāja with Romny was built. Šiauliai, being at the crossroads of important merchant routes, started to develop as an industrial town. 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.
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 was attached to Lithuania, the city was second after Kaunas by population size. By 1929, the city centre was rebuilt. Modern utilities were also included; streets were lit and there was public transportation, telephone and telegraph lines, a water supply network and a 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 fibre, and 35% of candies. Culture also flourished: new periodicals such as the Šiaulių Metraštis, a prominent annual publication featuring articles about local history and culture, started.
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 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.
Politics Mayors The mayor of Šiauliai, officially the mayor of the municipality of the city of Šiauliai (), 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 is located in the eastern part of the northern plateau, near the Mūša, Dubysa, and Venta rivers. There is a distance of to get to Vilnius, to Kaunas, to Klaipėda, to Riga, and to Kaliningrad. The total city area is , with the green areas making up and water covering . Urban land outside the perimeter of the administrative .
Altitude: Lake Rėkyvos water level – above sea 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, Šiauliai has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb). The average temperature in January; in July; +. The amount of precipitation in a year – .
In 1942, the city recorded the lowest Lithuanian year mean temperature (+3.6 °C).
Demographics
In 1795, there were 3,700 people living in Šiauliai, rising to 16,128 by 1897. The Jewish population of Šiauliai rose steadily through the second half of the nineteenth century, from 2,565 in 1847 to around 7,000 by the century's end. By the outbreak of World War I, 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 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 groups. About 94% of the city's population consider Lithuanian their 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.
According to the 2021 census, the city population was 100,653 people, of which: Lithuanians – 94.12% (94,735) Russians – 3.15% (3,173) Ukrainians – 0.43% (436) Belarusians – 0.25% (249) Poles – 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 candy industry.
During the Soviet years, the city produced electronics (Nuklonas), mechanical engineering, wood processing, 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 began on the territory of Šiauliai International Airport. The related company repairs Airbus A320, Boeing 737 Classic, and Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft and also provides aircraft administration and parking services. It is planned that the centre will create 1000 new jobs.
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 the 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 Academy – 10,440 In Šiauliai College – 2,770 In Northern Lithuania College – 700 In Šiauliai College of Management and Languages – 517 In Šiauliai Conservatory – 149 In Šiauliai Vocational Training Center – 2,663
There are 8 gymnasiums, 7 high schools, 16 secondary schools, 7 primary schools, 9 children's non-formal education schools, and 29 kindergartens. 21,000 students studied in general education schools in 2006.
In 2025, Šiauliai joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.
Transport
The following highways pass through Šiauliai: A9 / E272 Šiauliai – Panevėžys (79 km) A11 / E272 Šiauliai – Palanga (147 km) A12 / E77 Riga – Šiauliai – Sovetsk (186 km). The city's western bypass, A18.
In 2006, Šiauliai had of roads, of which 32% had a gravel surface. The longest streets are Tilžės street, which is long, and Vilnius street, which is long, of which is a pedestrian boulevard.
Trains
The Tilžė–Riga and Šiauliai–Klaipėda railways were completed in 1916 and 1931, respectively. The city has a railway station.
As of 2026, the services calling at Šiauliai Railway Station are the following:
Vilnius–Klaipėda Vilnius–Ryga Šiauliai–Panevėžys Kaunas–Šiauliai Radviliškis–Klaipėda Šiauliai–Mažeikiai
Air Transport
In 1930, an air strip was developed. It was expanded in 1961 during the Soviet period and developed into a large VVS base. It is now a military base for NATO, and home to the Šiauliai International Airport.
Buses
The first passenger transport company in Šiauliai, Autotrestas, was founded in 1940 and operated 29 buses. Since 1955, Šiauliai bus and taxi operations were managed by one single entity, but in 1972, bus and taxi operations within the city were restructured to establish the dedicated Šiauliai Bus Depot. Since 1995, the bus operations have been managed by Busturas, UAB. As of 2026, the operator provides 37 urban and six feeder services.