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
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 town rights	1950
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,640
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Šilalė (; Samogitian: Šėlalė, Polish: Szyłele) is a city 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. It was located in the Duchy of Samogitia in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

During World War II, the town was under Soviet occupation from 1940, and then under German occupation from 1941 to 1944. In July 1941, 135 Jewish men from Šilalė were shot on a site in the Jewish cemetery. 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.

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

• Ferdinand Ignatius Piłsudski (c. 1670–c. 1719), Lithuanian nobleman, and a Colonel and Commander in the Samogitian division of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
• Franciszek Piłsudski (1713–1791) Lithuanian nobleman, Podczaszy (Deputy Cup Bearer) and member of the Sejm in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
• Stasys Girėnas (1893–1933), Lithuanian–American pilot
• Lukas Lekavičius, professional basketball player