:Šilalė

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Šilalė

| settlement_type = Town

| image_skyline = Silale Church of St Francis of Assisi.jpeg

| image_caption = Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Šilalė

| image_flag = Šilalės vėliava.svg

| image_shield = Coat of arms of Šilalė.svg

| pushpin_map = Lithuania Šilalė District Municipality

| pushpin_label_position = bottom

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Šilalė district municipality{{hidden begin|title=Location of Šilalė district in Lithuania}}File:Silale district location.png{{hidden end}}

| coordinates = {{coord|55|29|N|22|11|E|region:LT_type:city(6000)|display=inline,title}}

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{LTU}}

| subdivision_type1 = Ethnographic region

| subdivision_type2 = County

| subdivision_type3 = Municipality

| subdivision_type4 = Eldership

| subdivision_type6 = Capital of

| subdivision_name1 = Samogitia

| subdivision_name2 = Tauragė County

| subdivision_name3 = Šilalė district municipality

| subdivision_name4 = Šilalė city eldership

| subdivision_name6 = Šilalė district municipality
Šilalė city eldership
Šilalė rural eldership
Traksėdžiai eldership

| established_title = First mentioned

| established_date = 1533

| established_title2 = Granted town rights

| established_date2 = 1950

| area_total_km2 =

| elevation_m =

| population_total = 4,640

| population_as_of = 2020

| pushpin_image = Silales kaimiskoji seniunija (Silales rajono zemelapis).png

| timezone = EET

| utc_offset = +2

| timezone_DST = EEST

| utc_offset_DST = +3

}}

Šilalė ({{Pronunciation|Silale.ogg}}; Samogitian: Šėlalė, {{langx|pl|Szyłele}}) is a city in western Lithuania, Samogitia, Tauragė County. It is located {{Convert|30|km|mi|abbr=on}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.holocaustatlas.lt/EN/#a_atlas/search//page/1/item/218/|title = Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.holocaustatlas.lt/EN/#a_atlas/search/vcntfr=1000.vcntto=5000/page/3/item/219/|title = Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania}}

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
Edvinas Gertmonas, professional football player

References

Category:Cities in Lithuania

Category:Cities in Tauragė County

Category:Municipalities administrative centres of Lithuania

Category:Rossiyensky Uyezd

Category:Holocaust locations in Lithuania

Category:Šilalė District Municipality