Šakiai


Šakiai is a city in the Marijampolė County, Lithuania. It is located west of Kaunas.
WWW sakiai.lt

History

It is presumed that Šakiai first expanded from Šakaičai village, which was first mentioned in 1599. In 1719, Šakaičiai was renamed to Šakiai, and in the same year, a church was built. In 1765, Michał Fryderyk Czartoryski approved the settlement of Jews. In 1766, it was granted Magdeburg rights by King Stanisław II August Poniatowski thanks to efforts of Michał Fryderyk Czartoryski.
It was annexed by Prussia in the Third Partition of Poland in 1795. In 1807, it became part of the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw, and after its dissolution in 1815, it passed to Russian-controlled Congress Poland. Local Catholic and Lutheran parishes were established in 1801 and 1842, respectively. A synagogue was first mentioned in 1815. The town was captured by insurgents of the January Uprising in 1863. In 1890–1894, Vincas Kudirka, the author of Tautiška giesmė, lived in Šakiai. After World War I, it was again part of independent Lithuania.
During World War II, the town was under Soviet occupation from 1940, and then under German occupation from 1941 to 1944. The city was damaged by the bombardment of Soviet Air Forces, while the Nazi German Army has exploded many masonry buildings. Several massacres of Jewish people are alleged to have taken place in Šakiai in World War II, from July to September 1941. The killings are alleged to have committed by an Einsatzgruppen of German SS troops. The involvement of a small number of Lithuanians is also alleged.

Demographics

As of the 2021 census, the town of Šakiai had a population of 5,462 residents. The town covers an area of 4.254 km2, resulting in a population density of approximately 1,284 people per square kilometer. Over the past decade, Šakiai has experienced a slight decline in population, with an annual decrease of -1.1% from 2011 to 2021, reflecting a broader trend of population decline in Lithuania.
In terms of gender distribution, Šakiai has a slightly higher proportion of females, who make up 54.8% of the population, compared to males, who account for 45.2%. This gender imbalance is part of a national trend.

Notable residents

Twin towns – sister cities

Šakiai is twinned with: