Šakiai
City
Aerial view of Šakiai, featuring the town hall
Aerial view of Šakiai, featuring the town hall
Coat of arms of Šakiai
Coat of arms
Šakiai is located in Lithuania
Šakiai
Šakiai
Location of Šakiai
Coordinates: 54°57′N 23°3′E / 54.950°N 23.050°E / 54.950; 23.050
Country Lithuania
Ethnographic regionSuvalkija
County Marijampolė County
MunicipalityŠakiai district municipality
EldershipŠakiai eldership
Capital ofŠakiai district municipality
Šakiai eldership
First mentioned1599
Granted city rights1776
Government
 • MayorEdgaras Pilypaitis (TS‑LKD)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total4,998
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Šakiai (pronunciationⓘ, Polish: Szaki) is a city in the Marijampolė County, Lithuania. It is located 65 km (40 mi) west of Kaunas.

History

It is presumed that Šakiai first expanded from Šakaičai village. By 1719 a church in Šakiai was built. By the 19th century Šakiai already had city rights; it also had a school, Catholic and Lutheran churches, a synagogue, and a post office.

During World War II, the town was under Soviet occupation from 1940, and then under German occupation from 1941 to 1944. The city was destroyed by the German army. 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.[1]

Notable residents

Twin towns – sister cities

Šakiai is twinned with:

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Šakiai.
  1. ↑ "Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania".
  2. ↑ Slutsky, Yehuda. "Sakiai". Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
    Anne Blejer, Hatte (2013-03-04). "Yitzchak Leib Goldberg". Geni. MyHeritage. Retrieved 2015-01-10.


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