First mentioned 1599 Population 6,051 (2011) | Eldership Šakiai eldership Area 48 km² Local time Sunday 11:47 PM | |
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Capital of Šakiai district municipalityŠakiai eldership Weather 12°C, Wind NW at 10 km/h, 85% Humidity Municipality Šakiai District Municipality | ||
Šakiai ( pronunciation , Polish: Szaki) is a city in the Marijampolė County, Lithuania. It is located 65 km (40 mi) west of Kaunas. 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 city was destroyed by the German army.
Contents
Map of %C5%A0akiai, Lithuania
History
Šakiai is the birthplace of early Zionist philanthropist Isaac Leib Goldberg in 1860.
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. Involvement of a small number of Lithuanians is also alleged.
In 1921, Zygmunt Kęstowicz, a Polish actor, was born in the town.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Šakiai is twinned with: