History of Šiauliai
History of Šiauliai is that of perpetual change as the city suffered many rearrangements and destructions. Maybe this is appropriate for a city first written about in a chronicle describing a nearby Saulė battle (1236).
Main square market taking place in front of burned out building shells during World War 1, one of the several periods of city devastation.
In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1253-1795) most of the lands were nobility-owned and non-taxed. The remaining state land (so-called Economies) had to cover the costs of the entire central government. Since 1616 Šiauliai was part of the Grand Duchy’s largest Economy. After becoming its heart the city was rebuilt on Neoclassical grid layout (18th century); the first industries (including Gubernija brewery) were established.
Šiauliai importance was cut short by the Russian Imperial occupation (1795-1915). The Economy was transferred to Zubov family of Russian nobles, favored by czarina Yakaterina II. These reforms were met with dismay by the locals who then participated in 1831 and 1861-1862 failed revolts. After the latter people began to secretly erect crosses on a hill 12 km north of Šiauliai as a symbol of defiance, starting the world-famous Hill of Crosses.
Belated Russian Imperial industrialization hit Šiauliai with a full swing in ~1870s-1910s. Šiauliai’s new status as a railway hub made it a convenient location for factories. Frenkelis’s leather factory, founded in 1890s, became the largest in Russian Empire. It employed 1000 people out of the total population of ~15 000.
World War 1 devastated Šiauliai. 85% of buildings have been destroyed and in 1915-1920 the city suffered alternating German, Russian communist and Russian monarchist occupations. In 1920s-1930s independent Lithuania Šiauliai was rebuilt and known to foreign diplomats as “one of only two real Lithuanian cities” (the other was Kaunas; Klaipėda and Vilnius were Lithuanian-minority at the time). Frenkelis factory never achieved past production levels but the city continued as an industrial center, providing Lihuania 85% leather, 60% shoes, 75% textiles, 35% sweets. Water pipes, sewerage and telephone networks have been installed in 1920s-1930s.
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