Šakiai is a city in the Marijampolė County, Lithuania. It is located 65 km west of Kaunas.

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. By the 19th century Šakiai already had city rights (since 1812); it also had a school, Catholic and Lutheran churches, a synagogue, and a post office. In 1890–1894 Vincas Kudirka, the author of Tautiška giesmė, lived in Šakiai. 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 (only 70 homes out of 328 remained). 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.

Gallery

Notable residents

Twin towns – sister cities

Šakiai is twinned with: