Šiauliai County
Encyclopedia
Šiauliai County is one of ten counties
in Lithuania
. It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Šiauliai
. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished, and since that date, Šiauliai County remains as the territorial and statistical unit.
in the 18th century.
In October, 1795 Catherine II of Russia
granted Šiauliai
the city rights and the privilege to become the capital town of the region. Administrative division of Russian Empire
remained unchanged up to the end of the World War I
. When the war came to its end, in 1918 Lithuania was restored as an independent state.
On December 17 of 1918 a circular No.1 was issued "On Municipalities in Lithuania" that declared that the entire area of Lithuania would be divided into the regions - apskritys (county sometimes translated into English as a provinces or counties). There were 10 apskritys in Lithuania.
In 1937 Siauliai county's overall territory was 6042 km² and 210 thousands people lived there. It was the largest apskritis in Lithuania.
In 1940 the Soviet Union
occupied Lithuania and reformed the administrative system. The county system remained until 1950 when the counties were abolished and entire area was divided into smaller units - districts, or rajonas
in Lithuanian.
Only in 1994 - four years after the restoration of Lithuania's independence in 1990 - the apskritys were created again. However, the interwar apskritys should not be mixed with current apskritys, as their purpose, sizes, and number are all different, see administrative division of Lithuania. The entire area of Lithuania is currently divided into 10 larger units - apskritys and smaller districts, consisting of urban and rural elderships.
Counties of Lithuania
The territory of Lithuania is divided into 10 counties , all named after their capitals. The counties are divided into 60 municipalities : 9 city municipalities, 43 district municipalities and 8 municipalities...
in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished, and since that date, Šiauliai County remains as the territorial and statistical unit.
History
Formation of administrative regions in Lithuania started in the Grand Duchy of LithuaniaGrand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
in the 18th century.
In October, 1795 Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
granted Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
the city rights and the privilege to become the capital town of the region. Administrative division of Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
remained unchanged up to the end of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. When the war came to its end, in 1918 Lithuania was restored as an independent state.
On December 17 of 1918 a circular No.1 was issued "On Municipalities in Lithuania" that declared that the entire area of Lithuania would be divided into the regions - apskritys (county sometimes translated into English as a provinces or counties). There were 10 apskritys in Lithuania.
In 1937 Siauliai county's overall territory was 6042 km² and 210 thousands people lived there. It was the largest apskritis in Lithuania.
In 1940 the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
occupied Lithuania and reformed the administrative system. The county system remained until 1950 when the counties were abolished and entire area was divided into smaller units - districts, or rajonas
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
in Lithuanian.
Only in 1994 - four years after the restoration of Lithuania's independence in 1990 - the apskritys were created again. However, the interwar apskritys should not be mixed with current apskritys, as their purpose, sizes, and number are all different, see administrative division of Lithuania. The entire area of Lithuania is currently divided into 10 larger units - apskritys and smaller districts, consisting of urban and rural elderships.
Municipalities
The County encompasses municipalities of:- Akmenė district municipalityAkmene district municipalityAkmenė district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It lies in the northwest of the country, with administrative centre in Naujoji Akmene and borders Latvia in the north, Joniškis district municipality in the east, Šiauliai district municipality in the southeast, Telšiai...
- Joniškis district municipalityJoniškis district municipalityJoniškis district municipality is a territorial unit of Lithuania with a population of about 30,000. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Joniškis.-References:...
- Kelmė district municipalityKelme district municipalityKelmė district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania, located in western part of Lithuania....
- Pakruojis district municipalityPakruojis district municipalityPakruojis district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It is an agricultural district, situated in the north of Lithuania and bordering with Latvia. The rivers Kruoja, Mūša and others flow through the district. Forests occupy 16.7% of the territory of the Pakruojis district...
- Radviliškis district municipalityRadviliškis district municipalityRadviliškis district municipality is one of the seven municipalities of Šiauliai County in Lithuania. Radviliškis town has been its center since 1950.Radviliškis district has 13 subdivisions or elderships .-Industry:...
- Šiauliai city municipality
- Šiauliai district municipalityŠiauliai district municipality-References:...