Šilalė (; Samogitian: Šėlalė) is a town in Western Lithuania, Samogitia, Tauragė County. It is located north of Tauragė. The River Lokysta flows through the town and there is a pond in the centre of the town. History The town is part of the Samogitian ethnographic region of Lithuania and was first mentioned in the sixteenth century. Its name derives from the generic word sila ("Pinewood") and Samogitian suffix -alė. In July 1941, 135 Jewish men from Šilalė were shot on a site in the Jewish cemetery. In September 1941, the Jewish women and children of Šilalė were shot in the Tūbinės forest. Around 1,300 Jews were massacred by an Einsatzgruppen of Germans and local Lithuanian collaborators. Population Ethnic composition 2011 – population of 5,492 people: Lithuanian – 99.02% (5438); Russian – 0.33% (18); Other – 0.66% (36). 2001 – population of 6,281 people: Lithuanian – 99.23% (6235); Russian – 0.37% (23); Other – 0.37% (23). Notable people Ferdinand Ignatius Piłsudski (–), Lithuanian nobleman, and a Colonel and Commander in the Samogitian division of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Franciszek Piłsudski (1713–1791) Lithuanian nobleman, Podczaszy (Deputy Cup Bearer) and member of the Sejm in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Stasys Girėnas (1893–1933), Lithuanian–American pilot Lukas Lekavičius, professional basketball player References Cities in Lithuania Cities in Tauragė County Municipalities administrative centres of Lithuania Rossiyensky Uyezd Holocaust locations in Lithuania Šilalė District Municipality