| Šalčininkai | |
| Settlement Type: | City (Lithuania) |
| Pushpin Map: | Lithuania |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Šalčininkai |
| Coordinates: | 54.3167°N 25.3833°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Ethnographic region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Dzūkija |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Vilnius County |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Šalčininkai district municipality |
| Subdivision Type4: | Eldership |
| Subdivision Name4: | Šalčininkai eldership |
| Subdivision Type6: | Capital of |
| Subdivision Name6: | Šalčininkai district municipality Šalčininkai eldership |
| Established Date: | 1311 |
| Established Title: | First mentioned |
| Established Date2: | 1956 |
| Established Title2: | Granted town rights |
| Area Total Km2: | 3 |
| Population Total: | 6857 |
| Population As Of: | 2021[1] |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
Šalčininkai (; ; German: Sassenicken; Yiddish: סאָלעטשניק Solechnik; Belarusian: Салечнікі) is a city in Vilnius County, Lithuania, situated south-east of Vilnius, near the border with Belarus.
The name of the city derives from Šalčia river, šalta meaning cold in Lithuanian.[2]
In the medieval period the region around Šalčininkai was dominated by Lithuanians and it was the birthplace of many authors of the earliest Lithuanian-language texts (including Stanislovas Rapalionis, Jurgis Zablockis and, to name a few). At the late 19 century most of the local inhabitants were assimilated with the neighboring Belarusians and called themselves tutejszy ("the locals"), while staying Catholics, that meant Polish self-identification of many.
The region is known for its uncodified Belarusian[3] vernacular (also known as 'po prostu', meaning 'simply' or 'plainly')[4] and the city itself is considered the provincial centre of Polish culture in Lithuania (the urban centre being Vilnius).
Šalčininkai attained the town status in 1956 and is now a capital of the Šalčininkai district municipality.
According to the latest census of 2021, Šalčininkai had 6857 inhabitants and features a multi-ethnic population of 4930 Poles (71.9%), 920 Lithuanians (15.7%), 438 Russians (6.4%), 286 Belarusians (4.2%), 61 Ukrainians (0,9%) and 222 people of other background (3.2%). 12.2% of all inhabitants in Šalčininkai district municipality, according to the 2021 census were born abroad, while 87.8% were born in Lithuania. This was a decrease from 14.3%, recorded by the previous – 2011 census. Out of 34.5 thousand inhabitants in 2011, 3711 or 10.7% of all the inhabitants were born in Belarus, 728 or 2.1% in Russia.[5]
Šalčininkai contains the highest percentage number of self-identified Poles of any city in Lithuania.
The city coat of arms, designed by Arvydas Každailis, shows three hazelnuts symbolizing solidarity.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Lithuania. Šalčininkai is twinned with:[6]
Bełchatów County, Poland Kadzidło, Poland Kaźmierz, Poland Kętrzyn County, Poland Łomża, Poland Łowicz, Poland Nowe Miasto Lubawskie, Poland Płońsk, Poland Radom County, Poland Stare Miasto, Poland Świdnik, Poland Szczytno, Poland Tarnowo Podgórne, Poland Warsaw West County, Poland Wolsztyn County, Poland Wschowa, Poland Żnin, Poland