History. Šilalė was first mentioned in historical sources in 1533. At that time, the first Šilalė church was built. In 1660 Šilalė was granted the privilege to arrange markets (re-granted in 1744) and since then Šilalė is called a town. The town was governed by the Orvydai family until 17th century, later ruled by the Pilsudskiai family until late 20th century. In 1950 Šilalė became the district center, and in 1952 it was granted the town rights. Fires have repeatedly devastated Šilalė, like many other Samogitian towns at the time. The rebellion in 1863, the Russian oppression, and subsequently the impact of Sąjūdis and resurgence of the Independence of Lithuania left a clear trace to the history of the town.

Residents. Currently, there are about 24 500 inhabitants in the district of Šilalė and about 5000 residents live in Šilalė town.

Area: Šilalė district is situated in the area of 118799, 00 ha, including 65959, 75 ha of agricultural land. Agricultural land occupies 55.5% of the land, calculating from the total area of the district. Forests cover 33741, 00 ha or 28% of total area of the district.

The district of Šilalė is a land with a natural and cultural heritage, which hides the deep and important history of the district and Lithuania as well. It is the district that offers not only a visit to spectacular cultural heritage sites, but also an opportunity to increase the level of adrenaline enjoying water or snow tourism.