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 ). In 1420, Lithuanian-speaking
Nicholas of Šalčininkai was born in Šalčininkai and in 1453–1467 he served as the
Bishop of Vilnius, the capital of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the late 19th century many of the local inhabitants mixed with the neighbouring
Belarusians and called themselves
tutejszy ("the locals"), while staying
Catholics, they didn't assign themselves to a single ethnic group. The region is known for its uncodified
Belarusian vernacular (also known as '
po prostu', meaning 'simply' or 'plainly') 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. ==Demographics==