Telšiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania, probably dating earlier than the 14th century.
Telšiai became a district capital and between 1795 and 1802 it was included in the Vilnius Governorate. In 1873, Telšiai was transferred to the Kovno Governorate.
The name of Telšiai has been recorded in different forms and different languages throughout its history. Most of them are derived from Telšē in Samogitian dialect.
On 22 January 2013, The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania officially announced that Telšiai will be named the Lithuanian Capital of Culture in 2016.
The city was named after a small rivulet, the Telšė, which flows into Lake Mastis. A legend has it that a knight named Džiugas founded the city.
Telšiai was first mentioned in written sources around 1450, but the oldest archaeological findings in the area of the city are from the Stone Age.
Telšiai is one of three Lithuanian cities where a Roman Catholic Priest Seminary operates.
Telšiai is twinned with Sävsjö, Sweden; Liezen, Austria; Petrozavodsk, Russia; Krnov, Czech Republic; Kreis Steinfurt, Germany; Mińsk Mazowiecki, Poland; Lebedin, Ukraine; Orsha, Belarus; Bassum, Germany; Chernyakhovsk, Russia; Saint-Égrève, France; Obdach, Austria & Mestia, Georgia.
The Population of Telšiai is 21,287.
Present-day architectural monuments include Telšiai Cathedral and the Church of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, Telšiai.