Kavarskas

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title: "Kavarskas" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cities-in-lithuania", "cities-in-utena-county", "vilkomirsky-uyezd", "anykščiai-district-municipality", "holocaust-locations-in-lithuania"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavarskas" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement "]

Field	Value
name	Kavarskas
image_skyline	Kavarskas001.JPG
settlement_type	City
pushpin_map	Lithuania
pushpin_label_position
pushpin_map_caption	Location of Kavarskas
image_shield	Kavarskas COA.svg
coordinates
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name
subdivision_type1	Ethnographic region
subdivision_name1	Aukštaitija
subdivision_type2	County
subdivision_name2	[[Image:Utena County COA.png
subdivision_type3	Municipality
subdivision_name3	Anykščiai district municipality
subdivision_type4	Eldership
subdivision_name4	Kavarskas eldership
subdivision_type6	Capital of
subdivision_name6	Kavarskas eldership
established_date	1538
established_title	First mentioned
population_total	486
population_as_of	2021
timezone	EET
utc_offset	+2
timezone_DST	EEST
utc_offset_DST	+3
::

|name = Kavarskas |image_skyline = Kavarskas001.JPG |nickname = |settlement_type = City |pushpin_map =Lithuania |pushpin_label_position = |pushpin_map_caption =Location of Kavarskas |image_shield = Kavarskas COA.svg |coordinates = |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = |subdivision_type1 = Ethnographic region |subdivision_name1 = Aukštaitija |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = [[Image:Utena County COA.png|17px]] Utena County |subdivision_type3 = Municipality |subdivision_name3 = Anykščiai district municipality |subdivision_type4 = Eldership |subdivision_name4 = Kavarskas eldership |subdivision_type6 = Capital of |subdivision_name6 = Kavarskas eldership |established_date = 1538 |established_title = First mentioned |established_date2 = |population_total = 486 |population_as_of = 2021 |timezone=EET |utc_offset=+2 |timezone_DST=EEST |utc_offset_DST=+3

Kavarskas (), with a population of only 700, is the fourth smallest city in Lithuania. The Šventoji River flows through the town. In 1956 near Kavarskas a water lifting station was built and part of the Šventoji River's water was channeled to the Nevėžis River. Nowadays there is a water-power plant operating there.

Etymology

The name of Kavarskas comes from the surname of Stanisław Kowarski, who owned the Manor of Mažyų Pienionių (manorial place name). Although there are not many place names in Lithuania that are based on the singular of the surname, there are some (Sudargas, Musteika, perhaps Birštonas). In other languages, the town is known as: .

Coat of arms

The town flag or coat of arms shows a sword creating two streams of water. The coat of arms is painted on a blue field background. It shows a golden sword stabbed into a green hill and silver water springing from the hole.

According to a local legend, a spring of mineral water in Kavarskas was the site of a significant event in the history of the town. The legend recounts that, at a certain moment in time, a senior army chief was tasked with the selection of his successor. The chief plunged his sword into the earth to its hilt and declared that the warrior who would succeed him would be the one to extract the sword from its position. Numerous warriors attempted this feat, but only one of them was successful. Upon extracting the sword, a spring of pure water gushed forth from the ground. The Spring of Saint John the Baptist is located in Kavarskas.

History

Where the modern town is today located, in the 15th century there was the Mažieji Pienionys (Little Pienionys) estate. At the end of the 15th century, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Jagiellon transferred the estate to Stanislovas Kovarskis, the treasurer of the king. As he had no successors, the estate was inherited by his brother, Andrius Kovarskis, the canon of the Vilnius Cathedral. Thus, the name of the Little Pienionys estate was changed to Kavarskas.

In written sources, Kavarskas was first mentioned in 1538. In that year, a church was built. In the 16th century, Kavarskas and the surrounding area belonged to noble families of Astikai, later – Ogiński (Oginskiai), Tyszkiewicz (Tiškevičiai), and Siesickiai. The Šventoji river that runs near the town was used for drinking water, crops, and to power a flour mill.

The National Resurrection Cross was built in Kaltinėnai (Šilalė district).

During the summer of 1941, the Jewish population was murdered in a mass execution perpetrated by German soldiers and three Lithuanian white armbanders.

An 1892 taxpayers' list shows Kavarskas population to be 1,505 people. A 1892-1894 Lithuania Revision List included 844 names. This represents approximately 55% of the town's population in 1897, when 1546 persons were counted. In 1956, Kavarskas was granted town rights. In 2021, the town had 2,361 residents.

References

References

1. Alexander Hawk. "Lithuanian city names" (second edition). – Vilnius, Science and Encyclopedia Publishing Institute, 2004. // p. 87
2. "Kavarskas (Utena, Lithuania)".
3. "The Spring of St John the Baptist in Kavarskas".
4. ''The Shtetl that was'' by Ralph Jaffe, photo section, First Edition, 1997 ISBN 0-533-12061-6
5. "Holocaust Atlas of Lithuania".
6. "JewishGen".
7. "LitvakSIG | Tax Lists".
8. "LitvakSIG | Revision Lists and Other Census Lists".
9. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.".
10. ''The Shtetl that was'' by Ralph Jaffe, First Edition, 1997 ISBN 0-533-12061-6
11. "[https://www.anyksciai.lt/struktura-ir-kontaktai/2 Struktūra ir kontaktai. Anykščiai". Struktūra ir kontaktai. Anykščiai (in Lithuanian)]. Retrieved 2022-07-05.

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