Kavarskas (), with a population of only 700, is the fourth smallest city in
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
. The Å ventoji River flows through the town. In 1956 near Kavarskas a water lifting station was built and part of the Å ventoji River's water was channeled to the
Nevėžis River
The Nevėžis (; ) is the sixth longest river in Lithuania and one of the main tributaries of the Nemunas. The long Nevėžis flows entirely within Lithuania.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
Birštonas (, ) is a balneological resort and a spa town in Lithuania situated south of Kaunas on the right bank of the Nemunas River. Birštonas received its town rights 1529 and was appointed a town in 1966. The town is the administrative ce ...
). In other languages, the town is known as: .
Coat of arms
The town flag or
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
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
The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian calendar dates from 1 January 1401 (represented by the Roman numerals MCDI) to 31 December 1500 (MD).
In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Re ...
there was the Mažieji Pienionys (Little Pienionys) estate. At the end of the 15th century, the Grand Duke of Lithuania
Alexander Jagiellon
Alexander Jagiellon (; ; 5 August 1461 – 19 August 1506) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1492 and King of Poland from 1501 until his death in 1506. He was the fourth son of Casimir IV and a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty. Alexander was el ...
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
The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius, also known as Vilnius Cathedral is the main Catholic cathedral in Lithuania. It is situated in Vilnius Old Town, just off Cathedral Square. Dedicated to the Christian saints ...
. 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 – OgiÅ„ski (Oginskiai), Tyszkiewicz (TiÅ¡keviÄiai), and Siesickiai. The Å ventoji river that runs near the town was used for drinking water, crops, and to power a flour mill.''The Shtetl that was'' by Ralph Jaffe, photo section, First Edition, 1997 ISBN 0-533-12061-6
The National Resurrection Cross was built in KaltinÄ—nai (
Å ilalÄ—
Å ilalÄ— (; Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Å Ä—lalÄ—'', ) is a city in western Lithuania, Samogitia, TauragÄ— County. It is located north of TauragÄ—. The River Lokysta flows through the town and there is a pond in the centre of the town.
H ...
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.StruktÅ«ra ir kontaktai , AnykÅ¡Äiai". StruktÅ«ra ir kontaktai , AnykÅ¡Äiai (in Lithuanian) Retrieved 2022-07-05.