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.