Kupiskis

 

Kupiskis was mentioned for the first time in written sources in 1480, when Stanislaus Johannis de Cupyschky, i.e. Stanislovas Jonaitis from Kupiskis, started the studies at Krakow University. Kupiskis, as the lord’s township, was first mentioned in 1529, when regulations, obligating towns and townships to pay for war matters, were concluded. According to written historical sources, witch trials were organized in town in the middle of the 17th century. Kupiskis was repeatedly devastated by the fires, wars, and was also affected by the plague. Nearby cities are Panevezys, Rokiskis and Utena, where one can arrive at in just more than half an hour. The distance from Kupiskis to capital city Vilnius is 154 km, 289 km to Klaipeda and 149 km to Latvian capital city Riga.

 

Kupiskis district

The town and district of Kupiskis were named after the River Kupa, the tributary of the River Levuo. It is a distinctive land in North-Eastern Lithuania as part of Kupiskis residents speaks in dialect of aukstaiciu rotininku and upholds old folklore traditions. The neighbourhood dialects are also characterized by “rotininkavimas” or “puntininkavimas”, but only Kupiskis residents “dadininkauja”. Linguists believe that this peculiarity of dialect has come from the Selonians under the processes of assimilation of the Balts tribes. The district occupies an area of about 1080 square kilometres, which consists the 1.65 percent of the whole territory of the Republic of Lithuania.  The population is 17 097, of which 6145 live in Kupiskis town. Residents of Kupiski s have traditionally been playing the Lithuanian rounders and not once became the Lithuanian champions and winners.

 

The manors of Kupiskis district

Kupiskis land possesses 5 manors and remains of fortified Mirabelis manor. The heritage of manors of Kupiskis district, as well as all over Lithuania, is significant for country’s villages and townships, and must be protected and nurtured.