Anykščiai

Anykščiai lies on the Šventoji, whose waters reach the Nemunas by way of the Neris. A grand-ducal manor was recorded here in 1440, and a wooden Catholic church was built in the middle of the fifteenth century. The town and estate later passed through the hands of the Radziwiłł family and other holders. Repeated fires damaged Anykščiai in the late eighteenth century, prompting plans to rebuild it. It received town rights and a coat of arms in 1792, shortly before the partitions of the Commonwealth.