Eišiškės

Eišiškės lies among low hills and marshy valleys on the old road linking Vilnius, Hrodna and Warsaw. First mentioned in 1384, it grew into a trading centre protected by a castle, with a church associated with Grand Duke Vytautas. Nobles gathered here for local assemblies, and a court also sat in the town.

Russian forces burned Eišiškės in 1655, and Swedish troops devastated it again during the Great Northern War. Many inhabitants were lost and trade declined. To encourage recovery, the town received Magdeburg rights in the late seventeenth century and became known for its horse and cattle markets. Its Jewish community formed about half of the population by the eighteenth century, adding to the varied character of the small market town.