Stowbtsy

Stowbtsy lies on the right bank of the Niemen, where a river landing connected the town with trade downstream. Halshka Kmitianka founded the settlement in 1593 on lands held by the Słuszka family. It later passed to the Denhoff and Czartoryski families; a town hall, church, school and landing with warehouses served its inhabitants and merchants.

The Russo-Polish War devastated Stowbtsy, burning the town and killing many inhabitants. A privilege for markets and fairs followed in 1669 to encourage its recovery. Destroyed again during the Great Northern War in 1706, it received Magdeburg rights in 1729. Russian rule followed the second partition of the Commonwealth in 1793, and French troops ravaged the town in 1812. The Russian government confiscated the Czartoryski estate in 1832 after the uprising of 1830–1831.