Viešintos

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Viešintos is a small town in northeastern Lithuania, in Utena County, within the Anykščiai district. In 2011, about 281 people lived there. The town lies near the Viešinta river, which gave the town its name.

The Viešintos manor has been known since the 1500s. In 1591, the owner was granted the right to establish a town and hold a market, helping Viešintos grow and even surpass nearby Jurgiškis. By 1734, 33 families lived in the town, and the first church was built in 1787. In 1853, the manor with 191 serfs belonged to Pranciškus Krasauskas. Later it belonged to the Petkevičius and Komar families, and after Antanas Komaras died it was mortgaged to the Vilnius Land Bank. A primary school opened in 1902. After Lithuania won independence in 1918, the town had two mills, a dairy, a small credit union, and a branch of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union.

Before World War II, about 30 Jewish families lived in Viešintos and there was a synagogue. The synagogue was demolished around 1962 by Soviet authorities. From 1941 to 1951, Soviet deportations affected residents in the town, including 28 people. On July 7, 1941, many of Viešintos’ Jews were killed under Nazi orders in the Kupiškis area.

After World War II, Lithuanian partisans were active in the area. Viešintos adopted its coat of arms in 2006 by presidential decree.