Viešintos is a hydronymicplace name - the town is named after the river Viešinta, whose source is located near the town.[2] In other languages, the town is known as: Polish: Wieszynty
History
The Viešintos manor has been mentioned since the 16th century. In 1591, its owner Francas Kulvietis was granted the privilege to establish a town and to organise a market, and in the course of a few centuries the town of Viešintos overtook the nearby rival town of Jurgiškis. In 1734, 33 families lived in the town. The first church was built in 1787. The Kaunas Governorate archives mention that in 1853 Viešintos manor with 191 serfs belonged to Pranciškus Krasauskas. Then, until the beginning of the 20th century, Viešintai manor belonged to the Petkevičius and Komar families, and after the death of its last owner, Antanas Komaras, it was mortgaged to the Vilnius Land Bank.[3] In 1902 a primary school was founded. After the restoration of Lithuania in 1918, there were 2 mills, a dairy, a small credit union, and a branch of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union. At the time, about 30 Jewish families lived in Viešintos, a synagogue was built before World War II, but demolished by the Soviet government around 1962. From 1941 to 1951 the Soviet occupation authorities deported 28 residents of Viešintos.
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