Kupiškis

Kupiškis (; ) is a city in northeastern Lithuania. It is the capital of the Kupiškis district municipality, mainly known for its sculptures and fourth biggest water reservoir in Lithuania. Kupiškis is located on the Lėvuo and Kupa rivers. The name of the town comes from the Kupa River. The Gediminas Bridge crosses the Kupa River. There are six parts of the town, which are named: Centras (Center or Old Town; the oldest buildings in the town hall, sanitation and utility buildings, library, church, high school, blocks of flats, detached houses) Krantinė (high-rise housing complex between 4 and 5 floors, detached houses, shopping malls, preschool, primary school) Kraštiečiai (high-rise housing complex between 2 and 6 floors, shopping malls, preschool) Račiupėnai (a residential area; detached houses, middle school, business and technological school, bus station) Zuntė (a residential area; detached houses) Pramoninė teritorija (Industrial district; factories, warehouses, train station)

== History == thumb|left|175px|Kupiškis Hillfort thumb|175px|left|Market Square in 1918 thumb|left|175px|The former Hanseatic Merchants' Flax Warehouse, one of the oldest masonry buildings in Kupiškis Archeological finds provide evidence that even in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC people dwelt in the surroundings of Kupiškis. However, there is no information on when the very settlement was founded. The findings around the Aukštupėnai mound show that in the 8th century a wooden defence castle stood there and it functioned as defensive. In the oldest days the area of Kupiškis was inhabited by Selonian tribes. It is believed that the castle on the Kupiškis (Aukštupėnai) Mound was destroyed by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword during the Livonian Crusade in c. 1240.