Upninkai is the largest

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in Jonava district, Lithuania. It is situated 8 km southwest of Vepriai on the left bank of the Šventoji River. According to the 2011 census, it had population of 786.

History

Upninkai was first mentioned in 1442 in the will of

Kristinas Astikas Kristinas Astikas (1363 in Trakai – 1442 or 1444) was a leading Lithuanian noble and statesman of the Astikai family. Kristinas was a supporter and a companion of Vytautas the Great, his brother Sigismund Kestutaitis and nephew Casimir Jagie ...

who was the first known lord of Upninkai lands. His son

Radvila Astikas Radvila Astikas or Astikaitis ( baptized Nicholas; pl, Radziwiłł Ościkowicz; died in 1477) was a magnate, a member of the Astikai and founder of the Radvila (Radziwiłł) family. He was a member of the Lithuanian Council of Lords and one of t ...

built the first church there before 1477. The village had a Protestant church from the late 16th century until 1650. During the 17th century, Upninkai competed with

Ukmergė Ukmergė (; previously ''Vilkmergė''; pl, Wiłkomierz) is a city in Vilnius County, Lithuania, located northwest of Vilnius, with a population of about 20,000. Etymology and variant names The city took its original name ''Vilkmergė'' from t ...

for trade and influence. In 1842, the entire town burned down and did not recover. A persistent priest converted surviving former manor's brick

granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...

into the present Neoclassical

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church of

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

. According to the census of 1923, Upninkai had 75 residents. The population grew more than ten-fold between 1970 and 1979, increasing from 67 to 847.

References

Villages in Jonava District Municipality {{KaunasCounty-geo-stub