Balbieriškis

Hanus cleared the forest and built an estate. The settlement grew around the estate and was awarded city rights in 1530. However, the privileges were revoked in 1776.

• Name — Balbieriškis • Settlement Type — Town • Image Skyline — 2019, Balbieriškio bažnyčia.JPG • Image Caption — Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary • Image Shield — Balbieriskis COA.svg • Pushpin Map — Lithuania • Pushpin Map Caption — Location in Lithuania • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Lithuania • Subdivision Type1 — Ethnographic region • Subdivision Name1 — Suvalkija • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Kaunas County • Subdivision Type3 — Municipality • Subdivision Name3 — Prienai district municipality • Subdivision Type4 — Eldership • Subdivision Name4 — Balbieriškis eldership • Subdivision Type5 — Capital of • Subdivision Name5 — Balbieriškis eldership • Population As Of — 2021 • Population Total — 1,196 • Timezone — EET • Utc Offset — +2 • Timezone Dst — EEST • Utc Offset Dst — +3 Balbieriškis is a small town in Kaunas County in central Lithuania. It is situated on the left bank of the Neman River. As of 2011, it had a population of 966. The town was established by German lumberman Hanus, who received a plot of land in the wilderness of Suvalkija from Grand Duke Sigismund I the Old. Hanus cleared the forest and built an estate. The settlement grew around the estate and was awarded city rights in 1530. However, the privileges were revoked in 1776.

The name of the town is derived from the common Lithuanian suffix -iškis, which comes from the river Barbiera (the left tributary of the Nemunas). Therefore, the original form of the town's name was Barbieriškis, which was used both in the spoken language and in official documents. This form changed to the current form Balbieriškis, which can be attributed to the fact that the current form is more easily pronounced. The linguist Algirdas Sabaliauskas suggested that Balbieriškis was derived from the personal name Balbierius, while the latter was derived from the same generic word meaning a barber surgeon.