Rokiskis

Rokiskis is a city in northeastern Lithuania with population of about 16,000. The legend of the founding of Rokiskis tells about a hunter called Rokas who had been hunting for hares. However, cities ending in "-kiškis" are quite popular in the region. The city was first mentioned in 1499 . At first it was Prince Kroszinski's residence, later count Tyzenhaus build a beautiful neogothic church of St. Matthias and a manor, which is well preserved today and houses the Rokiškis Regional Museum. The town was planned in a classicist manner. The city started to grow in 1873 when a railroad was built which connected Dvinsk/Dunaburg/Daugavpils to the east with the ice-free Baltic port of Libau/Liepaja.