History of Valkininkai

class="apple-converted-space"> Hrodna–Varėna–Vilnius route, the settlement had a royal estate that Grand Dukes used as a hunting lodge. The route further grew in importance after the 1385Union of Krewo as it connected the Lithuanian capital in Vilnius with the Polish capital in Kraków. In 1418, Grand Duke Vytautas the Great gifted the estate to his wife Juliana Olshanska. In 1503, the town was mentioned as a seat of a volost. In 1516, KingSigismund I the Old accepted envoys of Charles, King of Spain and future Holy Roman Emperor in Valkininkai.

A royal cannon foundry, established in 1551 and powered by a watermill, is credited for the growth of the town. Needed iron ore was collected in local swamps and imported from abroad. During the Wallach reform, craftsmen were given land and relocated from the town to nearby villages, which were often named after their craft