Panevėžys, city, north-central Lithuania, on the Nevėžis River. First mentioned in 1503, it was chartered as a district town in 1842 and became a regional economic centre.
Agricultural trade is important in the city; the leading industry is food processing (especially sugar refining). There are also metalworks, glassworks, and a large flax-processing plant. The city has schools of technology, music, and medicine. The Panevėžys Drama Theatre, a celebrated national institution, was founded in 1940. Pop. (2008 prelim.) 113,653.