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Lithuania is usually still unexplored and full of surprises, so we suggest that you look at the places that you have already seen with new eyes and visit places that you do not know yet. So we present you the second place (the first can be found HERE), where you will feel like in a foreign country:
Lithuanian Monaco
The Republic of Paulava is one of the most unique phenomena in the history of Lithuania. Did you hear that very close to Vilnius, in today’s Šalčininkai district, in the 18th century? Was there an autonomous republic with its own constitution, coat of arms, money, parliament, treasury, self-help fund, militia, doctor, school, and it was governed by the president and the peasant parliament?
Today, only the surviving fragments of the manor house, stables and other buildings remind us, but in the 18th century. in the second semester, it was the place where the most radical and progressive peasant reform was implemented in the Republic of the Two Nations.
The Republic of Paulava is an ancient cradle of democracy and brilliant ideas, located only 30 km from the capital. It was a miniature state in a state in what was then Europe. It is important that your constitution has been approved by the Lithuanian and Polish Seimas. Constitution, money, army, flag, coat of arms, seal, governing bodies, education, commerce, etc. – The Republic of Paulava repeated the usual structure of the state, only its size was 3040 ha, there were about 800 inhabitants.
The republic, which once had its own president, its own laws and currency, could grow into a prosperous state within the Merkin ma mansion. Republic of Paulava in 1767. founded in her mansion by Povilas Ksaveras Bžostovskis. 1770 Italian architect Karl Spampanis built here a palace in the style of early Italian classicism, and the owner of the mansion, the president of the republic, abolished serfdom and allowed peasants to freely manage their property, trade and crafts, granting personal freedom . income before 1784. more than doubled.
Villagers were taught to read, write, count, various crafts. The reported military units were made up of men fit for military service, who carried out daily exercises and, if necessary, were obliged to defend the homeland. A tribunal was formed with the peasants themselves, foresters and tithes were appointed to oversee the field work. The officials, whose honesty was followed by the owner himself, wrote detailed reports. Within a few years, the republic had flourished: beautifully cultivated fields began to produce higher yields, and decently dressed and enlightened peasants voluntarily went to work and fixed their houses. Every 4 years, the landowner called a general assembly of the population, where he verified the data on births and deaths, spoke with the peasants and prepared a party for them with dances.
© DELFI / Toma Miknevičienė
The prosperous state was later recognized by the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland Stanislaus August Poniatowski. If it is not a threat of Russian occupation, perhaps we would still have a city-state in Lithuania, located near Vilnius. If this state had survived in the country for the last almost 250 years, it certainly could have acquired the status that small European states like Monaco, Andorra or the Vatican pride themselves on.
The republic collapsed when its founder, realizing that Russia would soon occupy the estates (through the divisions of Poland and Lithuania), withdrew to Saxony and changed the Republic of Paulava to a mansion there. The new leader, however, did not attempt to continue the activities of the republic, he returned the lot and expropriated the land, and later the properties were effectively occupied by Russia. The Republic of Paulava was one of the most radical of the 18th century. the second half of the peasant reforms in the Republic of the Two Nations. After the war, the priest Bzostovskis returned to Turgeliai, bought a house and continued to be a pastor in the Turgeliai church. He no longer interfered in the life of his old lands, the new owners succeeded at that time, then he went to Rukainiai, where he stuck until the end of his life.
18th century The ruins of the mansion are remembered today during the time of the progressive republic of Paulava.
Today the remains of the manor house, the gates, the stables and the ice cream parlors are preserved, and the chapel speaks of an exceptional past and invites you to touch the history. The Republic of Paulava, independent, innovative and unafraid of reforms, existed for 28 years (from 1769 to 1797). The inhabitants of Paulava fought valiantly against the Tsar’s army in 1794. during the uprising.
2012 The Pavlov Republic has been given a “second life”. About half a year of maintenance work, during which pedestrian paths and a parking lot, a landscaped plot, landscaped gardens, wastebaskets and information stands were installed, changed the area beyond recognition. Now Paulava has become a place of interest for the curious and tourists. The area is neat and still houses fragments of old buildings.
Location: Merkinė village, Šalčininkai district
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