Summer fun: old photos reveal how Panevėžys residents spent their summer between wars | You know?

This text was published for the first time On the page of the Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library. Reprinted with permission of the library.

The first address is Berčiūnai

“Everyone go to Berčiūnai Station” – These advertising slogans appeared on the covers of “Panevėžio balso” at the beginning of the summer season.

Berčiūnai, located at the picturesque confluence of the Nevėžis and Sanžilė rivers, was a special place between the wars: residents of Panevėžys flocked to Berčiūnai to swim, have fun, and breathe fresh air.

Berčiūnai obtained tourist zone status in 1933. Under the care of the Panevėžys municipality and the resort’s forestry director, Jonas Kasperavičius, efforts were made to make the resort area as attractive as possible to tourists: a special train reached the complex, electricity, telephone line, carefully maintained area, recreation and weekend health, medical care for tourists.

The complex near Panevėžys was loved by students, intellectuals and the nobility. Writer, pedagogue, public figure Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė, 1936-1938, voluntarily spent summers in Berčiūnai. Salomėja Nėris, who lived and taught in Panevėžys, with the sculptor Bernardas Bučas, teachers of the city.

Tadas Chodakauskas, Mayor of Panevėžys, Agronomist, then Vice President of the Seimas Alfonsas Gilvydis, Bishop Kazimieras Paltarokas, Head of the City Library Elžbieta Jodinskaitė, School Inspector Juozas Sideravičius, Director of the Panevėžys Teachers ‘Seminary, Panevysžys Teachers’ Seminary

Read more about the Berčiūnai complex here.

The second address is Anykščiai

Another popular holiday destination in the interwar years is the Anykščiai region. Panevėžys pedagogue and musician Mykolas Karka had a villa in Janydžiai, where residents of Panevėžys were also invited to rest.

“The owners of Anykščiai summer houses are honored to offer Tamsta accommodation in the healthiest and most beautiful summer houses in Lithuania: mountainous surroundings, sand dunes, pine forests, Šventoji river, beach, electric light in the rooms , telephone, 2 dining rooms. Connection from Kaunas – 3 buses, from Panevėžys – 3 buses and 2 trains per day. Room prices – from 80 LTL to 200 LTL for the whole summer “, – M. Karka announced the rest at his villa.

After graduating from the school year, students, gymnastics students and teachers from Panevėžys primary schools visited Anykščiai.

Panevėžys City Primary School No. Chronicle 1 describes 1931 A joint excursion of students and teachers from Panevėžys Primary School to Anykščiai took place in early summer:

“<…> the tour lasted two days. A separate train was run, specially hired for students. The mood of the students was good and the songs were endless. <…>

In Anykščiai, he spent the night in Laskauskus, on a beautiful farm near Šventoji. First, the writer A. Vienuolis and the bishop were visited under his patronage. A. Barn of Baranauskas, where the respected writer gave interesting explanations to the students and showed old and rare items. Thanks to the welcome reception, the students who marched in beautiful couples through the city will head to the beautiful shores from Šventoji to Puntukas. Although there was a long way to go, the students ran happily and were happy to finally see with their own eyes the fabulous Puntukas, that beautifully sung Anykščiai bush. <…>

We visit the church, where after a short prayer and asking for our strength, we allow ourselves to see more interesting things in Anykščiai and enjoy the views of the beautiful nature.

We visit the gym, the famous Anykščiai wine workshop, where the owner of the company is Ms. [Ida Ema] Karazijienė greeted us kindly, showed us how wine is made and even gave us all wine and lemonade. We then turned through the fields towards the Thick Mountain, from where it was especially beautiful to look around and see the surroundings.

We had also decided to go to Lake Rubikiai, but when there were differences of opinion among the teachers, this idea was postponed. Therefore, we go to “Anykščiai Switzerland”, to Piestupis. We didn’t feel like tour time passed and we had to rush to get to the train. “

Surviving photographs show that in the 1930s. August. Visiting Anykščiai Parish, Bishop Kazimieras Paltarokas of Panevėžys met the writer A. Vienuolis-Žukauskas, immortalized in the barn of Bishop A. Baranauskas, visited Puntukas, admired the surroundings of Anykščiai from Storiai hill …

The third direction is to travel around Lithuania.

During the interwar period, family car trips in Lithuania in summer were popular. After inviting like-minded people, the families visited other regions of Lithuania and the natural and architectural monuments located in them.

This is how the priest Augustinas Liepinis remembers the summer car trips “through beautiful Lithuania” with the family of Juozas and Sofija Baris from Panevėžys: “It is possible to say” without salting “that almost, almost all Lithuanian roads are driven out. <…>.

I have done most of the excursions in Lithuania with the young enthusiasts Sofía and Juozas Barisas. <…> Juozas Barisas, having settled in Panevėžys, initially bought an old Opelukas with a covered lid, <…>, removable roof.

In front of the car, next to the driver, there was a larger person, in the back seat, in the trunk; otherwise, a couple of slimmer travelers crowded into it. Many times I also had to travel in that trunk. Travel enthusiasts were not put off by the inconvenience of the trip. As soon as we leave any town, we put out our “excursion anthem”: “Wherever I go, I will get lodging …”

The wind, alone, whistles in our heads and tickles the bravely restored forehead in front of it. It was a pity to stop our “express”, because in those days most of the horses were still very afraid of such “passes” (phenomena). When horses on the road were afraid, they should also hear soft expressions and harsh words from their owners. <…>

When horses on the road were afraid, they should also hear soft expressions and harsh words from their owners.

After the Baris bought a better car, a newer Opel, we went to meet Dzūkija and Zanavykija on beautiful days of a summer week; we wanted to see the sincere Dzuks and the proud Suvalkians with our own eyes. <…> Where will I mention all the excursions and picnics with the Barises in charming Lithuania? Although pleasant, full of all kinds of impressions, travel with them through the “crowded” part of Samogitia. <…>

Here are the Ravens, the ancient Medininkai. The great Lithuanian bishop and educator Motiejus Valančius is before your eyes. <…> Go, Kražiai … <…> And only by visiting the beautifully decorated and maintained shrines by the Samogitians did the spirit feel stronger for unknown future events. “

There are also many photos of summer trips in the photographic archive of the priest Povilas Šidlauskas.

The priest P. Šidlauskas together with the family of J. and S. Barissas also traveled several times in Lithuania: he visited Vepriai St. The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the famous Calvary of Vepriai, he enjoyed the pleasures that Lake Vepriai offers , visited the homeland of the priest Fr. Šidlauskas in Puknioniai (Linkuva district), the Pasvalys region and others.

The background of the teacher, the musician Mykolas Karkas contains photos of the families of Mykolas Karkas and of the teacher, the artist Pranas Giedravičius, traveling by car to the beach. The Vytautas and Silvija Vilkončiai Family Fund stores photos of Bronislovas Žiaunis, a teacher of Silvija Žiaunytė-Vilkončienė’s father, on motorcycle tours in Lithuania.

The fourth direction is the Lithuanian coast.

Residents of Panevėžys, who have greater financial opportunities, visited other Lithuanian resorts or the Lithuanian coast in the summer.

The fund of Professor Irena Moigytė preserves a photograph in which the notary of Panevėžys Jonas Moigis and his wife were immortalized near the village “Jūratė” in Palanga.

The family of teachers Peter and Julija Rapšiai loved to rest in Palanga. In the background of Professor Aleksandra Šilgalytė from Palanga we can find photos of the summer sports courses of the teachers in Palanga, visiting the port of Šventoji, etc. t. The Motiejus Lukšys Foundation of the teacher and writer stores photographs of M. Lukšis family vacation moments in Birštonas.

Panevėžys Primary School No. Chronicle 1 describes an interesting and meaningful trip of students and teachers to the Klaipėda region, which took place in 1935. June The trip for each student “with food and accommodation costs more than 16 Lt”, excursion of 4 days.

Arriving in Klaipeda by train, the travelers stayed at the Klaipėda Vytautas Magnus Gymnasium palace, where “they spent a good night in rooms, specially equipped beds, although everyone had to pay 50 ct per night for it. On the first day we visit the Klaipeda cemetery, the monument to those who died outside the Klaipeda region, the shipbuilding factory, the ruins of the old castle, the market, the city, the biggest shop, then we move to Smiltyne By boat, we walk through a beautiful pine forest and arrive in Kopgalis.

From here we come to our grandmother’s Baltic Strip, where we all wake up happily and splash her cold foam. The next day we sail to Nida, our fabulous Sahara. <…>

We all ran up the steep dune hill, where we slid back with all the sand.

We all ran up the steep dune hill, where we slid back with all the sand.

It was indescribably fun everywhere. We reach the same height, from where we can see the Baltic Sea on one side and the Curonian Lagoon on the other. What the students didn’t realize here: and the pile turned into dunes, and the race kept rolling in the clean sand anyway.

Here we met, like a hermit, the director of the Gliding School that measures wind speed, Mr. [Joną] The cakes we went to see the schools with, where we signed the book and got acquainted with the gliders and their equipment. Although it was somewhat interrupted by the rain here, but after it passed, we all marched to the seashore, where great waves rumbled fabulously and washed the edge, foaming. Here all the children are stunned when looking for amber, choosing precious stones. <…>

The next day we went out to the harbor, to the docks, to the seashore and to the Klaipeda lighthouse. There were big waves, it is a particularly interesting coast. In the evening we took a walk through the city of Klaipeda and the pine forest and, after sleeping, we went to the station in the morning, where a prepared car was waiting for us. We all sat comfortably and did not even feel like we met at Panevėžys again. <…>

All the travelers were very happy and satisfied, especially saying that they did not forget how we wandered through Nida behind the pines and looked for a path ”, wrote the principal S. Janauskas in the school chronicle.

In preparing the information, extracts from the manuscripts of the memoirs of the priest Augustinas Liepinis and extracts from the Panevėžys Primary School no. 1 Chronicles and excerpts of articles from the interwar newspaper.

Photos and documents of the funds of the protected persons in the Department of Dissemination of the National Cultural Heritage of the Public Library G. Petkevičaitė-Bit of Panevėžys County – Mykolas Karkas Foundation F12, Laima Rapšytė Foundation F70, Chodakauskas Family Foundation F118, Foundation Motiejus Lukšis F68, Aleksandras Šilgalytė Foundation F96, Laima Barisaitė Foundation F155, Vytautas and Silvija Vilkončiai Foundation F154, Unique Manuscripts Foundation F8, photographs from the archives of the Diocese of Panevėžys Curia, personal archives of the Kristuskupas de Šidlažas newspapers, , as well as brochures published between the wars, advertising brochures.

The information was prepared by Sigita Marcinkevičienė, Department of Dissemination of the National Cultural Heritage of the Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library of Panevėžys County.