Once upon a time, several dwarf states existed in the current territory of Lithuania, which were unique throughout Europe. Mantas Brazdzionis, a traveler who visited two of them, notes that the mini-republics of that time have a number of common features, but differences can also be found.
"The impressions from these exceptional locations are truly extraordinary. We can only be happy that our land was once famous for its impressive historical dwarf republics", observes M. Brazdžionis.
The traveler shares his impressions from two places in the southern part of Lithuania on the YouTube platform.
In the Šalčininkai district, the buildings of the Paulava (Pavlovo) republic are distinguished by their grandeur and special aura. It was founded in 1769 by a young local priest, Povilas Ksaveras Bzhostovskis, in a very picturesque place near the Merkis River, after he bought the Merkinė village estate.
The Paulava Republic existed for 26 years - from 1769 to 1795. It was also distinguished by modern ideas for those times. At that time, it was the only pan-European mini-state.
The founder and president of the republic, PK Bzhostovskis, abolished the law and distributed estate lands to the peasants in exchange for work. Local residents had personal freedom and could freely manage their property. The Republic took great care of the life, culture and education of the peasants: it established a school, published books, and made sure that there were also medical services.
This area prospered so much that in just 15 years the income in Paulava doubled. News soon spread about this unique republic and the foreign press was interested in its life, honorable guests from other countries came here.
As the division of the Republic of the Two Peoples approached, PK Bzhostovskis realized that the territory would soon be occupied by Tsarist Russia, so he exchanged the Paulava Republic for an estate abroad. The new owner did not care at all about the innovations introduced, so he returned the log.
Soon this area was indeed occupied by Tsarist Russia, and the estate lasted until World War II. During his time, the buildings of the manor were badly damaged, and the main palace was also destroyed fire.
However, a few years ago the manor's ice cream parlor was completely rebuilt. During the works, windows, ceilings, reinforced walls and foundations were restored, and roof structures were restored.
After the fall of the Republic, after emigrating to Germany and Italy for a while, PK Bzhostovskis later returned and settled in the nearby town of Turgeliai.
Another mini-state existed in Varėna district, in Perloja. The Republic of Perloja had an independent self-government and was managed separately from all the official state institutions that existed in Lithuania at that time. In 1918, during the general meeting of residents, a local committee was elected, which took care of household affairs and the protection of the territory.
During the consolidation of Lithuania's independence, the defense unit of Perloja was particularly distinguished, which repeatedly had to fight against enemy army units. At that time, the lands of Perloja were in the neutral zone between Lithuania and Poland, so it was especially important to take care of the country's defense.
After the establishment of the demarcation line between Lithuania and Poland in 1923, Perloja remained on the territory of Lithuania, while the other bank of the Merkis River already belonged to Poland.
