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St. Bartholomew Church in Užupis

Užupis (Polish: Zarzecze) is a district of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, partially located in the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its name means "on the other side of a river"; that river is the Vilnia River which gave Vilnius its name. The region has been popular with artists for some time, and is often compared with Montmartre in Paris. The district houses art galleries, artists' workshops, and popular cafés. The district declared itself an independent republic (the Republic of Užupis) in 1997.

[edit] Geography

Užupis is quite small and isolated, being only about 148 acres (0.60 km²) in size. On one side it is separated from the Old Town by the Vilnia River, on the other there are steep hills, and on the third there is an industrial area built under the Soviet rule. The first bridges across the river were built in the 16th century, at which time the district's inhabitants were mostly Jewish.

[edit] History

The district contains Bernardine Cemetery, one of the oldest in the city. Most of the district's Jewish population vanished during the Holocaust, and later even the old Jewish Cemetery would be destroyed by the Soviets. The houses left empty by the Holocaust were occupied by marginal elements of society, the homeless, and prostitutes. At the end of XIX century in Užupis there lived Felix Dzerzhinsky and later - Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. Until Lithuania's declaration of independence in 1990, it was one of the most neglected areas in the city, containing many run-down houses, many without utilities. The region has been a common haunt of artists and bohemians since Soviet times, and even today many young artists are squatting in abandoned buildings near the Vilnia River.

[edit] The Republic of Užupis

Sign at the border of Užupis

In 1997, the residents of the area declared a Republic of Užupis, with its own flag, currency, president, constitution, and an army (numbering approximately 12 men)^[1]. They celebrate this independence annually on Užupis Day, which falls on April 1st. Artistic endeavours are the main preoccupation of the Republic and indeed the current President of the Republic of Užupis, Romas Lileikis, is himself a poet, musician, and film director. The first major initiative undertaken by the Republic after its foundation was to build a monument for Frank Zappa, in Vilnius.

Artūras Zuokas, a former mayor of Vilnius, lives in Užupis and frequently takes part in the Republic's events.

It is unclear whether the statehood of the Republic, recognized by no government, is intended to be serious, tongue-in-cheek, or a combination of both. The decision to place Užupis Day on April 1 (April Fools' Day) may not be coincidental.

[edit] Constitution of Užupis

The earlier sculpture of an egg before the Angel of Užupis was erected in its place

Copies of the 41 articles of the Republic's constitution, in three languages, can be found affixed to a wall on Paupio street in the area. Some of these articles would be unremarkable in a constitution; for instance, Article 5 simply reads "Man has the right to individuality.". Others are more idiosyncratic. A typical example can be found in Articles 1 ("People have the right to live by the River Vilnelė, while the River Vilnelė has the right to flow past people."), 12 ("A dog has the right to be a dog.") and 37 ("People have the right to have no rights."), each of which makes an unusual apportionment of rights. There are a number of paired articles, such as Articles 16 ("People have the right to be happy.") and 17 ("People have the right to be unhappy.") which declare people's right to either do or not do something, according to their desire.^[2]

[edit] Angel of Užupis

The Angel of Užupis

On April 4, 2002, a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet was unveiled in the main square. It was intended to symbolize the revival and artistic freedom of the district^{[citation needed]}.

Previously, a temporary sculpture of an egg stood in its place. The egg itself became the subject of various anecdotes. After being replaced by the larger statue, the egg was sold at an auction for 10,200 litas.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• They tore down Lenin's statue - and raised one to Frank Zappa, article in Guardian Unlimited
• Užupis case study at Exchange Network for Sustainable Urban Revitalisation Experience
• Meeting the president of Užupis, video

Coordinates: 54°40′50″N 25°17′49″E / 54.68056°N 25.29694°E / 54.68056; 25.29694