Užupis

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St. Bartholomew Church in Užupis
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.

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[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. 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

The Frank Zappa monument in Vilnius. It is not located in Užupis itself, but it was the first major project undertaken by the community.
The Frank Zappa monument in Vilnius. It is not located in Užupis itself, but it was the first major project undertaken by the community.

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). 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.

[edit] Statehood

Sign at the border of Užupis
Sign at the border of Užupis

According to the commonly-accepted declarative theory of statehood, a given entity need only meet certain structural criteria in order to become a state. The alternative constitutive theory requires that the entity be recognised as sovereign by other states.

The criteria for the declarative theory are often taken from Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention 1933. This article would require a putative state to have:

  • a permanent population
  • a defined territory
  • a government
  • the capacity to enter into relations with other states

While the Republic of Užupis ostensibly meets these four criteria, it is far from clear, objectively speaking, whether or not the statehood of the Republic is intended to be serious, tongue-in-cheek, or even some combination of the two. The decision to place Užupis Day on April 1st (April Fools' Day) may not be coincidental.

[edit] Constitution of Užupis

A placeholder statue of an egg before the Angel of Užupis was erected
A placeholder statue of an egg before the Angel of Užupis was erected

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 ("Man has the right to live by the River Vilnelė, while the River Vilnelė has the right to flow by man."), 12 ("A dog has the right to be a dog.") and 37 ("Man has 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 ("Man has the right to be happy.") and 17 ("Man has the right to be unhappy.") which define man's right to either do or not do something, according to his desire.

[edit] Angel of Užupis

The Užupis Angel
The Užupis Angel

On April 4th 2001, a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet was unveiled in the main square. It is intended to symbolize the revival and artistic freedom of the district[citation needed]. Not unrelatedly, the Republic of Užupis is sometimes called the "Republic of Angels".

Before the permanent angel sculpture was put in place, a temporary sculpture of an egg stood as a placeholder. The egg itself became the subject of much talk, and various anecdotes are attached to it[citation needed]. After being removed to make way for the larger statue, the egg was sold in an auction for 10,200 litas.

[edit] External links