Perloja
Encyclopedia
Perloja is a village in Varėna district, Lithuania
. It is situated 19 km (11.8 mi) to the west from Varėna
on the banks of Merkys River
and on the Vilnius
–Druskininkai
road. The village is known for the so-called Republic of Perloja, an independent micronation
that was established in the aftermath of World War I
and existed until 1923. According to the 2001 census, it had 774 inhabitants.
. Perloja is situated on both banks of the Merkys River, with the larger settlement on the right bank. In the forest close to Perloja there is the small but very deep lake Paperlojis. A monument of Vytautas the Great
was built in 1930 and was one of the few preserved during the times of the Soviet Lithuania
. In the centre of Perloja stands a church built in Neo-Gothic style
(built in 1928–1930) and a monument to the Lithuanian partisans
, who fought against the Russian occupation (built in 1995).
era, Perloja village was first mentioned in writing in 1378. Situated on the important Vilnius
–Hrodna
road, the village had a royal estate for accommodation of traveling Grand Dukes
and other Lithuanian nobles. After Christianization of Lithuania
, the village was one of the first places to construct a Catholic church funded by Vytautas the Great
. In 1710, during the Great Northern War
, the plague wiped out almost all inhabitants of Perloja. However the settlement recovered and was granted the Magdeburg rights
and coat of arms in 1792. The arms depicted a bull with Latin cross on its head. Possibly the image was borrowed from Kaunas
. The arms and the rights were soon abolished as the village was absorbed into the Russian Empire
following the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The historic coat of arms was restored in 1993.
. The Republic of Perloja had its own court, police, prison, currency (Perloja litas
), and an army of 300 men. This army engaged in fights with various military units. The self-government was preserved even during the Lithuanian–Soviet War
in 1919; the Parish Committee was simply renamed to a revolutionary committee
. After the Polish–Lithuanian War
for Vilnius Region
, Perloja was in the neutral zone established by the League of Nations
. In 1923, the zone was divided along the Merkys River, leaving one bank to Lithuania and another to the Second Polish Republic
. The Republic of Perloja existed with interruptions until 1923.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It is situated 19 km (11.8 mi) to the west from Varėna
Varena
Varėna is a city in Dzūkija, Lithuania.-History:The town was founded in 1862 near the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway, south of Sena Varėna . At that time it was a small settlement, but following steady development it eventually became the center of the district in 1950. In the interbellum...
on the banks of Merkys River
Merkys River
The Merkys is a river in southern Lithuania and northern Belarus. It flows for through Belarus, along the Belarusian–Lithuanian border, and through Lithuania before joining the Neman River near Merkinė....
and on the Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
–Druskininkai
Druskininkai
Druskininkai is a spa town on the Neman River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland. The city of Druskininkai has a population of 18,233 and dates back as a spa resort to the 19th century.-Names:...
road. The village is known for the so-called Republic of Perloja, an independent micronation
Micronation
Micronations, sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects, are entities that claim to be independent nations or states but which are not recognized by world governments or major international organizations...
that was established in the aftermath of World War I
Aftermath of World War I
The fighting in World War I ended in western Europe when the Armistice took effect at 11:00 am GMT on November 11, 1918, and in eastern Europe by the early 1920s. During and in the aftermath of the war the political, cultural, and social order was drastically changed in Europe, Asia and Africa,...
and existed until 1923. According to the 2001 census, it had 774 inhabitants.
Village
The village is surrounded by the Dainava ForestDainava Forest
The Dainava Forest is the largest forest in Lithuania. Located in Dzūkija region in southern Lithuania, it covers the total area of of which is covered by trees. A large part of the forest is protected by the Dzūkija National Park....
. Perloja is situated on both banks of the Merkys River, with the larger settlement on the right bank. In the forest close to Perloja there is the small but very deep lake Paperlojis. A monument of Vytautas the Great
Vytautas the Great
Vytautas ; styled "the Great" from the 15th century onwards; c. 1350 October 27, 1430) was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. Vytautas was the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
was built in 1930 and was one of the few preserved during the times of the Soviet Lithuania
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
. In the centre of Perloja stands a church built in Neo-Gothic style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
(built in 1928–1930) and a monument to the Lithuanian partisans
Lithuanian partisans
The Lithuanian partisans can refer to various irregular military units in different historical periods active in Lithuania against foreign invaders and occupiers:...
, who fought against the Russian occupation (built in 1995).
History
While archaeological research dates human presence in the area to the NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
era, Perloja village was first mentioned in writing in 1378. Situated on the important Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
–Hrodna
Hrodna
Grodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants...
road, the village had a royal estate for accommodation of traveling Grand Dukes
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
and other Lithuanian nobles. After Christianization of Lithuania
Christianization of Lithuania
The Christianization of Lithuania – Christianization of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that took place in 1387, initiated by the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila and his cousin Vytautas, that signified the official adoption of Christianity by Lithuanians, one of the last pagan...
, the village was one of the first places to construct a Catholic church funded by Vytautas the Great
Vytautas the Great
Vytautas ; styled "the Great" from the 15th century onwards; c. 1350 October 27, 1430) was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. Vytautas was the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
. In 1710, during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
, the plague wiped out almost all inhabitants of Perloja. However the settlement recovered and was granted the Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
and coat of arms in 1792. The arms depicted a bull with Latin cross on its head. Possibly the image was borrowed from Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
. The arms and the rights were soon abolished as the village was absorbed into the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
following the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The historic coat of arms was restored in 1993.
Republic of Perloja 1918–1923
In the chaos after World War I, Lithuania scrambled to establish functioning state structures and defend itself in the Lithuanian Wars of Independence against German, Soviet and Polish soldiers. In November 1918, responding to such situation the locals established a self-governing parish committee, often called the Republic of Perloja, chaired by Jonas Česnulevičius, veteran of the Imperial Russian ArmyImperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
. The Republic of Perloja had its own court, police, prison, currency (Perloja litas
Lithuanian litas
The Lithuanian litas is the currency of Lithuania. It is divided into 100 centų...
), and an army of 300 men. This army engaged in fights with various military units. The self-government was preserved even during the Lithuanian–Soviet War
Lithuanian–Soviet War
The Lithuanian–Soviet War or Lithuanian–Bolshevik War was fought between newly independent Lithuania and the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic in the aftermath of World War I. It was part of the larger Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919...
in 1919; the Parish Committee was simply renamed to a revolutionary committee
Revolutionary committee
Revolutionary committees or revkoms were Bolshevik-led organizations in Soviet Russia and in areas of its activities established to serve as provisional governments and temporary Soviet administrations in territories under the control of the Red Army in 1918-1920, during the Russian Civil War and...
. After the Polish–Lithuanian War
Polish–Lithuanian War
The Polish–Lithuanian War was an armed conflict between newly independent Lithuania and Poland in the aftermath of World War I. The conflict primarily concerned territorial control of the Vilnius Region, including Vilnius , and the Suwałki Region, including the towns of Suwałki, Augustów, and Sejny...
for Vilnius Region
Vilnius region
Vilnius Region , refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania, that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time,...
, Perloja was in the neutral zone established by the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. In 1923, the zone was divided along the Merkys River, leaving one bank to Lithuania and another to the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. The Republic of Perloja existed with interruptions until 1923.