Užupis

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“State border” of Užupis

Užupis is a district on the edge of the old town of Vilnius , the capital of Lithuania . The name means "beyond the river" ( už = behind, upė = river). It is the Vilnia or Vilnelė, which gives the city of Vilnius its name. Užupis is a small and self-contained district with around 0.6 km². On three sides it is separated from the old town by the river, on one side there are steep mountains and industrial sites that were built in the Soviet era.

history

The district used to be mostly inhabited by Jews . The first bridges were not built over the river until the 16th century. In 1810 the St. Bernard cemetery was established. A large part of the original population perished during the Holocaust and the Jewish cemetery was destroyed by the Soviets. The empty houses have been occupied by criminals, homeless people and prostitutes. Before the Lithuanian declaration of independence in 1990, the district was one of the most neglected in the city, many houses had neither electricity nor sanitary facilities.

Artist colony

Angels of Užupis
Place in Užupis
church

In the 1990s the district changed fundamentally. The quarter has become a popular residential area for urban artists and their bohemians . There are numerous art galleries , workshops and cafes here. Sometimes Užupis is compared to the bohemian Montmartre district in Paris, with which there is also a partnership.

As a result of the buying up of many houses by investors and the influx of business people and artists, the residents of Užupis, including many workers, small shop owners and other “common people”, were pushed out of their neighborhood. Užupis has become a trendy district and a tourist destination in which the process of gentrification has been completed.

Republic of Užupis

Some residents proclaimed the independent Republic of Užupis , which has a constitution, a flag and a president , as an art action . The twelve-man army has since been disbanded because Užupis is the only country in the world to have committed itself to a complete renunciation of force in its constitution. Despite the lack of recognition under international law, the Republic of Užupis is increasingly visited by foreign state representatives. The parliament building is the Café Užupio Kavinė ("Café of Užupis"), where the constitution has been laid down on a bronze plaque. The following translation corresponds to the table as it is published at the Paupio Gatve :

  1. Everyone has the right to live by the Vilnia River, and the Vilnia River has the right to flow past everyone.
  2. Everyone has the right to hot water, heating in winter and a tiled roof.
  3. Everyone has the right to die, but is not obliged to do so.
  4. Everyone has the right to be wrong.
  5. Everyone has the right to be unique.
  6. Everyone has the right to love.
  7. Everyone has the right not to be loved, but not necessarily.
  8. Everyone has the right not to be famous or known.
  9. Everyone has the right to laze about or do nothing.
  10. Everyone has the right to love and care for a cat.
  11. Everyone has the right to care for their dog until one of them dies.
  12. A dog has the right to be a dog.
  13. A cat is not obliged to love the owner of the house, but in difficult times it has to stand by him.
  14. Everyone has the right sometimes not to know whether they have obligations.
  15. Everyone has the right to doubt, but is not obliged to do so.
  16. Everyone has the right to be happy.
  17. Everyone has the right to be unhappy.
  18. Everyone has the right to remain silent.
  19. Everyone has the right to believe.
  20. Nobody has the right to use violence.
  21. Everyone has the right to understand their nothingness and their greatness.
  22. Nobody has the right to seek eternity.
  23. Everyone has the right to understand.
  24. Everyone has the right not to understand anything.
  25. Everyone has the right to belong to different nationalities.
  26. Everyone has the right to celebrate or not to celebrate their birthday.
  27. Everyone is obliged to remember their name.
  28. Everyone can share what they have with others.
  29. Nobody can share with others what they don't have.
  30. Everyone has the right to have siblings and parents.
  31. Everyone can be free.
  32. Everyone is responsible for their freedom.
  33. Everyone has the right to cry.
  34. Everyone has the right to remain misunderstood.
  35. Nobody has the right to make someone else guilty.
  36. Everyone has the right to personality.
  37. Everyone has the right not to have any rights.
  38. Everyone has the right not to be afraid
  39. Do not defeat
  40. Do not defend yourself
  41. do not give up

So far, 23 translations of the constitution in the national languages ​​of the ambassadors can be found in the street Paupio Gatve. B. Russian, French or Romanian and in other languages ​​such as Esperanto . Important state representatives are invited to the solemn unveiling of the constitution. On May 27, 2017, translations of the constitution in Hindi and Sanskrit were unveiled in the presence of, among others, the Indian Foreign Minister MJ Akbar and the Indian Ambassador.

For the Munich embassy in Užupis, Foreign Minister Thomas Chepaitis, Ambassador HE Max Haarich and AI expert Alex Waldmann jointly formulated an additional article: "Any artificial intelligence has the right to believe in a good will of humanity." Thus Užupis has the first constitution in the world in which artificial intelligence is mentioned.

Independence is celebrated on April 1st every year. On this day, Užupis holds elections and processions, appoints ambassadors and awards awards. In addition, there is a separate currency and border controls only on this day. On April 1, 2002, a monument was unveiled in the main square of the district, which has become a new symbol of Užupis. The sculpture depicts an angel who, playing the trumpet, symbolizes the renewal and artistic freedom of the district. Since then, Užupis has also been known as the “Angel Republic” and is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination.

Embassies of the Republic of Užupis

The Republic of Užupis is represented worldwide by over 200 ambassadors and honorary citizens such as the Dalai Lama . Mostly artists, creatives or cultural workers are appointed as ambassadors. They promote cultural exchange between the Republic of Užupis and its receiving state in terms of freedom of art. There are ambassadors for certain countries and larger cities, but also for other inspiring things like dandelions or the flute on the street. The ambassadors of the Republic of Užupis receive a teaching license at the virtual university of Užupis.

Reception in the film

  • Lithuania: Uzupi artists' republic. TV report, Germany, Lithuania, 2009, 4:50 min., Written and directed by Claudia Buckenmaier, series: Europamagazin, production: SWR , broadcast: January 10, 2009

Web links

Commons : Užupis  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Harald Standl: Gentrification in Vilnius (Lithuania) - the Example of Užupis . In: Europa regional , Vol. 12. Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig 2004, pp. 42–51.
  2. ↑ Tadas Šarūnas: Naujamiesčio pamatų duobės ir Sodų gatvės naujakuriai: kas ir ką pasakoja apie Vilniaus gentrifikaciją , accessed on October 26, 2018 (Lithuanian).
  3. ↑ Ludo Segers and Justinas Šuliokas | The Lithuania Tribune: Užupis adds Hindi and Sanskrit plaques to its Constitution Wall . In: DELFI . ( delfi.lt [accessed May 28, 2017]).
  4. ^ Vilnius: Užupis is One of the Hippest Neighborhoods in Europe - The Baltic Review . In: The Baltic Review . March 11, 2017 ( baltic-review.com [accessed May 28, 2017]).
  5. ^ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg Germany: Republic of Uzupis: A right to happiness - SPIEGEL ONLINE - travel. Retrieved May 28, 2017 .

Coordinates: 54 ° 40 ′ 50 ″  N , 25 ° 17 ′ 49 ″  E