Užupis, which means "on the other side of a river" (the Vilnia River in the case), is a 0.6 square km district of Vilnius, near the Old Town. The region, often compared with Montmartre in Paris, is quite popular with artists, and houses art galleries, artists' workshops, and popular cafés. In 1997, the district declared itself an independent republic (the Republic of Užupis).
"CONSTITUTION:
Everyone has the right to live by the River Vilnia, while the River Vilnia has the right to flow by everyone.
Everyone has the right to hot water, heating in winter and a tiled roof.
Everyone has the right to die, but it is not an obligation.
Everyone has the right to make mistakes.
Everyone has the right to be unique.
Everyone has the right to love.
Everyone has the right not to be loved, but not necessarily.
Everyone has the right to be undistinguished and unknown.
Everyone has the right to idle.
Everyone has the right to love and take care of the cat.
Everyone has the right to look after a dog untill one of them dies.
A dog has the right to be a dog.
A cat is not obliged to love its owner, but must help in time of need.
Sometimes everyone has the right to be unaware of his duties.
Everyone has the right to be in doubt, but this is not an obligation.
Everyone has the right to be happy.
Everyone has the right to be unhappy.
Everyone has the right to be silent.
Everyone has the right to have faith.
No one has the right to violence.
Everyone has the right to appreciate his unimportance.
Everyone has the right to have a design on eternity.
Everyone has the right to understand.
Everyone has the right to understand nothing.
Everyone has the right to be of any nationality.
Everyone has the right to celebrate or not to celebrate his birthday.
Everyone shall remember his name.
Everyone may share what he possesses.
No-one can share what he does not possess.
Everyone has the right to have brothers, sisters and parents.
Everyone may be independent.
Everyone is responsible for his freedom.
Everyone has the right to cry.
Everyone has the right to be misunderstood.
No-one has the right to make another person guilty.
Everyone has the right to be individual.
Everyone has the right to have no rights.
Everyone has the right not to be afraid.
Do not defeat.
Do not fight back.
Do not surrender"
"ANGEL - On April 4, 2001, a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet was unveiled in the main square of Uzupis to replace the former sculpture of an egg. It seems it was intended to symbolize the revival of and the artistic freedom of Uzupis"
"STREET ART"
"INDUSTRIAL AREA - On one of the sides of Uzupis, there is an industrial area built under the Soviet rule, including this former church..."
"ST. BARTHOLOMEW CHURCH"
"PORTUGALIJOS - What is Portugal doing there?"
"PATIO - After WWII, the houses left empty by the Holocaust were occupied by marginal elements of society. Nowadays, artists and bohemians are the most important part of the residents"
"UZUPIS STREET"
"UZUPIO CAFE"
"MERMAID"
"ART GALLERY"
"VILNIA RIVER"
"TOURIST COUPLE"
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58 comments:
This is my last post on Lithuania 2008. It’s dedicated to the Republic of Uzupis, something similar to the Conch Republic in Key West or to other forms existing somewhere else. Hope you enjoy and have a superb week. It’s going to be hard to get back to work after a week with so many holidays... ;))
i love those unheard of little places, and your photos do them justice...
j'aime bcp la statue de la sirène et la maison des arts
J'adore le Patio...
Yes, Montmartre also pretends to be an indepenent republic, but they don't have their own river!
Fascinating place with lot of good subjects for a photographer. More places around the world should have had a constitution like that.
Dear author,
Thank you for the amazing blog-posts. You have made so many delightful and beautiful photos of Lithuania. I can't even recognize my own country and city in your blog. Looks magical. You sure have for an eye for the photography ;)
WOW~~ I adore the Constitution..the dogs must be very happy that they're allowed to be dogs!
The mermaid shot is so..haunting. I love it!!
It seems like a must see place! Everytime we see your post we regret we didn´t go to Vilnius on our trip to Poland.
Beautiful, you show us little known parts of the world. Loved the snaps of angle, mermaid and architecture. Interesting constitutional rights.
awesome. are these bill their bill of rights? anyways, thank you for another wonderful tour of another country that is not really well-known and having seen these photographs made me feel that i have gone there with you and your beautiful wife. have a safe trip always.
I had fun reading the constitutional rights of the Uzupis Republic. It's well worth a read. Uzupis looks like a very interesting place. Love the "TOURIST COUPLE" shot. :)
Hi Gil,
Thank you for popping by!
You are taking us to such interesting places!
This one is something like Christianina in Copenhagen, but I like Uzupi better: in Christiania, it is not even allowed to take photos, as if they would be hiding something from the world...
Where everything is possible, go to Uzupis. Nice ad eh?
Thank you for a virtual tour of places I'll never get to. Great shots.
Superb pictures as always! Loved every single one of them!
The constitution is wonderful too ;)
Definitely a lovely spot for lunch! Oh, that was the previous entry, but this one looks good too.
How do you apply for Uzupian citizenship?
Love the pictures. And if that is the real constitution, it's amazing! And kind of funny...
Shawna's Study Abroad
I love that constitution..amazing lines..:) Yes, Im back after travelling and getting back to the blog world ..looks like loads to catch up on
Very interesting place. I am sure tourist couple bought many sovenirs..hehehe. Love the quotes ...
Dis moi, il me semble que tu voyages toujours avec ce couple de touristes, j'imagine qu'ils sont d'agréables compagnons.
:)
Cette république posséde tout ce qui est nécessaire pour être en autarcie, mais l'est-elle vraiment ? A-telle les hôpitaux, les écoles, les institutions ?
En tout les cas un joli petit coin de paradis terrestre où on ne doit mourir ni de faim ni de soif ni d'insolation...
the more photos you post, the more this place seems interesting! amazing!
Lovely,Fantastic,Awesome,Great,Mind blowing,I really dnt have the words to express the beauty of this blog..Great..Unseen Rajasthan
Hi GMG! I'd really never heard of this place. It's so beautiful. Thanks for sharing these pictures. Since I love hangin out with friends every now and then, I loved the cafe very much! Looks like a perfect place to hang out!
Just like Kopenhavn, even the mermaid is there!
Charming town! It suits the cute constitution (if only it was that simple). Peace to you.
Thank you Trotter!!
I'm passing on your post to my friends!
Please thank Mrs Trotter too!
Constance
Oh wow, beautiful beautiful and so interesting! I liked the constitution, its written in a lighter vein. Never knew about this little 'republic'.
Sorry been missing here for a while ;) Appreciate you dropping by Gil.
Hey, I have never heard of this place before and it is beautiful, you sure travelled well ;D
Looks very nice ! never heard of Uzupis, I first thought it was a joke because in french when somebody comes from somewhere nobody knows we say he comes from itziblue and Uzupis sounds alike, lol !
The constitution of the Republic is unique. I liked the mermaid but other pictures were equally very good.
Gil, that constitution is worth reading, it's really interesting and you placed it well at the beginning of the post. I've enjoyed all the wonderful images, from the St. Bartholomew Church to the patio, Uzupis Street, the mermaid, the always very nice tourist couple.
About my blog, I'm glad you appreciate Gobbi!
Have a great weekend! :-)
I love the shot of the constitution. You have some very interesting angles in this series, Gil! Very interesting area, very colorful. Nice work!
Hope I can travel like you do & your gorgeous wify.
Yeah! soon... §:-))
Thanks for peeking me back and hope to see more pix around Peru & of course more Stockholm & Philippines.
Cheers for a chilly & rainy evening.
Greetings from Stockholm City
/R
You find the most interesting places to explore. I wonder how many days of the year you are traveling? It must be a lot! That's a great photo of the tourist couple! :)
Very nice pictures. I can honestly say I've never heard of this place. I enjoy your history lesson with each blog post, keep them coming.
Thanks for your wishes about the Penguins. It sure was a fun ride. The Steelers won the Super Bowl in Feb. and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup last week. Pittsburgh sure is the city of Champions.
Gil! this post is really amusing! I just love the constitution showed above! I think it could the solution for a lot of troubles nowadays...
I didn't know anything about this place, so now I can rest peacefuly and go to bed because at least there is one thing new I've learnt in my day!
Good night :)
As always love looking at the street and building photos. Love the one where you are looking at the church through the archway. I read most of the rules.
I liked the arty corners! Littauen (in German) is very pretty, never was there... and I liked the traveling couple too :)
Hi Gil,
I'm so sorry not to be seen so often anymore as a visitor of your blog! It has nothing to do with your blog, it's more about my VERY bad connections and not so much time I have during my travels. But it's still nice to hear, that I'm getting missed...LOL... :)
If we settle down, maybe pretty soon, then I'll have all the time again and I'll be there - promise! o.k.? :)
Thanks for all your kind comments and your loyal visits! I appreciate your words always!
Susanne
Sue's Daily Photography
thank you for the wonderful; tour of Užupis sir! it was excellent!
an amazing constitution!
Happy belated birthday to your Dad. Thank you Gil for showing me this lovely place and it's constitution....rules for all of us. My favorite photo is the "tourist". Have s super great weekend. ~ Lynn
Ah, the laws are the best. We could use some of them, too ;-) Nice tourist couple.
Lovely little place. Love the cafe by the river and the mermaid. Artists in the area would have painted it up so it gives it a personal touch as well.:)
Hi Everybody! It seems you enjoyed Uzupis, even if only some of you paid attention to the Constitution; it’s a truly amazing text, and it surely deserved the attention you gave it!! Thanks for your wonderful comments and have a great week!
Eye,
Unheard, but always interesting... ;)
Olivier,
La Maison des Arts est très charmante et la sirène pourrait être aussi à Copenhague; même si Hans-Christian n’est pas là… ;)
G@tto,
Ah, bien sûr. La photo du Patio est la plus transgressive que j’ai pris dans tout le quartier… ;)
Peter,
And I don’t think they ever managed to draw up a Constitution; it would take too many «comités» to get to a short result… ;)
Rune,
Just imagine people ruled that way… There must be lots of booze flowing in those bars at night… ;))
Regis,
Whoever you are (couldn’t enter the profile), I’m thrilled: Thanks for the compliment; it’s hard to get them from the residents of the places you post... Thanks again!!
Mariposa,
Aren’t you happy to be allowed to be? Just imagine the dogs... ;)) That’s a great feeling, surely... ;))
Vagamundos,
I wouldn’t say it is a must see! But it surely deserves a detour, to use the Michelin codes; at least from Poland... ;)
Rajesh,
It’s not such a small world... ;)
Thanks for keeping your interest on these small details from around our world. The Constitution is amazing beyond any reasonable doubt!! ;)
Norman,
A true Bill of Rights! Some of those rights would make a great difference in some countries around the world... ;)). My pleasure to make you travel around the world; that’s the only decent counterpart I can make to your fabulous trips in Philippines!!!
Asian Traveler,
I fully agree with you; it’s well worth the time you spend reading it; even without a terrible professional deformation... ;))
Andrea,
Great to read you back here! It takes time, but it’s worth every character!!
Christiania has raised lots of conflicts between residents and the authorities; I haven’t heard of this kind of problems in Uzupis. At least, no cannabis was sold on the streets... ;))
Brigida,
Probably not everything, but quite a lot... ;))
Diane,
Never say never. Who knows... ;)
Rakesh,
I thought you would be interested in reading the constitutional stuff; an amazing text, to say the least... ;))
Ted,
«Everyone has the right to make mistakes», but as they say, «it’s not an obligation»... ;))
99,
I knew you would be the first on the application list; better try it on a Bar at night... ;))
Shawna,
Well, the real of the virtual... ;) But, you know, things are as they are, so the better way to see it is to get there... ;))
Lakshmi,
You have been travelling a lot for our entertainment; but it’s always great to have you back to commenting and posting... Take your time!! ;))
Alice SG,
Not many souvenirs: amber is quite expensive... ;))
Lucie,
Tu sais, ces types, ils se collent; c’est une espèce de «Second Life»… Le problème est qu’ils voyagent de moins en moins et alors nous restons au fauteil. Drôle de vie… ;)
Comme république je ne crois pas qu’elle se tienne; j’ai vu une école, mais pas d’hôpital dans le quartier. Mais église, il y en a du moins une – St. Bartholomée; l’autre a été déguisé en usine et le reste toujours… ;)
Lara,
It’s finished my dear (I mean, the posts…); so now, the only chance to see how interesting it can be is packing and flying there… ;))
Second part for the benefit of Blogger...
Unseen Rajasthan,
Come on, if you take all the words, how will I manage to describe the blog of your travel company? ;)) I don’t forget those pictures of the sites in Jaisalmer that I’ll visit one day!
Kcalpesh,
You may take note of the Uzupio Café as a very nice hangout location; one gay you may land in Vilnius, who knows… ;)
Hélène,
It looks a bit like Copenhagen, but different from Christiania… ;)
Leo,
With a Constitution like it would be much simpler, it looks… ;))
Constance,
Thanks! My pleasure to see you passing my post to your friends! Guida (Mrs. Trotter) is also delighted!! ;)
Priyank,
Don’t think anyone« knows» about this «republic»… unless you happen to get there or have friends that have been there… ;)
Beety,
Don’t worry; nobody has heard... ;))
Gattina,
You surely aren’t the first one not to have heard of the Uzupis Republic… Itziblue? Couldn’t find any clue… Not even at the Larousse or the Bordas… probably Belgian French… ;))
Subramanian,
Unique, indeed! The only one by (and flooded by) the River Vilnele!! ;)
Pietro,
As a Fundamental Law, it had to be at the beginning; Kelsen, oblige… ;))
Tito Gobbi was a great talent!!
Paul,
Thanks! Usually I don’t pay much attention to the angle, rather to the catch; but it’s true that sometimes it works quite well!!
Richie,
Thanks! I haven’t been to Stockholm, Peru and the Philippines lately; so the best I can manage is 1998 for Stockholm, Manila 1999 and Peru 2000. But that was pre-digital and should be posted on Revival 90s, a blog somehow neglected due to the evident lack of interest of my fellow bloggers… ;))
Lori,
It used to be a lot – I mean an average of 160 nights slept abroad every year. Now, since 2003, I’m happy if I manage to get to the 30 figure… ;)
Ron,
You’re not the only one who had never heard of Uzupis Republic… ;)
Glad that there is something to keep the mood in high level: City of Champions looks great!!
Dsole,
Good girl: learning one thing a day makes you a great lady ;)) Like our saying: «grão a grão, enche a galinha o papo»… ;)
Barb,
Glad you enjoyed the street pictures. The Constitution deserves a reading… ;)
Sue,
I know you love the arty corners and you have the experience of one of these republics, having lived in the Conch!!
Enjoy your tour and don’t worry with the bad connections!!
Magiceye,
Glad that you liked it!!
Maria,
You’re quite right!!
Lynn,
Thanks for the greetings and for the «tourist»! Great rules... ;)
Ingrid,
It would make things much easier with some of those rules.
Thanks for the compliments!!
Lady’s,
The Cafe is in a lovely location and the houses by the River are quite charming!!
That constitution did remind me of the Conch Republic's! That was fun to read.
I love the mermaid photo and the tourst photo at the end. It looks like it was a memorable trip!
Pat,
It surely reminds the Conch Republic, except for the weather and Sloppy Joe's Bar... ;)
I love the statue of the mermaid perched upon the sill!
Shantanu,
It's a bit weird, as usually mermaids rarely stand... ;)
hey GIL,
nice awesome picx, wat i really liked was the street art even in India v had street art, the street totally filled with posters of movies, politics ads and much more which makes each street more colorful lol...
so how r u n ur parents health...
Kven,
http://kollywoodmoviereview.blogspot.com/
Kven,
Thanks for the concern. Things are running smoothly...
Tey actually have soime colourful spots in Uzupis...
That constitutional stuff was indeed good to read. Thanks for another lovely post.
Celine,
You see; no need of a professional deformation to love it... ;))
Yes, Uzupis belongs to my favourite and native city Vilnius :))
Greetings from Lithuania!
Egle - BAAC audiovisual conference organizator
Egle,
Welcome commenting here for the first time! Thanks for the greetings and enjoy Uzupis!!
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