Užupis

Užupis is quite small and isolated, being only about {{convert|148|acre|ha|abbr=in|order=flip}} in size; it has around 7,000 inhabitants, nearly 1,000 of which are artists.{{BSN|date=April 2024}} On one side it is separated from the Old Town by the Vilnia River, on the second there are steep hills, and on the third side, it borders on an industrial area built under Soviet rule. The first bridges across the river were built in the 16th century, when the district's inhabitants were mostly Jewish.

Image:Graffiti Užupis Vilnius.jpg on one of Užupis' buildings (2011)]]

File:Malūnų gatvė.jpg

Image:Tibeto skveras.jpg in Užupis]]

The district contains the Bernardine Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in the city.{{Cite news|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/lithuania/articles/the-best-things-to-see-and-do-in-uzupis-vilnius/|title=The Best Things to See and Do in Užupis, Vilnius|last=Georgian|first=Elizabeth|work=Culture Trip|access-date=2018-10-15}} Most of the district's Jewish population were killed during the Holocaust,{{Cite web|title=JewishGen's Holocaust Database|url=https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/holocaust/|access-date=2021-02-22|website=www.jewishgen.org}} and later the old Jewish Cemetery uphill would be destroyed by the Soviets.{{Cite web|date=2020-09-10|title=The Old Jewish Cemetery in Užupis, Vilnius|url=https://www.jewish-heritage-lithuania.org/cemetery/the-old-jewish-cemetery-in-uzupis-vilnius/|access-date=2021-02-22|website=Jewish Heritage Lithuania|language=en-GB}} The houses left abandoned were later occupied by marginal elements of society, mainly the homeless, prostitutes and squatters. 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 district 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.

{{Infobox

| above = Republic of Užupis

| subheader = Unrecognized micronation

| image = 200px

| caption = Signs at the border of Užupis, written in five languages

| label1 = Claimed by

| data1 = Residents of Užupis neighborhood

| label2 = Established

| data2 = 1 April 1997

| label3 = Area claimed

| data3 = {{Convert|0.6|km2|mi2}}

| label4 = Location

| data4 = Užupis neighborhood in Vilnius, Lithuania

}}

On 1 April 1997, a group of local artists declared the Republic of Užupis, along with its own flag, unofficial currency, president, cabinet of ministers, a constitution written by Romas Lileikis and Tomas Čepaitis, an anthem, and an army of approximately 11 men.{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5934313/zappa_lives_on_in_lithuania | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106193636/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5934313/zappa_lives_on_in_lithuania | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 6, 2007 |title=Zappa lives in Lithuania |magazine=Rolling Stone}} The army has since been retired. The residents of the self-declared republic celebrate this independence annually on Užupis Day, which falls on April 1. Artistic endeavours are the main preoccupation of the Republic; the President of the Republic of Užupis, Romas Lileikis, is himself a poet, a musician, and a film director.{{Cite web|title=Romualdas Lileikis|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2045447/|access-date=2021-02-22|website=IMDb}} Tomas Čepaitis, the micronation's foreign minister, is himself a translator and artist.{{Cite web |title=Tomas Čepaitis |url=https://english.lithuanianculture.lt/lithuanian-culture-guide/translators/2018/01/13/tomas-cepaitis/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=Lithuanian Culture Institute}}

The Republic has granted honorary citizenship to several notable individuals, including the 14th Dalai Lama, who first visited the Republic in 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/vytis-vidunas/friends-of-tibet-in-lithuania_b_7740258.html|title=Friends of Tibet in Lithuania Celebrate the Dalai Lama|last=Vidunas|first=Vytis|date=2015-07-07|website=Huffington Post|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-15}} He later returned in 2018 to plant a tree in the Republic's "Tibet Square" to mark 100 years since the Council of Lithuania proclaimed the restoration of an independent state of Lithuania.{{Cite web|date=2018-06-13|title=Dalai Lama plants tree in Vilnius to mark Lithuania's centenary|url=https://lithuaniatribune.com/dalai-lama-plants-tree-in-vilnius-to-mark-lithuanias-centenary/|access-date=2021-02-22|website=the Lithuania Tribune|language=en-GB}}

Artūras Zuokas, a former mayor of Vilnius, lives in Užupis.{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/roslyn-bernstein/arturas-zuokas-and-the-ha_b_10454694.html|title=Arturas Zuokas and The Happiness Factor: A Lithuanian Perspective|last=Bernstein|first=Roslyn|date=2016-06-14|website=Huffington Post|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-15}} Užupis does not house internet-cafes, markets, shopping malls, or governmental institutions (except Užupian), and there is no embassy to Lithuania.

It is unclear whether the statehood of the Republic, recognised 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, emphasising the importance of humor over "serious" political decisions. The flag of the Republic features the palm of a hand on a white background. The colour of the palm emblem changes seasonally, in the sequence blue (Winter), green (Spring), yellow (Summer), and red (Autumn).{{Cite web|url=http://www.umi.lt/en/|title=Užupio meno inkubatorius}}

File:Embassy of the Republic of Užupis to Munich.jpg at Ars Electronica Festival in Linz (AT) in 2019.]]

The Užupis Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed more than 500 ambassadors worldwide.{{Cite web|title=Foreign Affairs Ministry » Užupis Everywhere|url=http://uzhupisembassy.eu/foreign-affairs-ministry/|access-date=2021-02-22|website=uzhupisembassy.eu}} The ambassadors have the task to build bridges between people. Some ambassadors represent the republic and its constitution in a certain state or geographic region while others share the republic's spirit in various realms of life like the ambassador among humming birds, the ambassador of knowledge for humanity or the ambassador for whistling in the streets.{{cite web |title=Užupis Foreign Affairs Ministry |url=http://uzhupisembassy.eu/foreign-affairs-ministry/ |website=Website of Užupis Foreign Affairs Ministry |access-date=20 December 2019}} The Embassy of the Republic of Užupis to Munich builds bridges between arts and AI technology to make artificial intelligence more ethical and more accessible to society.{{cite journal |title=Exploring the Lithuanian Micronation Užupis |date=17 December 2019 |journal=Playboy Magazine |volume=Equality |issue=Winter 2020 |url=https://www.playboy.com/read/uzupis-utopia |access-date=20 December 2019}} Well-known ambassadors include the experimental filmmaker Jonas Mekas, the art critic Konstyantyn Doroshenko, and the designer Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun. Every year the ambassadors meet for their world conference in Užupis on the day before national day celebrations on April 1. Representatives of the Republic of Užupis have met with the President and Foreign Minister of Liberland to discuss mutual recognition.{{CN|date=April 2024}}

File:Constitution of the Republic of Užupis - Munich version.jpg

Copies of the 38 articles of the Republic's constitution and 3 mottos - "Don't Fight", "Don't Win", "Don't Surrender" - in 23 languages, can be found affixed to a wall in Paupio street in the area. Sanskrit and Hindi versions of the constitution were added on 25 May 2017.{{Cite web|title=Constitution of the Republic of Užupis » Užupis Everywhere|url=http://uzhupisembassy.eu/uzhupis-constitution/|access-date=2021-02-22|website=uzhupisembassy.eu}} 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 Article 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."), which can be seen as unusual compared to fundamental rights set out by the EU.{{Cite journal|last=Mark Eric BUTT, Julia KÜBERT and Christiane Anne SCHULTZ|date=1999|title=FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL RIGHTS IN EUROPE|url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/workingpapers/soci/pdf/104_en.pdf|journal=Working Paper}}

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.{{CN|date=April 2024}} Minister of Foreign Affairs Thomas Chepaitis, Ambassador H. E. Max Haarich, AI-Expert Alex Waldmann and humanoid Roboy formulated an additional article for the Munich Embassy: "Any artificial intelligence has the right to believe in a good will of humanity." This makes the Užupian constitution the world's first constitution to mention artificial intelligence.{{CN|date=April 2024}} In September 2018 the constitution was blessed by Pope Francis during his visit to Vilnius.

File:The Užupis Angel.jpg

On April 1, 2002, a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet was unveiled in the main square. The idea was developed from a desire to erect an angel in memory of animator and caricaturist Zenonas Šteinys.{{Cite web|title=H E R I T A G E Lithuanian Footsteps on the World's Cinema A Grand Undertaking: The Radvila Map of Lithuania They Tore Down Le|url=http://www.draugas.org/key_dnlh/lh/issues/2007-05-15-LHERITAGE.pdf|access-date=2021-02-22|website=www.draugas.org}}{{dead link|date=February 2024|bot=medic}} It became a symbol of the revival of Užupis. The funds were raised by selling miniature copies of the sculpture.{{Cite web|url=http://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/vilniaus-miestas/simbolis-uzupio-angelas-iskilo-mazu-kopiju-240395|title = Simbolis: Užupio angelas iškilo iš mažų kopijų| date=5 February 2013 }} The sculptor, Romas Vilčiauskas, is also the creator of the Užupis Mermaid.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fotobankas.lt/fotografija/list/search/Romo+Vil%C4%8Diausko+undin%C4%97l%C4%97 |title=Fotobankas.lt - nuotraukos pagal: "Romo Vilčiausko undinėlė" |access-date=2012-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226140814/http://www.fotobankas.lt/fotografija/list/search/Romo+Vil%C4%8Diausko+undin%C4%97l%C4%97 |archive-date=2015-12-26 |url-status=dead }}

Previously, a temporary sculpture of an egg stood in its place. After being replaced by the larger statue of Gabriel, the egg was sold at an auction for 10,200 litas and now stands on Pylimo street.

Notable people who have resided in Užupis include:

• Felix Dzerzhinsky, also known as Iron Felix— Soviet Bolshevik revolutionary and secret police founder
• The painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
• Polish romantic-comic poet Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński lived in Užupis in 1934-36
• Jurgis Kunčinas, author of 2 novels about Užupis, and translator from German
• Artūras Zuokas, former Vilnius mayor

The Republic of Užupis, a 2009 novel by the South Korean author Hailji, chronicles the journey of an Asian man named Hal visiting Užupis to inter the ashes of his father, believing the "Republic" to be his ancestral homeland.

Užupis was the topic of a 2015 piece of music by Matt Howden's The Mighty Sieben,{{Cite web|title=The Mighty Sieben {{!}} All things Matt Howden, Sieben, and Redroom Records|url=https://matthowden.com/wordpress/|access-date=2021-02-22|language=en-GB}} featuring the three mottos, "Don't Fight", "Don't Win", "Don't Surrender".{{Cite web|title=NONPOP > Interview with Matt Howden in June 2015|url=http://www.nonpop.de/nonpop/index.php?type=preview&area=1&p=articles&id=2903|access-date=2021-02-22|website=www.nonpop.de}} The track was written in celebration of, and first performed at, the Mėnuo Juodaragis Festival held in Lithuania.

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{{Commons category}}

• {{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2000/jan/29/lithuania |title=They tore down Lenin's statue - and raised one to Frank Zappa |first=Kate |last=Connolly |website=TheGuardian.com |date=January 29, 2000}}
• {{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20181014-uupis-a-tiny-republic-of-free-spirits |title=Užupis: A tiny republic of free spirits |first=Erin |last=Rhone |website=BBC Online |date=October 15, 2018}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.ensure.org/guidebook/new/cases/uzupis/print.htm |title=Vilnius Old Town: Uzupis - Paupys Case study 2000 - 2001 |website=ensure.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204131859/http://www.ensure.org/guidebook/new/cases/uzupis/print.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2012 |via=Wayback Machine}}

• [http://www.uzupiorespublika.com/en/home/ Official Website of the Republic of Užupis]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36HaU_XcKyA Video report about Vilnius, featuring a lot of scenes filmed in Užupis : Locks on bridges, the Republic and the Constitution]
• [http://vilnews.com/2011-03-1-april-is-uzupis%E2%80%99-independence-day 1 April is Užupis’ Independence Day!] VilNews e-magazine 5 February 2019

{{Coord|54|40|50|N|25|17|49|E|display=title|region:LT_type:city}}

{{Micronations}}

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Category:Artist colonies

Category:Neighbourhoods of Vilnius

Category:Micronations in Europe

Category:Holocaust locations in Lithuania

Category:Tourist attractions in Vilnius