Merkinė Manor (Republic of Paulava)

The Republic of Paulava (or Republic of Pavlov) was a small self-governing peasant community along the Merkys river with the surrounding lands. The remains of the former manor buildings stand on the right bank of the Merkys. Today they are a registered heritage site. Merkinė is famous for its history – the Republic of Paulava, which existed here in the second half of the 18th century and was founded by the then owner of the Merkinė manor, Povilas Ksaveras Bžostovskis (Paweł Ksawery Brzostowski, 1739–1827). At that time Merkinė was called Paulava after its owner. All that survives today are the remains of the Paulava manor buildings from the second half of the 18th to the first half of the 19th century, in which you can still make out the palace, the outbuilding, the ice-house tower and the stables. The remains of a roofed wayside shrine and of a gate also belong to the former manor. The buildings are surrounded by an old, overgrown park. There are two places called Merkinė in Lithuania. One is at the mouth of the Merkys river, in Varėna district. The other is Upper Merkinė (Aukštupio Merkinė), which became famous in the second half of the 18th century as the Republic of Paulava. This is an old manor site that belonged to the Radziwiłłs, the Słuszkas, the Potockis, the Dunins, the Sanguszkos and the Korsaks. In 1767 the manor was bought from Ipolit Korsak, stolnik of Navahrudak, by a young priest and statesman of the Polish–Lithuanian state at the time, Povilas Ksaveras Bžostovskis, who came from the Vitebsk area. From 1758 to 1762 he studied theology in Rome. He was then appointed Grand Notary of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and soon climbed further up the state career ladder, becoming Referendary of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Energetic and active, after buying the Merkinė manor he began reorganising it in his own way. He named it after himself – Paulava (Pawlow) – and abolished the serfdom then flourishing, replacing labour dues with rent. He set up a self-governing peasant community with a two-chamber parliament. The community proclaimed itself the Republic of Paulava, with its own constitution, money, coat of arms, treasury and militia. P. K. Bžostovskis, the president of the republic, took care of his subjects' education: he founded a school, published books and made sure the republic had its own doctor. Most importantly, the new ways of organising work showed how unproductive serf farming was: between 1769 and 1784 the manor's income doubled! The foreign press of the time took an interest in the Republic of Paulava, and Stanisław August Poniatowski, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, spoke well of it. The Republic of Paulava was recognised by the Sejm of the day. P. K. Bžostovskis was awarded the Order of the White Eagle. And who knows – perhaps Paulava might have become a Lithuanian San Marino or Monaco. Paulava lasted for about 25 years. As a historic turning point approached, Paulava declined. The manor buildings were badly damaged during the Second World War when a fire broke out in the palace (perhaps after a bomb hit it). Today only the walls of the palace remain, still recalling the Republic of Paulava – a unique and progressive phenomenon of its time. Thanks to the efforts of Šalčininkai District Municipality, this cultural heritage site was taken over from the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania and in 2012 was opened to visitors. Easy access, a car park, paths and the fragments of the surviving buildings make it very inviting to visit. The best preserved of all the buildings is the ice house–treasury, a building used to store food supplies, the manor's documents and other items. In 2017 Šalčininkai District Municipality, taking part in the Department of Cultural Heritage's heritage management programme, began restoration work on the ice house. Quite recently the builders unveiled the building, and from the road the contrast is striking – a building with its authentic architectural forms restored. The work restored the plaster, trompe-l'oeil windows, floors and shelves in the niches, reinforced the walls, rebuilt the cornice, roof structure and roofing, and relaid the cellar niches. Most interestingly, exploratory archaeological research uncovered a stone-lined ice pit measuring 3.75 by 4.20 m and 3.20 m deep. The ice house–treasury itself is 8.9 m wide, 9.10 m long and 14.71 m high. In total it had 3 floors, a cellar and an attic.