Perloja

Coordinates: 54°12′52″N 24°24′52″E / 54.21444°N 24.41444°E / 54.21444; 24.41444
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Perloja
Village
A church in Perloja
A church in Perloja
UTC+3 (EEST
)

Perloja is a village in

Merkys River and on the Vilnius–Druskininkai road. According to the 2001 census, it had 774 inhabitants.[1] The village is known for the so-called Republic of Perloja, an independent, albeit unrecognised microstate that was established in the aftermath of World War I and existed until 1923.[2]

Village

The village is surrounded by the

Soviet Lithuania.[3] 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 Soviet occupation (built in 1995).[4]

History

Vytautas the Great
Monument in 1930s

While archaeological research dates human presence in the area to the

partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The historic coat of arms was restored in 1993.[7]

Republic of Perloja

Flag used by the Republic of Perloja.

In the chaos after World War I, Lithuania scrambled to establish functioning state structures and defend itself in the

revolutionary committee. After the Polish–Lithuanian War for Vilnius Region, Perloja was in the neutral zone established by the League of Nations.[6] In 1923, the zone was divided along the Merkys River, leaving one bank to Lithuania and another to the Second Polish Republic.[6] The Republic of Perloja existed with interruptions until 1923.[3]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Perloja.
  1. ISBN 9986-589-83-5
    .
  2. ISBN 963-9116-42-4
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-84162-228-6
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 9986-509-90-4
    .
  5. ^
    LCCN 74-114275
    .
  6. ^
    OCLC 3303503
    .
  7. ^
    Varėna district municipality
    . Retrieved 2010-04-20.
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