Gourt Home::Gourt :: Knygnešiai
Knygnešiai (singular: knygnešys) is a Lithuanian word with no direct counterpart in English, and the literal translation of the parts of the word (knyga + nešti) would mean something like "book carrier". Actually, the word referred to people who were smuggling printed material across the border from Lithuania Minor (East Prussia) to Lithuanian speaking areas of Imperial Russia, where Lithuanian language print in Latin alphabet was banned. Knygnešiai became the symbol of the resistance of the Lithuanians against the Russification policy.
After the Polish/Lithuanian insurrection of 1863, the Russian Imperial government intensified the efforts to avert the Lithuanian lands from the Polish Catholic influence and effectively russify it.
In summer 1863 Tsar issued "Temporary Rules for State Junior Schools of the Northwestern Krai, which said that only Russian language education is allowed in them. It 1864 the Governor General of Vilno Governorate, Mikhail Muravyov ordered to print Lithuanian language primers only in Cyrillic alphabet. Muravyov' s succesor, Konstantin Kaufman, in 1865 banned on all Lithuanian language print in Latin alphabet. In 1866 Tsar issued an oral ban for printing and import of printed matter in Lithuanian. Formally, the order had no legal force, but it was executed de-facto until 1904. During this time about 55 issues of Lithuanian books in Cyrillic font have been printed.
Most of Lithuanian language books and all periodicals published at the time were printed in Lithuania Minor and then smuggled into Lithuania. Knygnešiai were punished by fines, banishment and exile, including the exile into Siberia. Some of them were shot during the border crossing.
Motiejus Valančius, the Bishop of Samogitia, was the first to undertake the organization of printing abroad and illegal distribution in 1867. In 1870 his organization was uncovered, with the help of Prussian authorities, and 5 priests and two knygnešiai were exiled in remote areas of Russia. But this did not stop the work of other knygnešiai.
During the last years of ban an estimated amount of 30,000-40,000 books were smuggled annually. About one third of them were seized by authorities.
Gradually the failure of the ban was recognized, and in 1904, under the official pretext of the reconciliation of the population of the Russian Empire in view of the Russo-Japanese War, the ban for Lithuanian press was lifted.
This episode of Lithuanian history was suppressed in the Soviet Union. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, knygnešiai were commemorated in Lithuania in museums, monuments and street names.
Knygnešys Jurgis Bielinis, who created distribution network for banned Lithuanian press, was born in 16 March 1846. This day in Lithuania is remembered as Day of Knygnešys.
See also
External link
"Knygnešiai"