Mykolo Rosako gyvenimo, atiduoto Panevėžio miesto bendruomenei, fragmentai

ENThe beginning of ethnic Germans' life in Lithuania is the 13th century. During the Middle Ages the arrival of the Germans promoted the development of crafts, trade and towns themselves, and gave a boost to some towns to adopt the Magdeburg law. Panevėžys has long been known as a friendly town of multi-ethnic communities and ethnic minorities in which also lived ethnic Germans. The first data on the German Rossak family are from 1870, when urban resident Juozas Rossak was given a part of the towns land by perpetual feudal land rent right. Perhaps the Rossaks are most associated with Panevėžys citizen Michael (Mikhail, Mykolas) Rossak, Juozas Rossak's son, born in 1851. He was an owner of the buildings (Liberty Avenue No. 1, Moigio street No. 5) in Panevėžys, an active town's politician who was also a member of Panevėžys Dūma for some decades. Philanthropic activities made M. Rossak most famous: all his movable and immovable property, except the property in Gustonys he bequeathed to the town of Panevėžys "in the person of lawfully elected Council" and mandated to keep it all perpetual fundum; the income from the use of property it had to allocate to certain individuals and institutions.Rossak prohibited to sell the property and to get into debt; the property's value could only be enhanced and improved. According to the testament, Panevėžys Municipality had to rent the left to it immovable property and the income after deduction of taxes, expenditure on maintenance, insurance and other necessary purposes, in percentage terms to allocate to: "poor German Lutherans living in Panevėžys - 8%, poor Poles - 5%; poor Russians - 2%; poor Lithuanians - 4%; poor Old Believers - 1%; poor Karaites - 0.5%". For the poor children to continue their education in colleges and high schools were awarded scholarships. In 1935-1937 alone, the executors spent 4300 Lithuanian litas for poor people and 14800 litas for scholarships, 19100 litas in total. As Rossak belonged to the German ethnic community, allocating certain amounts for scholarships and other payments he followed two main criteria: financial situation and belonging to one or another nation. Thanks to him, education became available to many who could not afford it.