Draudžiamos lietuviškos spaudos keliai į Seinų kraštą (Seinai – Lazdijai – Punskas )
ENThe article discusses the routes of the banned Lithuanian press in the southern part of Lithuania – the Seinai region, which covers the Berzninkas and Punskas districts in the Seinai County in Poland and the Lazdijai district in Lithuania. During the period of the Lithuanian press ban (1864–1904) most of the residents of the rural areas were Lithuanians. One of the goals of the Tsarist Empire was the Russification of this territory and the introduction of the Orthodox Church. Lithuania did not exist in official documents and maps - it was called the Western Country (Zapadnyj kraj). The restrictive measures of Russification were introduced: the ban on printing books in Lithuanian using the Latin alphabet and obligation to teach in Russian in primary schools. The resistance against the ban on printing in Lithuanian was also present in the Seinai region. Most of the forbidden Lithuanian publications were brought to the Seinai region from Lithuania Minor (Prussia). They were supplied by illegal book distributors, who lived near the border. Some publications were sent from the United States by relatives and friends of the residents of the Seinai region. In many districts, the precursors (organizers) of the distribution of the illegal publications were students of the Seinai Seminary – usually vicars. They advised or proposed the trusted parishioners to deal with the distribution of banned publications to parishes. The priests maintained contacts (often from the time of their studies) with the clergy from the neighbouring parishes, and received banned books from them. Organized Lithuanian activities were started by an underground national clerical organization, founded at the Seinai Seminary in 1885. According to current knowledge, this was the first and the only underground organization in the Seinai region. It was called Šaltinis (Spring). One of its main aims was the distribution of banned publications in Lithuanian.The precursor of this organization was the clergyman Antanas Staniukynas (1865–1918) from the parish of Krosna. The article presents how the banned publications were supplied by their distributors; moreover from where and who brought them to Seinai, Lazdijai, the districts of Berzninkas, Kapčiamiestis, Krasnavas, Leipalingis, Meteliai, Miroslavas, Rudamina, Seirijai, Šventežeris, Veisiejai, and the parish of Punskas. Illegal book suppliers and illegal teachers of secret education (daraktoriai) were the most active in the mentioned above territories. They fought for the Lithuanian word and language.
