Chłopi: Gentrification in the Uzupio Republic

The recent May break presented me with the long-awaited opportunity to visit the famed city of Vilnius -- Jerusalem of the North, lost child of the Polish Second Republic, shopping mall for Belarusian oligarchs.

Vilnius Old Town, the prime tourist destination, is indeed beautiful, and truly deserves its UNESCO World Heritage status. But what attracted me was the self-proclaimed Uzupis Republic, a run-down bohemian district of artists, prostitutes and hobos -- a winning cultural combination if there ever was one.

Somewhat similar to Belgrad's Skadarlija, it nonetheless goes further than the typical bohemian quarter, having proclaimed its own mock-constitution, and celebrating its independence on various occasions, mostly April Fool's day.

Thus, I was curious to see how real it was. In my experience, areas that are advertised as bohemian on official websites tend to be hollowed out husks of their former selves, nicely stuffed and placed on a tourist-friendly counter, with a guide in 17 different languages. In the best of cases they "suffer" from intense gentrification. This process can easily be seen throughout Central Europe, from Berlin to Budapest. Not that its all bad -- the areas in question are usually nicely renovated in the process, and they don't necessarily lose all their local flavor.

In this sense Uzupio is no exception. The artistic side of the quarter is perhaps over-marketed, but the quarter still has a few years in it before it becomes completely artificial, though the process is well on its way (as evidenced by the constant stream of BMWs and Lexuses making its way through the district). Entering the area through the main bridge is perhaps misleading -- you have to see the back streets to see what is really going on.

Enjoy the photos!