20-06-1995
PRUSA is a reconstructed authentic name of Prussia - the land of the ancient Baltic nation Prussians conquered in 1231-1283 by the German knights, who founded the first State there with its capital Marienburg, later (1457) - in Konigsberg. In 1525 this Catholic Order State became Lutheran Dukedom which after the year 1618 union with the German March Brandenburg formed together with the latter the common Lutheran Kingdom of Prussia in 1701; thus this name was extended to the German land, although both lands - the German and Baltic Prussian one - became integrated into the All-German State only in 1871. The latter existed there up to 1920 but was restored in 1932-1945. In all the periods the indigenous Balts, although germanized, made genetically the bulk of the population in the Baltic ("East", partly "West") Prussia. The Old Prussian nobles and free soldiers were linguistically germanized in the time of the Teutonic Order but the serfs spoke Old Prussian until they died out after the plague of 1709. Their rests merged with the Prussian-Mazur (in the South) and with the Lithuanian (in the North) peasantry. The Lithuanians who scantily penetrated across Neman from the North already in Pre-Order times, migrated in masses after the Order's conquering wars and they formed historical Lithuania Minor from Memel/Klaipeda up to Goldap and from Labiau/Labguva (nowadays Chernyshevskoye) in North-Eastern Prussia (since 1618-the Province of Lithuania, since 1736 up to 1815 - the Department of Lithuania). The Mazurs in masses penetrated in Prussia from the south, the Order State decaying (1410-1525). Like to the Lithuanians, they merged with the Prussians and Germans forming a new local ethnical unit. Since 1525 up to O. von Bismarck Prussia was nationally and religiously the most tolerant state in Europe with many hundreds of schools teaching in almost all its native languages. The Scots, Dutch, Czechs and Frenchmen were at home there, formerly often refugees of religious fanaticism in their lands. Therefore, Prussia became land of flourishing culture giving to the world Coppernicus, Kant and Hoffmann, to Germany - Herder, to Lithuania - literacy and literature etc. The plague of 1709 having took off third of the population, intensive German colonization began. Nevertheless, the germanization of Baltic Prussia took brutal forms only from the time of Bismarck. But it could change language, not the local spirit. The Neo-Prussians became real Germans only after they were deported from their Baltic Home to Germany after the communist genocide of 1945-1948 enabled by the agreement of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin in Yalta in February 1945. Nevertheless, there are people all over the world who still determine themselves as ethnical Prussians, not Germans Prussians. Nowadays the third generation of the Slavic-speaking new inhabitants is growing up in Baltic Prussia while the ancient toponymy of this land has been totally changed into the artificial one in the Russian North and has very suffered in the Polish south (the first barbaric mockery was that of the Nazis who exterminated all the Lithuanian and Polish toponymy in 1938). Tbe northern part of Lithuania Minor with the port Klaipeda/Memel became an autonomy under the sovereignty of the Republic of Lithuania according to the Paris Convention of 5/8/1924, but was forced by Hitler to be given back to Germany in 1939. After 1945 it became part of the U.S.S.R. and was returned to Lithuania. The bulk of the population in this part of the former Kingdom of Prussia are Lithuanians as it was during centuries (most part of the pre-war Lithuanians have emigrated to Germany). The other part of North Prussia with the port Konigsberg/Kaliningrad became Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation while South Prussia (Varmia-Mazurland) was given to Poland. Of all these parts only the Russian part is an enclave between two independent States: Lithuania and Poland. Nobody can negate the post-war state frontiers or the right of Russia to have its part in former East Prussia. Nevertheless, some doubts are possible whether Russia desires to have this part in the future because
1) of the unnatural geographical situation of this part,
2) different opinions of various Russian politicians concerning further fate of this region (an autonomy, separate Russian republic and even separate Russian-German republic as a stage on a backward way to Germany are discussed in the Russian press as possible models for the future),
3) there are no Poles in Varmia- Mazurland, neither are there Lithuanians in Klaipeda, declaring their wish of separate state or even of returning their lands to Germany, while similar Russians are met in the region of Kaliningrad,
4) the problem of the local population deported to Germany after 1945 has not been solved yet,
5) Russia has problems with its Germans demanding a republic instead of the Volga German Republic liquidated by Stalin in 1941.
Therefore, the possibility that the fourth Baltic Republic will appear in the region of Kaliningrad is not excluded. We consider such possibility to be a good compromise way among dangerous extreme tendencies in countries neighboring to the region of Kaliningrad. `PRUSA' is international association of various clubs and groups of descendants of Old Prussians and their adherents who recreate traditional culture of Baltic Prussia in the recreated Prussian language. We cannot ignore the possibility to have a place for us in an eventual state in the land of the Old Prussians. Therefore, we are compelled to make our voice heard. This is also a good opportunity for us to declare that we are not inimical to modern States in the land of the Old Prussians and that in any case we should be thankful for any support and a place for us there on the territory of Poland, Russia or Lithuania.
Dr.habil. Vytautas Maziulis, President of the Balto-Slavic-Ralations' Committee of the International Congress of Slavists
Dr. Mikkel Klussis (Palmaitis), Chief of the Prussanites in Lithuania
"BR" address: Romuva - Vivulskio 27-4 LT - 2009 Vilnius Lithuania
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The original document is at
http://www.ifispan.waw.pl/research/paganism/pagancee.htm