Hi Jan,
Of course you are most welcome to our little discussion spot on the
web. I am especially glad that someone from Lithuania has joined us.
A couple of months ago, I found out that the Pagiriai enclave of
Lithuania in Byelorussia was abolished (is this the Sakalinka you
write about?), and I wrote about that here at BoundaryPoint
(translating an article from a Byelorussian newspaper). I also found
out that the boundary demarcation issue was tightly linked with the
problem of the Adutikis railway station, which is on the Vilnius
Vitebsk railroad. Now the problem is, as far as I understood (and
correct me, please, if I'm wrong!!), that this station is in
Lithuania, but the railway before and after the station is in
Byelorussia. An extra problem is the fact that from Adutikis, a
branch line goes off into Lithuania (to the town of Didiasalis). I
never really found out what has come of these border talks, but I
have read about the troubles (e.g. on the internet, RFE/RL Daily
report of Nov. 10, 1994, and in the Russian weekly Moskovskie novosti
of Nov. 13, 1994, "Gadutiki nai!"). Another interesting article
can be found at
http://gamayun.physics.sunysb.edu/RR/news/reuter.14.06.95.html ,
which looks like to be from 1995. The Byelorussians apparently got
mad at the Lithuanians for breaking up 30 m of railroad track, that
brought them $250. But the most interesting article is this one:
http://www.eurogrenzen.ch/rezensio.htm#Basler%20Zeitung , in which is
said that the boundary runs along the railway itself at the station,
and that the citizens of either country have to descend from the
train at the appropriate side, in order not to have to pass customs!
This is most peculiar and the first time I hear of such case. Can you
possibly give us more on this extraordinary railway station?
Another thing bugging me is the Lithuanian Russian boundary (having
crossed it two times last year). I read somewhere that the former
Soviet administrative boundary was turned into an international one
by international agreement, that there were some alterations, but
that the net exchange of territory amounted to nothing. The most
important issue was the boundary in the Vitytis lake, which Russia
claimed in its entirety, and Lithuania wanted half of it. As far as I
could gather from articles on the internet (some Russian articles, as
I can read Russian, but I can't read Lithuanian), in this case,
Lithuania got its way, but Russia was compensated by an equal area of
wet territory in the Kurish bay (I don't know if this is the right
English name for it, but it is Kurshskiy zaliv in Russian and
Kurisches Haff in German). Can you confirm this and/or give us more
information on this?
I'm looking forward to your reaction, and once again: welcome!
Peter Smaardijk
--- In BoundaryPoint@y..., "Jan Krogh" <Jan@K...> wrote:
> For some weeks I have had the great pleasure subscribing to the
Boundary
> Point list. I was told about it by Mr Rolf Palmberg, who has
learned me much
> about enclaves and exclaves.
> I am also most grateful to Mr Bill Hanrahan's initiative, and all
the most
> interesting information I have found on this list. For many years
enclaves
> has been a special interest to me. I hope I may contribute a little
bit to
> all of you.
>
> About myself: I am a journalist (36 years), married, and father to
our 8
> years old daughter. We are living in Vilnius, the capital of
Lithuania. My
> enclave interest started some 10 years ago when I discovered the
Lithuanian
> exclave of Sakalinka in Whiterussia. (Later ('92-'93?) the post-
Soviet LT/BY
> border demarkation left no LT/BY enclaves.)
>
> On my home page http://www.litauen-nytt.org/jan/enklaver.htm I have
started
> making a list of the world's enclaves, including maps. (This
listing is far
> from finished, and will probably - and hopefully - never be that.)
So far I
> have mostly collected information about the enclaves and exclaves in
> republics of the former Soviet Union. My page is based upon Mr Rolf
> Palmberg's «Enclave Bible», but is not supposed to be a piece of
plagiarism.
> My intention is just to contribute a litle bit to Rolf's tremendous
work.
>
> Regards,
> Jan Krogh