Kudirkos Naumiestis 1916

Feldpost card posted from the Feldpost station 209 by the Rekruten Depot of the 11th corps in 1916. They were mainly active around Kaunas at that time. Wladislawow is now called Kudirkos Naumiestis and there are several hypothesises of the origin of the name. It is said that originally it was part of the settlement called Širvinta (Schirwindt in german). There is also a river named "Širvinta" in Lithuania but it does not reach Kudirkos Naumiestis. The settlement became the bordertown of Prussia and Lithuania but falls on the Prussian side. Gradually, a small sub-settlement started to grow on the lithuanian side which the germans reffered as Neustadt-Schirwindt, meaning New-town (Naumiestis in lithuanian) of Schirwindt (Later it was called Russisch Neustadt after the incorporation of Lithuania by the Imperial Russia). "Kudirkos" was later added for the honor of Vincas Kudirka, the composer of the lithuanian national anthem, who died there. The other hypothesis is, the present Šešupė river (Scheschupe in german, from the lithuanian "šeže upis" meaning "dark river") which flows nearby, was called "Širvinta" (from "širvas" an old baltic language meaning "brown" or "dark"). Since there was also another river called Širvinta and the slightly older town of Širvintos, they called the settlement "New-town Širvintos". The polish name Władysławów/Wladislawow came from Władysław IV Vasa who gave the civil rights to the town in 1643.



Those 2 cards were sent from the Feldpost station 213 on the same year. The last card shows the ruin of the town of Schirwindt (now Кутузово/Kutusowo in Kaliningrad oblast, Russia) which is on the german side of the border, and on the back, the undamaged town of Naumiestis/Wladislawow on the lithuanian side. It is interesting that what was at the time "german side" is now Russia, and what was "Imperial Russian side" is now Lithuania.

Vilnius - Tramvajus 1916

A feldpost card sent in 1916 from the feldpost station 166 stationed in Wilna, now Vilnius, Lithuania. The picture shows the Sankt Georgstr.(now Gedimino Pr.), probably named after the church of Saint George behind the present main post office. The street contains tramway track as you can see the horse tram coming from the cathedral.



The second card is also sent from the feldpost station 166 on the same year. The piture depicts the beginning of Pilies gt. on the side of the cathedral. The horse tram going in the direction of Pilies.

Klaipėda 1915

A feldpost card send in 1915 from Memel, now Klaipėda, Lithuania. The picture is the famous old lighthouse of Klaipėda. It is interesting that at the time, there was a railway track!

Zarasai 1941

Those are local stamps of Zarasai, issued in 1941, when Zarasai was "liberated" by the germans during WWII. Soviet stamps are overprinted with the date of that "liberation". 2 colors of overprints exist: red and black. Each color has 3 types of overprints.


This is the red color overprint (type I) on Soviet stamp Michel no682. Michel also lits the name "Zargrad" but it was a temporary german name for it at the time this stamp was issued. It was later officilized as "Ossersee" by the the Nazi authority.


This a pair of 2 types of black overprints on Soviet stamp Michel no677. The left one is type I and on the right, type II.


This is the black overprint type III on Soviet stamp Michel no684. This 60K stamp is the only Zarasai stamp without the color variation. Only the black overprint exists.


The easiest way to identify those types are the roman numeral "VI" on the overprint. The left end one is type I, wide and shorter than the other numbers. The center one is type II, the roman numeral is as tall as the other numbers. The right end one is type III, the roman numeral is taller than other numbers.

Kaunas 1857

1857 Postmark of Ковно / Kovno (now Kaunas, Lithuania)

Its a value imprinted cover sent in 1857 from Ковно / Kovno (now Kaunas, Lithuania). This 10+1 kopeks postal stationery has been issued in 1848 and it is the very first issue, followed by 1861 issue and 1863 issue. 2 Types exist with this 1848 issue, the thick paper made and the thin paper made. The one i have uploaded is the thin paper type.

Kybartai 1916

A postcard sent in 1916 from the felpost station 166. This feldpost station was along with the 40th reserve corps, active around the border area which Kybartai is part of. They later move to Vilnius. Many might be wondering why i wrote Kybartai and not Wirballen (now Virbalis, Lithuania) as it says on the postcard. At the time this postcard was written, it was Wirballen/Virbalis railway station, but the town itself was far from the station. So later they renamed the station Kybartai(Kibarten in german) after the village near by. The present town of Virbalis does not have a railway station.

Naujoji Vilnia 1940

A souvenir sheet commemorating the return of Vilnius from Poland in 1939. It is cancelled in 1940 as "N.Vilnia2", which is the post office of the postal district 2 of Naujoji Vilnia. This town is just about 5km east of Vilnius along the Vilnia/Wilija river.

Natkiškiai 1939

Postally unused propaganda cover of germanisation of place names cancelled in Natkiškiai in 1939. Memel territory was annexed to the Third Reich on the 23rd of march 1939, therefore exactly a week before this cover has been cancelled. Here you can see that the german postmark was not ready in use yet and used provisional cancellation of Nattkischken.

Vilnius 1958

Its 2 commemorative covers of 1958 philatelic exibition in Vilnius. Both the same exibition but cancelled in different date.

Šiauliai 1934

A business cover sent from Šiauliai in 1934 to the USA with a arrival cancellation on the back. "Žemės ūkio mašinų ir Žemdirbystės įrankių sandėlis" stands for agricultural machinery and cropping tool wharehouse.

Juodkrantė, Kuršių marios / Memel-Insterburg Railway post 1910's

A postcard of the ship "Cranz" at Schwarzort, now Juodkrantė, Lithuania. Juodkrantė was and is now, a small seaside resort at the Kurisches Haff / Kuršių marios, as it says on the postcard. "Cranz" was a tourist ship linking between the town of Cranz (now Zelenogradsk in Russia,Kaliningrad oblast), a seaside town on the southern end of Kurische Nehrung / Kuršių nerija, and Memel / Klaipėda, on the northern end. The name "Cranz" comes from the lithuanian word "Krantas" which means "shore".
The cancellation is the german railway post / bahnpost of the line "Insterburg (now Chernyakhovsk in Russia,Kaliningrad oblast) - Memel", but unfortunately the year of use is not visible but from the stamp, i assume its from the 1910's, before the formation of the self-government of Memelgebiet in 1920 after WWI. Juodkrantė doesn't have a railway station,so it's possibly posted from Klaipėda.

Pilviškiai - stotis 1917

A postcard of Pilwischki station, now Pilviškiai in Lithuania. It has been sent in 1917 as a Feldpost from the 346th Infantry-Regiment of the 1st Company, stationed at the time around Vilkaviškis. The station in the picture still holds the russian inscription "Пильвишки"(Pilvishki).

Pabradė 1967

An illustrated value imprinted envelope sent from Пабраде/Pabradė in 1967, during the Soviet time. The illustration is the "Dainava" cafe in Друскининкай/Druskininkai.