Druja-Dūkštas Railway post 1937

Well, unfortunately it is a damaged stamp... but I have my reason why I do keep this stamp preciously in my album. This stamp has a 1937 polish T.P.O. postmark of the line Druja (now Друя / Druya, Belarus) - Dukszty (now Dūkštas, Lithuania)! I have few books and documents talking about Polish railway post that operated in Vilnius region but none of them mention about this Druja - Dukszty line for some reason which I have absolutely no clue. According to the list of Polish railway post line, the line Druja - Dukszty existed and the number was 491 which supposed to be shown on the bottom of the postmark (it is missing on my copy). Philatelically speaking, that's about all the information I've got so far.
This narrow gauge line linked Dukszty / Dūkštas and Druja, the northernmost Polish railway station ever existed in Polish history, via Браслаў /Brasław (Breslauja in Lithuanian), the most populated town along this railway line. Originally, it has been built by the German during WWI which the Poles took over and converted to a 750mm narrow gauge line. There were some interruptions during WWII but the line was used until the late 1960's during the Soviet rule.

The line Druja - Dukszty on a 1929 Polish map

 Only 5 stations were actually in the present Lithuanian territory: Dukszty / Dūkštas, Berżeniki / Beržininkai, Rymszany / Rimšė, Biernaty / Bernotai and Czepukany / Čepukai (part of what used to be Czepukany extends on the Belarussian side as well). For more informations, look at the thread in miestai.net, the link is HERE

Гродна 1919

I haven't had much time to post on this blog nor to acquire new material lately, so I went quickly through my stock book to look what I can post and these 2 stamps caught my eyes. I've noticed I haven't posted yet the Гродна/Hrodna (Gardinas in Lithuanian) cancel. Гродна/Hrodna is a city at the edge of the present Belarussian territory between Vilnius and Białystok, Poland, known as Гродно/Grodno in Russian language. The above postmark has been used in the post office of Hrodna in 1919 when it belonged to Lithuania. It is written in Cyrillic and it says: Гродненская почтово телеграфн. контора / Grodnenskaya pochtovo telegrafn. kontora. This "date-less" postmark was only for provisional use but the city was soon taken by the Poles and never came back to Lithuania since then.

Berezwecz-Panevėžys Railway post 1914

Railway post ПоневѢж / Ponevezh (now Panevėžys, Lithuania) - Березвеч / Berezvech (now Беразьвечча / Berazvechcha, Belarus)

I have previously posted the Imperial Russian 1902 railway postmark No.201 Švenčionėliai-Panevėžys (you can find the link HERE), and this No.202 which I'm posting today, is the same line but in the opposite direction. The postmark is from 1914 between ПоневѢж / Ponevezh (now Panevėžys, Lithuania) and Березвеч / Berezvech (spelled Berezwecz in Polish, now Беразьвечча / Berazvechcha, Belarus). In 1905, the railway postal service has extended from Švenčionėliai to Berezwecz. Berezwecz was once famous for its magnificent Church which no longer exists. It was one of the finest example of Vilnius Baroque style architecture in the former Vilna Gubernia. Fortunately, an exact replica has been rebuilt in Białystok, Poland in 1996 and you can witness once again the glory of Berezwecz. You can find the Wikipedia link to Berezwecz with the picture of the church of the Resurrection in Białystok HERE (it is in Polish. It has not been translated in english yet).

Polish stamps 1920 - 1939

Various Polish stamps have been used in the present Lithuanian territory between the year 1920 and 1939. It starts in 1920 with the issue of stamps of Litwa Środkowa (literary meaning "Middle Lithuania" in polish) known as "Central Lithuania" headed by the military government of the polish general Lucjan Żeligowski.

Central Lithuania stamp overprinted on lithuanian stamp

Various cancellations of Wilno on Central Lithuania stamps

Cancellation of Łyntupy (now Лынтупы/Lyntupy, Belarus)

After the annexation of Central Lithuania by Poland in 1922, regular polish postal service has been introduced in the region. These polish stamps were used in the present Lithuanian territory until 1939.

Cancellation of Druskieniki (now Druskininkai, Lithuania)