Varniai concentration camp

Varniai concentration camp was an internment camp in Varniai, Lithuania. It was created a month after the coup d'état of December 1926 to house political prisoners, mostly members of the outlawed Communist Party of Lithuania. In total, more than 1,000 people passed through the camp before it was closed in 1931 due to financial difficulties brought by the Great Depression. Later, the authoritarian regime of Antanas Smetona operated two other internment camps, one in Dimitravas in 1936 and another in Pabradė in 1939.[1]

Varniai concentration camp

Main building of the concentration camp (present-day Samogitian Diocese Museum)
Varniai concentration camp Location of the Varniai concentration camp
Coordinates	55°44′38″N 22°22′21″E
Status	Closed
Security class	Internment camp
Capacity	300
Population	168 (as of October 1928)
Opened	19 January 1927
Closed	30 October 1931
Warden	Captain Kostas Rudaitis
City	Varniai
Country	Lithuania
Notable prisoners
Butkų Juzė, Vladas Niunka, Mečislovas Gedvilas, Andrius Bulota

History

In December 1926, Lithuanian military organized a coup to overthrow the democratically elected Lithuanian government of President Kazys Grinius and install Antanas Smetona and his Lithuanian Nationalist Union.[2] The official rationale given by the military was that their actions had prevented an imminent Bolshevik coup, allegedly scheduled for 20 December. About 350 communists were arrested and four leaders (Karolis Požela, Juozas Greifenbergeris, Kazys Giedrys and Rapolas Čarnas) were executed on 29 December.[2] The new government decided to establish a concentration camp and selected the building of the former Varniai Priest Seminary which was turned into military barracks after the Uprising of 1863.[3]

By mid-February 1927, the number of inmates reached 136. The camp could accommodate about 300 people, but only rarely the population exceeded 150.[3] At the end of 1927, the population peaked at 187.[1] The people, including women and a few children, would be sent to the camp by an administrative order of a military commandant when the authorities lacked evidence for a criminal conviction. The internment was usually for 1–3 months or until the end of the martial law (i.e. unlimited).[3]

In 1931, on average, there were 48 internees at the camp.[3] The camp was officially closed on 30 October 1931 due to financial difficulties brought by the Great Depression.[4] The building was returned to the military.[3] In total, more than 1,000 people passed through the camp.[1]

Internees

Internees at the camp in 1927 (including Butkų Juzė)

The first three internees arrived on 19 January 1927. They were editor of Tautos valia major Juozas Tomkus, former chairman of the Lithuanian Riflemen reserve captain Pranas Klimaitis, and M. Marcinkevičius.[3][5] Tomkus and Klimaitis were accused of organizing a coup on 14–15 January but were released within a few days.[5] Notable inmates included writer Butkų Juzė, communists Vladas Niunka, Mečislovas Gedvilas, socialist attorney Andrius Bulota,[3] former Minister of Finance Petras Karvelis. The cells were large and could house some 30 people.[1] The communists used this to establish self-education groups to improve their knowledge and understanding of Marxism–Leninism.[4]

Polish–Lithuanian dispute

A letter allegedly written by 28 Polish teachers imprisoned in Varniai was published by Polish press on 4 October 1927. The letter claimed that the teachers were imprisoned because they refused to teach history according to the government-approved syllabus.[6] This was a very sensitive issue due to the bitter Polish–Lithuanian dispute over the Vilnius Region. After the coup d'état of December 1926, new rulers of Lithuania started anti-Polish campaign, one of its components was gradual closing of Polish schools, out of 74 schools that started 1926/27 school year, at the end of the year none were operating. One of the main reasons was harassing of teachers, during coup 12 Polish teachers were arrested,[7] the rest lost their jobs, under the pretext of insufficient knowledge of the Lithuanian language or lack of qualifications.[8] As a response, the Polish government started a campaign of closing Lithuanian schools in Poland.

The letter was likely a forgery by the Polish government in response to Lithuanian plans of adopting a new constitution that would explicitly name Vilnius (Polish: Wilno) as the capital of Lithuania.[9] The letter could also a forgery by Lithuanian political émigrés, internal opposition, or German government, which just now was starting the campaign to regain the Klaipėda Region (Memel territory).[10] The Polish government used the letter as a pretext to close dozens of Lithuanian schools (including 44 schools maintained by the Lithuanian Education Society Rytas)[11] and arrest 25 Lithuanian teachers and activists.[12] Lithuanian Prime Minister Augustinas Voldemaras sent a formal complaint to the League of Nations which debated the question during its December session.[9]

References

1. Argustas, Justinas (14 February 2011). "A.Smetonos režimas nepaklusniuosius grūdo į koncentracijos stovyklas". Veidas. 7: 42–43. ISSN 1392-5156.
2. Kulikauskas, Gediminas (2002). "1926 m. valstybės perversmas". Gimtoji istorija. Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Elektroninės leidybos namai. ISBN 9986-9216-9-4. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
3. Valatka, Vitas (2011). "Varnių koncentracijos stovykla" (PDF). Žemaičių žemė (in Lithuanian). 7: 24–27. ISSN 1392-2610.
4. Šarmaitis, Romas (1988). Lietuvos revoliucionieriai (PDF) (in Lithuanian). Mintis. p. 259. ISBN 5-417-00071-X.
5. Lukšas, Aras (20 January 2012). "Perversmas, kurio nebuvo". Lietuvos žinios (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 18 June 2017.
6. Senn, Alfred Erich (1966). The Great Powers, Lithuania and the Vilna Question, 1920-1928. E. J. Brill. p. 194. OCLC 398265.
7. Buchowski, Krzysztof (15 May 2019). "Położenie szkolnictwa polskiego w niepodległym państwie litewskim (1918-1940)" (PDF). Studia z Dziejów Rosji i Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej. 33: 35. ISSN 1230-5057.
8. Buchowski, p. 36.
9. Eidintas, Alfonsas (2015). Antanas Smetona and His Lithuania: From the National Liberation Movement to an Authoritarian Regime (1893-1940). On the Boundary of Two Worlds. Translated by Alfred Erich Senn. Brill Rodopi. p. 205. ISBN 9789004302037.
10. Buchowski, p. 36-37.
11. Ereminas, Gintautas (2015). "Lietuvių švietimas Vilniaus krašte 1920–1939 m." (PDF). Gimtasai kraštas (in Lithuanian). I: 21. ISSN 2029-0101.
12. Aničas, Jonas (1999). Antanas ir Emilija Vileišiai: Gyvenimo ir veiklos bruožai (in Lithuanian). Alma littera. p. 378. ISBN 9789986027942.