LITHUANIA UNDER THE RUSSIAN CZARS


KAVARSKAS

This card is sent from Kavarskas. This is the Lithuanian name. In Imperial Russia the name was КОВАРСКЪ [KOVARSK or KOWARSK]. This is more a transscription od the German or Polish name: Kowarsk.


In the postmark we read КОВАРСКЪ [KOVARSK] en then the indication of the Gubernia: Kowno.
It is a cross-date postmark, not reported in the handbook of Fugalevičius. This postmark has the month in numerals, with indication of gubernia: in the EESTI-handbook type 6C (a cross-date type), subtype ?.

The only reported postmark of КОВАРСКЪ [KOVARSK] is a double-ring postmark, serial * * a. So type 7A1 in the EESTI-handbook: double ring, with indication of gubernia (type 7A), subtype with * * a (7A1).

Kavarskas is in present Lithuania the fourth smallest city: population 707 (in 2007).
This card is sent to the honorable woman... the city ВИЛКОМИРЪ [WILKOMIR] (Ukmergė in present Lithuania), the red house opposite the prison.
The message is in Polish, and ends with the address of the sender: Сt [St.] station КОВАРСКЪ [KOVARSK]



KĖDAINIAI

Postmark of КЕЙДАНЫ (KEIDANY), in Lithuanian Kėdainiai, in the government КОВНО (Kovno) on a parcel-card.
Original print size of this image: 14,368 x 13,656 cm (is something more as the postal item).


The postmark (resized 50 %) is a double-ring postmark, according the EESTI-handbook type 7A (with indication gubernia), subtype * * a etc: 7A1. This postmark has as serial-letter the seceond letter б. In the handbook of Fugalevičius is also reported the double-ring postmark with serial a.

Part of the map, not resized, 'Westrussland' (Western Russia) from the encyclopedia 'Meyers Konversations-Lexicon', 6e Aufl., 1905-1909. Kėdainiai, here Keidany, is located something north of Kowno/Kaunas.












This is send from Riga.
Registering label.



KIBARTAI

КИБАРТЫ (KIBARTY), in Lithuanian Kibartai, is a place by the border with Germany.

In the postmark you see also the indication for the government Suvalki: an indication of the government Suwalki: СУВАЛК.Г [SUVALK. G.], short for СУВАЛКСКАЯ [SUVALKSKAYA] ГУБЕРНIЯ [GUBERNIYA], government.


Card with the double-cross postmark of КИБАРТЫ [KIBARTY].
In the postmark you see also СУВ (SUV.), the indication for the government Suvalki.


Original print size of this image: 13,826 x 8,898 cm (is something more as the postal item).

Kibarti was a little village, and direct at the border. Near Kibarti was the important railway-station Werzbolovo (or -in Lithuanian- Virbalis) (see under railwaypost: Werzbolovo), in German Wirballen. The station itself was situated 4 kilometre from the border and the little village Kibarty (Lithuanian: Kibartai) was direct at the border. By the growth of Kybarty to a city the border-station of Werzbolowo (see map above: Kaunas) was situated in this city.



The postmark (resized 50 %).



The card is sent 21-4-1914. Stamps on the card together 4 kop. and that is right. In 1889, 8 March, the post introduced new rates, due to the bad financial situation. For postcards abroad -like this to Germany- the new rate was 4 kopeke.










The other side of the card with the 'Practices of the Russian frontier guards'.





Another nice card with the double-ring postmark of КИБАРТЫ [KIBARTY]
In the handbook of Fugalevičius are reported for КИБАРТЫ [KIBARTY] a large and a small 'normal' double-ring postmark, and double-ring postmark with pins.
Also for КИБАРТЫ [KIBARTY] are reported:

  • 2 pre-philatelic circular cancels (29.07. ???? and 10.01.1863)
  • 'Polish' numeral cancel -nr. 282- four-rings, period Russian Poland
  • 4 different postmarks, one-ring, date in three lines
  • 4 different cross-date postmarks





The address-side of this card: sent to Paris.

On the card is also mentioned Wirballen, the German name for the Russian town ВЕРЖБОЛОВО [WERZHBOLOVO], the Lithuanian Virbalis. The border station, near the village of Kibartai, was was named after the neighbouring town ВЕРЖБОЛОВО. Later Kibartai has become a bigger town than Virbalis and the name of the station changed in КИБАРТЫ [KIBARTY].

The double-ring postmarks, reported by the handbook of Fugalevičius: only a larger with serialletter a, and a smaller with serialletter ж (script letter), the 7th letter of the Russian alphabet. In the postmark of this card is used the г (script letter), the 4th letter.

The sript letters in the postmarks.

On this picture the first 7 'written' letters.

Anothercard with a double-ring postmark of КИБАРТЫ [KIBARTY]. The Sisters of Mercy and the St. Eugeniya Community of the Sisters of Mercy have issued a great lot of these charity-cards. The cards, issued from the end of the 19th century to the end of the Romanovs, can be sorted on the adress-side in types.
On the card also the logo of the St. Eugeniya Community of the Sisters of Mercy.

More about the cards, issued for the St. Eugeniya Community of the Sisters of Mercy: see Marijampolė.


The picture-side of these card: the train, departing from the station ВЕРЖБОЛОВО [WERZHBOLOVO].


J.G. Moyes gives in his article a classification of the cards. This card has a dividing line on the back: these split-back cards appeared around 1905. In the classification of J.G. Moyes this is the most common type of the St. Eugeniya cards, type SE-11. He gives a subdivision by printers.