KAUNAS

By the postmarks is to recognize the Polish influence: the place names are mostly transcriptions of the Polish names.
As many Lithuanian places Kaunas has a Lithuanian form of the name (Kaunas), a Russian (КОВНО), a German (Kowno or Kauen), and a Polish (Kowno).

JPG-scan (60%), sent by M. Lam.

1869: postmark of Kaunas: at the top the place name, under it the month (december) in cyrillic letters, underneath that the year. At the bottom an ornament.	The right postmark: (V)=In = Joniskis (place) = accepted in Joniskis 20 (Dekabr) = December 1869 y(ear). I suppose that this is a receiving postmark. According the postal regulations of 22 October 1830, mail must have a postmark with place and date of dispatch and arrival.

Other side of the letter:


(place)

After the introduction of stamps in Russia, number cancellations came in use.
Kaunas had, as Vilnius, a number-cancellation.

Letter, sent to Klingenthal, with the after 1860 introduced one-ring-postmark:

Original print size of this image: 15,071 x 8,086 cm (is something more as the postal item) Postmark (resized 50 %):

Cover, sent 1879, from Kaunas, with the postmark of КОВНО (Kovno, the Russian indication for the Lithuanian Kaunas). Kaunas was also the capital of the government КОВНО (Kovno), and so the postmark has no indication of the government, but an ornament.

Kovno has had as only post-office two post-horns with thunderbolts as ornament at the bottom: a post and telegraph office.

Part of the map, not resized, 'Westrussland' (Western Russia) from the encyclopedia 'Meyers Konversations-Lexicon', 6e Aufl., 1905-1909. In this time the railway from Kaunas.Kowno was running via Wirballen (or Werzbolowo, or -in Lithuanian- Virbalis) to Eydkuhnen and further in Germany.

In Baedeker (1914) we read: "Kovno (110 ft.), the capital of a government of the same name, is prettily situated on a tongue of land between the Viliyâ(ВИЛIЯ) and the Niemen, the banks of which are about 200 ft. in hight." According Baedeker Kaunas had at that time 88.000 inhabetant, of whom one-half were Jews.
To have some indication: from Wirballen via Kovno to Vilna (Vilnius) the express train need in that time 3 hours, a distance of 179 Verst or 119 Mile. Then you could travel further to St. Petersburg.

More about Kaunas in Baedeker 1914::

Baedeker's Russia 1914 / Karl Baedeker. - London : Charles Newton Abbot : George Allen & Unwin, 1971. - Repr. of the first English edition published in 1914. - p. 35-36

From 1903 double-ring-postmarks are used:
circular nr. 9 of 3 February 1903 introduced the double-ring-postmarks. The old postmarks are replaced when they are worn out. Also a detailed description is given of the new postmarks.
The postmarks consist of two rings, with the name of place in between. Day-month-year now stood on one line (in the year "19" has been omitted. There came two sorts of postmarks: bigger for the mail and smaller for receipts.

Original print size of this image: 13,775 x 9,127 cm (is something more as the postal item). A card from Riga with the arrival-postmark of Kaunas. Kaunas is the Lithuanian name. In German the city was called Kowna or Kauen, in Polish Kowno. The Russian transscription started from the German-Polish name: КОВНО (Kovno) (the one-ring-postmarks) КОВНА (Kovna) (the double-ring-postmarks).

When Kaunas is Russian again -in the Soviet period- one started for the transscription from the Lithuanian naam:
КАУНАС

Original print size of this image: 15,604 x 11,362 cm (is something more as the postal item). The postmark (resized 50 %):

This happened with more names: Vilnius (the tsaristic ВИЛЬНА (Vilna)-in German Wilna- or ВИЛЬНО - in Polish Wilno, and the Soviet ВИЛЬНЮС of course, but also other cities.

Another card sent to Kaunas. Original print size of this image: 14,207 x 9,229 cm (is something more as the postal item). On the card you see the railway-cancel of route 46, ЛИБАВА-МИНСКЪ(LIBAVA-MINSK). About the railway-routes around Kaunas: see the chapter about railway post.

A card with a picture of Kaunas:

Original print size of this image: 14,029 x 9,228 cm (is something more as the postal item). The postmark on the other side is of the 'Army in the field' -and more information about this is welcome. The postmark (resized 50 %)

KAUNAS: FRANK-FREE LETTERS

On the address-side the letter is partly pre-printed 'To His Reverend Father' with under it the name T. Kupfer. Left under is also printed 'Dean (or Deanery) Vilensk. Distrikt' and an administration-number is filled in. As appears from the postmark 18-5-1910, -and also the letterhead inside-, the letter is clearly sent from KOVNA, the Lithuanian Kaunas. Original print size of this image: 18,042 x 11,082 cm (is something more as the postal item).

In Russia also the religious institutions has not to pay for their letters: franking-freedom. These letters are good to recognize by the 'church-postmark' . This letter from КОВНА (KOVNA), Kaunas, has a church-postmark on the backside (resized 50 %):

The letter unfolded, inside:

As many of this kind of letters this letter is also as a whole folded, so we have inside the text. Here is a sender-indication printed: M.D.J. Wilnascher Propst Kowna. The letter is directed to 'An Seine Hochwohlehrwürden den Hernn Pastor Kupffer in Sawnary.' Probably in the place Savnary was not a post-office. On the address-side of the letter you see at the bottom also the places Okmjany, nu Akmenė, en Shavelsky (Shavli), now Siauliai. With this knowledge the arrival-postmark can be read: ОКМЯНЫ КОВ (OKMJANY KOV), 19-5-1910 For the translations from the Russian Olav Petri and Eric Schoenmaker have helped. I can read German, but handwritten is too difficuld: I get help of Gijs Hamoen. As many letters from our collecting area the text is in German. The text: "Von Karoline Witschke kann ich nur sagen, dasz sie einer Familie (Sack) entstammt, die hier stets die Unterstufe der "Herrschaften" in Anspruch genommen hat, das gehört also zum Familencharakter, den sie wohl bis an ihr Lebensende treu bleiben wird. Es käme nun darauf an zu ermitteln was sie denn etwa, da der Hauptberuf Bettelen ist, in Nebenberuf selbst er-wirbt und darauf hinzuwirken, dasz wenn irgend möglich, eine Umord-nung dieser verschiedenen Berufsarten eintrate. Mit bestem Grusz L.Dobbart (?) "

It is something private, but more than 100 years ago, the translation/adoption
About Karoline Witschke I can only say, that she descends from a family (Sack), which here always lowest strata of the " Herrschaften" (ironically for a certain type lords) has appealed,so it belongs to the family character that she will remain, however, to her end-of-life faithful. It best will be to investigate what kind of additional income (her head profession is begging) she herself has and make, if slightly possible, for a change of these different profession types.
With cordial greeting
L.Dobbart (?) "

An earlier letter of this Probst Dobbart, also to Father Kupffner in Sawnary is not complete on the backside- has no longer a church-postmark. In the text inside we find more details: it is mail of the Curland Evangelical-Lutheran Church. A list of parishes of this church is published in the "Rigascher kalender" 1863, and you can find this on internet: www.roots-saknes.lv/Religions/Lutherans/LutheransBasic.htm Under the 'Kurländischer Consistorial Bezirk', depends also : IX. Wilnasche Präpositur. The Wilnasche Präpositur is again subdivided and in this list we find Sawnari: "105 Szawel, Kronskirche im Kownoschen Gouv. Alexander Emanuel Diston, P. [=naam van de pastor in 1863] (Adr.: Ueber Schaulen, Pastorat Sawnary.) " Original print size of this image: 17,941 x 10,702 cm (is something more as the postal item).

The backside, with partly an arrival postmark, resized 50 %, I suppose ОКМЯНЫ КОВ (OKMJANY KOV)

The letter is an invitation: 'According the decision of the Kurl. Luth.Ev.Consistorie [Highchurch institution, something like Synode] of 6 March a.c. [current year] Your Honour herewith informed that the Cons. has fixed his spring session from 11 to 25 May of this year" Intersting is the handwritten additional text. The sender and the addressee must be on friendly terms, because one is using the very informal Du (you), not usual. The German text: "Hast Du in Betreff Noscheikys schon irgend eine Erklärung seitens der Anlaufskoste ? Wann denkst Du von meinem Projekt die Gaben aus der Diöcese einer besteimmten Theil der eueren Ausstellung zu konzentriren. Die Zeit is noch ungünstig, da der Hungerenden so viele sind. herzlichen Gruss". Translation: "Have you concerning Noscheikys [maybe a project to help hungry people] already somewhere a statement concerning the initial expenses? When you think to transfer a distinct part of the gifts for my project from your diocese [a circle of parishes]? The time is still unfavourable, there are s many hungry. Cordial greeting" Apparently donations were collected for the poor.

The Evangelical-Lurheran Church is also now the most important church in Latvia. Lithuania remained Roman-Catholic for the most part, but the place ОКМЯНЫ КОВ (OKMJANY KOV) in the address, now the Lithuanian Akmenė, is near the Latvian border, and has also now partly a Latvian-speaking population. This group is still Lutheran as their ancestors.


Literature:

Free-frank mail in Imperial Russia / by George G. Werbizky. - In: Rossica 1994 ; no. 122. - p. 76-84

Portvrijdom in de tsarentijd : post uit het Baltische gebied / Jan Kaptein. - In: Het Baltische Gebied 2005 ; 46. - p. 34-41

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 %):

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 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. Later the station is also named Kibarty.

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':