Uzupis, Vilnius: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Užupis is a neighborhood on the east bank of the Vilnia River in Vilnius, Lithuania, a former working-class district that declared itself a tongue-in-cheek independent republic on April 1, 1998. Its constitution, written on a wall in multiple languages on Paupio Street, includes articles like the right of a cat to not love its owner. A bronze angel on a column at the main intersection serves as the unofficial symbol. Cheap rents attracted artists and students in the 1990s, giving the district a bohemian character it has since partly gentrified beyond. is just one of many options in Vilnius. Major attractions worth considering include St. Anne's Church, Vilnius Old Town (Vilniaus Senamiestis), and Amber Museum-Gallery (Gintaro Muziejus-Galerija).