Kalvarnikų gatvės pastatai ir gyventojai

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Skapiškis; Gatvės; Gyventojai; Pastatai; Skapiškis; Streets; Residents; Buildings.

ENOne of the oldest and longest streets in Skapiškis, about 1 km long, turns into the road leading to Mituva settlement and marks the very start of this town. The Great Duke of Lithuania Aleksandras (Alexander) permitted to run the markets in 1492-1506. This privilege had been confirmed by Steponas Batoras (Stefan Batory). People used to say that this street was earlier called Kalvarnikų (locals pronounce as Kalvornikų). In 1934, it was named Darius and Girėnas Street. The main buildings of the town stood in this street: Dominican monastery, church, school, district government, police, a retirement home and veterinary office. The prior of the monastery Laurynas Bartkevičius looked to it that the Kalvarijos (Calvary) structure of sacral buildings appeared in Skapiškis (Bartkevičius died in about 1822). The first Calvary stations had been built in 1808-1810 for the landlord's Steponas Tyzenhauzas (Stefan Tyzenhauz) money. There were 4 small chapels at the church. Two of them are still standing. One bears the inscription Fundator Kazimier Rinkimas R 1858. Ten larger chapels stood at a distance of half versta (about 533 m) from the church. All they made the Stations of the Cross. The Calvary was at the end of the street at the old small cemetery that had been closed long ago. So, it was this Calvary that caused the origin of the name the Kalvarnikų Street. After the World War I, there were no burials in that cemetery, only several high crosses stood here. Old thick linden trees marked the limits of the former cemetery, but they are gone now. Two rows of such linden trees grew at the Dominican monastery, along the Kalvarnikų Street, and marked a promenade.Before the World War II, children and grandchildren with their families used to take over the rights, obligations, customs, property and traditions from their parents, which lived in this street. Usually the eldest son inherited the property (house, land), where he used to make his family and keep the home of his parents. Other children used to leave the home (marry, engage in crafts). Deportation, killing and imprisonment were typical of the post-war Soviet time. Moreover, people had been scattered widely. With formation of kolkhozes in 1949-1950, the young of the Kalvarnikų Street ran away from the villages. Moreover, after the studies at institutes, the graduates couldn't come back to parents' home to work and live, since they had to go where they were appointed. Homes emptied, only elderly parents remained, while their offspring used only to come to visit them or to see them off to the final journey. The custom disappeared that the parent's home should be inherited by the eldest child, who would follow the family traditions. Now it is difficult to retrace how many generations lived in a certain home.For this reason, inhabitants of the street have changed. New people came from the villages or appointed to work in Skapiškis. Although the newcomers from villages were from a nearby rural area, usually they were little known or not familiar to locals and, thus, considered alien. Even more alien were those, who moved in from farther areas. On the other hand, longer time needed for them to adopt among the locals. Now people living in this street live their own closed life. Neighbours meet together rarely. The relations are not unfriendly; they respect each other, occasionally talk with or help each other, but there are no close relations as it was before in the street. People got used to a new place, a new neighbourship, but there is no such a yard, where the neighbours would spend their free time talking or sitting. Only people make the street alive, busy, famous, known, cute and attractive, their own. On the street, people's lives are different, individual, but greatly resembling each other. The Kalvarnikų Street had no celebrities distinguished by their works. They were simple, bright, sincere people, creating the future. It was the generation whose fate was broken by the war and the occupation. [From the publication]