Constitution Wall: 41 Rights in Many Languages

If Užupis has a temple, it is the wall on Paupio Street. On it, side by side, shine metal plaques with the Constitution of the Republic of Užupis: the same forty-one articles engraved in more than thirty world languages. People from around the world find their language here, read about the right to live by the Vilnelė and smile at the line about a dog's right to be a dog.

The wall is on Paupio Street, on the stretch leading toward the president's residence - just a few steps from Užupio Street and the square with the Angel. The plaques hang outdoors and can be visited at any time of day, free of charge.

The first two plaques - in Lithuanian and English - were unveiled on July 5, 2003, together with the sign of Užupis, the open palm. The location was proposed by Eglė Varankaitė, an architecture student who won the competition. Since then the number of plaques has continued to grow: by 2018 there were already twenty-nine, and translations into other languages number more than fifty. Among them are unexpected languages such as Samogitian, Tibetan and Latin.

The Constitution Wall is not only a photo spot. It is the best way to understand Užupis in five minutes: its humour, tenderness and belief in freedom. After reading the text in their own language, many guests decide to become citizens of the Republic right here - because all it takes is a quiet decision.

The full Constitution text and its origin story are in Constitution.

Further work: create a catalogue of plaques with each language's unveiling date and photo; mark the wall on the map; add audio recordings of the Constitution in different languages.