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Location of the House Where L.L. Zamenhof Lived

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Historical Heritage
Veisiejai
Lazdijai Tourism Information Center

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54.103313, 23.701526

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Ludwik Lazarus Zamenhof (1859–1917) is a renowned creator of the Esperanto language who lived in Veisiejai, Lithuania, from 1885 onwards. Born into a Jewish (Litvak) family in Bialystok, he diligently studied languages and learned up to 12 foreign languages during his schooling. During his school years, he created the first draft of his international language project. However, his father, not understanding his son’s ambitions, burned the manuscript and encouraged him to study medicine. After studying in Moscow and Warsaw, Zamenhof arrived in Veisiejai to stay with his sister's husband, where he worked as a doctor. In this town, he reconstructed the manuscript of the Esperanto language, making Veisiejai the birthplace of Esperanto. Ludwik lived in a rented house on the banks of Lake Ančia, but the house no longer exists, as a large fire devastated Veisiejai in 1924, destroying 70 buildings, including

the pharmacy, the post office, and the wooden synagogue. After Lithuania's re-establishment in 1989, Veisiejai honored Zamenhof by naming a street after him—Kranto Street. The city council marked the site of the house where he lived with two memorial stones, inscribed in Lithuanian and Esperanto, stating that "in this place was a house where the creator of the Esperanto language, Ludwik Zamenhof, lived and worked from 1886 to 1887." Although the information was not always accurately presented, this inscription cements Zamenhof's legacy in Veisiejai. Lithuanian Esperantists, such as Adomas Jakštas, contributed to the popularization of Zamenhof's story. They explored his periods of residence in Veisiejai and created the first biographies. Zamenhof's life and work in Veisiejai remain an important cultural heritage that encourages tourists to learn more about the Esperanto language and its creator.

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