Anykščiai is a town in Aukštaitija, ca. 60 km south-east of Panevėžys. In World War One, it was taken by German troops during the battle of Kupiškis. First entered by squadrons of Bayerische Kavallerie-Division at 10 am on August 4, 1915, soon after midday Anykščiai (Onikschty) was fully secured by 3. Kavallerie-Division attacking from the north.
During the German withdrawal from Russia at the end of 1918, units of the Red Army came to Anykščiai area in early January 1919. Bolshevik control lasted until May 19, 1919 when they were pushed out by Lithuanian regulars, the combined “Ukmergės grupė”.
In czarist times, Anykščiai had a post office (Onikshty) which was closed during the German occupation. But it was re-opened during the Bolshevik period and is referred to in a document dated April 9, 1919, which names Stepan Zalepugo as being in charge and Franc Blažis as postman. However, there is no surviving evidence of the Soviet branch’s actual work.
A mandate, as įgaliotinis, to open a Lithuanian post office in Anykščiai was given to the same Steponas Zalepuga, as from June 13, 1919. He stayed on until his transfer as postmaster to Plungė ca. mid-June 1920. His place at Anykščiai was taken by Steponas Garunkštis from the Kaunas P.O.
For stamps, Anykščiai was supplied with values of Fourth Berlin Issue, (probably) Kaunas Color Issue, the Sėjėjas Issue etc. It is not clear which other early stamps were available there, for Anykščiai was the residence of an ardent philatelist Dr. Šumacher(is) who may have obtained some issues from elsewhere by personal efforts.
Not having a regular postmarker to begin with, early cancelling was done in manuscript, indicating date and place. A standard calendar-type postmarker was supplied in 1920, if not before, the earliest noted date being May 1920.
It seems that a registration cachet was also provided in 1919 or 1920 and it certainly was in use in 1921.
But later the cachet must have been lost or sent back, for as late as 1923 registration was marked by hand-drawn rectangular imitations, differing in shape and inscription as shown below.
Within a year or so, Anykščiai obtained a new standard registration cachet.
Known provisional markings:
Cancelling in MS date and place:
22 / IX [1919] pair, Berlin IV 30 [colln. Liesis]
27 / IX [1919] cover to Leepaja (Latvia), Berlin IV 75 [colln. Doniela]Provisional MS registration markings:
101 19. IV. 1923 (no “Anykščiai”) [reported by Fugalevičius]
676 1. VI. 1923 (with “Anykščiai”) to Germany, Ct/Auks [colln. Bubnys]