Kaîls,
Welcome to Virtual Prussia

We realize you must have many questions. And our site is here to answer them, but first and foremost, we will answer the most riddling question of all - What is Prussia?

Just what is Prussia? Is it a bastion of German imperialism? An ancient Slavic land? Maybe it is just Lithuania Minor? Supporters of each of these ideas often stress the exclusive right of one such concept above the rest. German, Polish and Lithuanian histories come to contraditions over what Prussia was, is and what it should be. It is most important to clear away the confusion of the stereotypes and recognise Prussia and it’s people for who they really were.

Here we speak of the geographical Prussia, what is more commonly known in modern history as East and West Prussia, without Brandenburg. Little effort has ever been made to recognise the coexistence of the diverse cultural factors which Prussia held together. It was a German state, and yet no one can deny the centuries-old presence of the Prussian Mazurs, nor the vibrant intellectuals of Lithuania Minor. While these may be linguistically divergent groups they grew up with the same spirit and of the same Prussian heritage.

Old Prussian Sculpture

Since the ancient times, Prussians lived in the very same homeland. They traded amber with the Romans, the Celts and the Vikings, and proudly said "As asma Prûss" in the most archaic tongue of Europe. They were never fully exterminated by the crusading knights, but mingled together with the Germans and later ethnic elements (Lithuanians, Poles, Flemish, Frenchmen etc.) into a new Prussia and served as a foundation for the future generations. The Prussian people produced such outstanding persons as N. Copernicus, I. Kant, Chr. Doneleitis (Donalitius, Donelaitis). These are usually associated with Poland, Germany and Lithuania, although they were children of the same land. The unique character of this land was reflected in its distinct folklore and local literature united by the name Prussia as a sign of self-determination. This unique culture flourished in the country-side until 1945-1948, when the inhabitants of this land underwent a terrible period of genocide and deportation. Even all the geographical names - the ancient European heritage - were wiped out in the Northern part of the land.

We view Prussia as our homeland, but not as a subset of either Germany, Poland, Lithuania, or Russia. We see Prussia as a phenomenon of it’s own, with unique people, no matter which language they speak. As a new united and tolerant Europe emerges into the new millennium - we learn to unite in diversity. The Brotherhood PRÛSA was founded in the hope of uniting all the people of Prussian descent in order to foster their culture and traditions. The name Prûsa is the old Blatic name of land we now know in the latinized form - Prussia. The language of the Old Prussians, now in the process of reconstruction and revival, will serve as a symbolic neutral medium for Prussians worldwide to collectively reach out to their roots. There were mutual influences between Prussian, German, Polish, and Lithuanian languages in the land of Baltic Prussia. The Old Prussian language, thus, came to lend a number of words to the German and Lithuanian dialects of the land. Like Latin, it is not spoken in any modern country and so accents political, national neutrality and Prussian cultural identity.

I. Kant

Alnâsteini / Allenstein / Olsztyn a Warmian home East Prussian refugees fleeing their homeland in 1945.

This web site, unlike many others, was constructed to help all Prussians unite in the spirit of their culture. Preusch, Mazurs and Lietuvininkai are but linguistic separations of the same people. Here everyone is a Prussian. To help everyone understand this culture in the universal context, we will try to educate and clear away the misconceptions and stereotypes that have haunted Prussians for centuries. An unbiased exploration of Prussian history is required, which we will also try to provide. The Prussian people should understand their own position in Europe and not only that imposed on them by their nationalistic neighbors. The new Russian and Ukrainian inhabitants of Kaliningrad look for identity and history. Sometimes representatives of the younger Polish generation in Warmia and Mazurland are also eager to find a connection with the past of their land. We wish to integrate them into our community as well. Living on the ancient Prussian land they, too, desire to communicate with it’s past. The Deported Preusch now, more than ever, search for a way back to their homeland. As we step into the 21st century, the posibilities of the world wide web open up the possibility for all these groups to communicate and share their Prussian heritige. This is our task - to educate and unite in our identity and our diversity. The experiment of the New Prussian language is also associated with this web site. As the site expands, we hope more and more people will contribute. We will share poems, stories and songs.

Check our page often and read the News section, as we will be making updates often - literature, historical and biographical articles.

Jûss,
Martin Shetty, Webmaster