Administrative lines established by the Supreme Council of the Entente, which temporarily served as the border between Lithuania and Poland. When the Polish army occupied Vilnius on April 22, 1919, and advanced deeper into Lithuania, the Entente decided on June 18, to establish the first demarcation line between the two armies. A second demarcation line was set on August 3, 1919, according to which the territories of Lithuania occupied by Polish forces up to Merkinė, as well as up to the Warsaw–Daugavpils railway line, remained on the Polish side.
Following the Battle of Giedraičiai on November 19–21, 1920, a truce was concluded with Żeligowski’s representatives in Kaunas on November 29, 1920, through the mediation of the Military Control Commission of the League of Nations: a neutral zone 5–12 kilometers wide was established between the occupied Vilnius region and Lithuania.On February 3, 1923, the Council of the League of Nations divided the neutral zone, setting the demarcation line along the Grodno–Vilnius–Daugavpils railway, which was left to Poland. On March 15, 1923, the Conference of Ambassadors confirmed this demarcation line. It remained in force until October 27, 1939, when, by agreement between representatives of the governments of Lithuania and the USSR, the Lithuanian–Soviet border was established.
In the territory of Molėtai District, this line became established only after the Battle of Giedraičiai. For the most part, it coincided with the present-day border between Vilnius and Molėtai districts, deviating in the village of Malūnėlis. It followed the Nikaja Stream, crossed the middle of Lake Arinas, cut across a bend in Pabradė–Joniškis road, and meandered along a local road past the villages of Surgėnai and Pavandenė, along the shore of Lake Pravalas. It then crossed into Švenčionys District, returned again near the villages of Maldžiūnai, Šakališkės, and Andrulėnai, passing through the small lakes Saločius and Kanta.
It was not only about checkpoints, customs posts, border guards, or smugglers — it was about the fate of our state and our people. The impact of this is still being felt today.
