Klaipeda
Encyclopedia
Klaipėda (ˈklaɪpeːda; ) is a city
in Lithuania
situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea
. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County
.
The city has a complex recorded history, partially due to the combined regional importance of the Port of Klaipėda
, a usually ice-free port on the Baltic Sea
, and the Akmena - Dange River. It has been controlled by the Teutonic Knights
, the Duchy of Prussia, the Kingdom of Prussia
, the German Empire
, the Entente
States immediately after World War I
, Lithuania as a result of the 1923 Klaipėda Revolt
, and the Third Reich following the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania
. The city was incorporated into Lithuania during its tenure as a Soviet Socialist Republic and has remained within Lithuania following its re-establishment as an independent state.
The population shrank from 207,100 in 1992 to 177,823 in 2011. Popular seaside resort
s found close to Klaipėda are Nida
to the south on the Curonian Spit
, and Palanga
to the north.
The Teutonic Knights
built a castle
in the *Pilsāts Land of the Curonians
and named it Memelburg; later the name was shortened to Memel. From 1252-1923 and from 1939–1945, the town and city was officially named Memel. Due to political changes between 1923 and 1939, both names were in official use; since 1945 the Lithuanian name of Klaipėda is used.
The names Memelburg and Memel are found in most written sources from the 13th century onwards, while Klaipėda is found in Lithuania-related sources since the 15th century. The first time the city was mentioned as Caloypede in the letter of Vytautas in 1413, for the second time in the negotiation documents of 1420 as Klawppeda, and for the third time in the Treaty of Melno
of 1422 as Cleupeda. According to Samogitian
folk etymology, the name Klaipėda refers to the boggy terrain of the town (klaidyti=obstruct and pėda=foot). Most likely the name is of Curonian
origin and means "even ground": „klais/ klait“ (flat, open, free) und „ped“ (sole of the foot, ground).
The lower reaches of the Neman River
were named either *Mēmele or *Mēmela by Scalovians and local Curonian inhabitants. In the Latvian Curonian
language it means mute, silent (memelis, mimelis, mēms). This name was adopted by speakers of German and also chosen for the new city founded further away at the lagoon.
in the territory of the present-day city is said to have existed in the region as early as the 7th century.
In the 1240s the Pope
offered King Håkon IV
of Norway
the opportunity to conquer the peninsula of Sambia
. However, following the personal acceptance of Christianity
by Grand Duke Mindaugas
of Lithuania
, the Teutonic Knights
and a group of crusaders from Lübeck
moved into Sambia, founding unopposed a fort in 1252 recorded as Memele castrum (or Memelburg, "Memel Castle"). The fort's construction was completed in 1253 and Memel was garrisoned with troops of the Teutonic Order, administered by Deutschmeister Eberhard von Seyne. Documents for its foundation were signed by Eberhard and Bishop Heinrich von Lützelburg of Courland
on 29 July 1252 and 1 August 1252.
Master Conrad von Thierberg used the fortress as a base for further campaigns along the Neman River
and against Samogitia
. Memel was unsuccessfully besieged by Sambians
in 1255, and the scattered Sambians submitted by 1259. Memel was colonized by settlers from Holstein
, Lübeck and Dortmund
, hence Memel also being known at the time as Neu-Dortmund, or "New Dortmund". It became the main town of the Diocese of Curonia, with a cathedral and at least two parochial churches, but the development of the castle became the dominant priority. According to different sources, Memel received Lübeck city rights in 1254 or 1258.
In the spring and summer of 1323, a Lithuanian army led by Gediminas came up the Neman
and laid siege to the castle of Memel after conquering the town, and devastated Sambia, forcing the Order to sue for a truce in October. During the planning of a campaign against Samogitia, Memel's garrison of the Teutonic Order's Livonia
n branch was replaced with knights from the Prussia
n branch in 1328. Threats and attacks by Lithuanians
greatly thwarted the town's development; the town and the castle were both sacked by Lithuanian tribes in 1379, while Samogitians
attacked 800 workers rebuilding Memel in 1389.
The Treaty of Melno
in 1422 stabilized the border between the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for the next 501 years. The rebuilt town received Kulm law city rights in 1475. Memel remained part of what became Prussia and Germany; the border to Lithuania remained unchanged until 1919. It was one of the longest-lasting borders in Europe, and is referred to in the now-unsung first verse of the German national anthem
, which describes borders of German-speaking lands: Von der Maas bis an die Memel, referring to the Meuse
river in the West and Neman
river in the East.
after the conversion of Hohenzollern Margrave of Brandenburg Albert of Prussia and the creation of the Duchy of Prussia as a fief of Poland
in 1525. It was the onset of a long period of prosperity for the city and port. It served as a port for neighbouring Lithuania, benefiting from its location near the mouth of the Neman, with wheat
as a profitable export. The Duchy of Prussia was inherited by a relative, John Sigismund
, the Hohenzollern prince-elector
s of the March
of Brandenburg
in 1618. Brandenburg-Prussia
began active participation in regional policy, which affected the development of Memel. From 1629-1635, the town was occupied by Sweden
over several periods during the Polish-Swedish War of 1625-1629 and the Thirty Years' War
.
After the Treaty of Königsberg
in 1656 during the Northern Wars
, Elector Frederick William
opened Memel's harbor to Sweden, with whom the harbor's revenue was divided. Prussian independence from Poland and Sweden was affirmed in the Treaty of Oliva
in 1660.
The construction of a defence system around the entire town, initiated in 1627, noticeably changed its status and prospects. In November 1678 a small Swedish army invaded Prussian territory, but was unable to capture the fortress of Memel.
By the beginning of the 18th century, Memel was one of the strongest fortresses (Memelfestung) in Prussia, and the town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia
in 1701. Despite its fortifications, it was captured by Russian
troops during the Seven Years' War
in 1757. Consequently, from 1757–1762 the town, along with the rest of eastern Prussia, was dependent on the Russian Empire
. After this war ended, the maintenance of the fortress was neglected, but the town's growth continued.
Memel became part of the province of East Prussia
within the Kingdom of Prussia in 1773. In the second half of the 18th century Memel's lax customs and Riga
's high duties enticed English
traders, who established the first industrial sawmills in the town. In 1784, 996 ships arrived in Memel, 500 of which were English. (In 1900 there was still an active English church in Memel, as well as a 'British Hotel'). The specialisation in wood manufacturing guaranteed Memel's merchants income and stability for more than a hundred years. During this era it also normalised its trade relations with Königsberg
; regional instability had degraded relations since the 16th century.
Memel prospered during the second half of the 18th century by exporting timber
to Great Britain
for use by the Royal Navy
. In 1792, 756 British ships visited the town to transport lumber from the Lithuanian forests near Memel. In 1800 its imports consisted chiefly of salt, iron and herrings; the exports, which greatly exceeded the imports, were corn, hemp, flax, and, particularly, timber. The 1815 Encyclopædia Britannica
stated that Memel was "provided with the finest harbour in the Baltic".
During the Napoleonic Wars
, Memel became the temporary capital of the Kingdom of Prussia. Between 1807 - 1808, the town was the residence of King Frederick William III
, his consort Louise
, his court, and the government. On 9 October 1807 the king signed a document in Memel, later called the October Edict, which abolished serfdom
in Prussia. It originated the reforms of Karl Freiherr vom und zum Stein and Karl August von Hardenberg
. The land around Memel suffered major economic setbacks under Napoleon Bonaparte
's Continental System
. During Napoleon's retreat from Moscow
after the failed invasion of Russia in 1812, General Yorck refused Marshal MacDonald
's orders to fortify Memel at Prussia's expense.
into the German Empire
in 1871, Memel became Germany's most northerly city.
The development of the town in the 19th century was influenced by the industrial revolution
in Prussia and the attendant processes of urbanisation. Even though the population of Memel increased fourfold during the 19th century, and had risen to 21,470 by 1910, its pace of development lagged in comparison. The reasons for this were mostly political. Memel was the northernmost and easternmost city in Germany, and although the government was engaged in a very costly tree-planting exercise to stabilise the sand-dunes on the Curonian Spit
, most of the financial infusions in the province of East Prussia
were concentrated in Königsberg, the capital of the province. Some notable instances of the German infrastructure investments in the area included sandbar blasting and a new ship canal between Pillau
and Königsberg, which enabled vessels of up to 6.5 m draughts to moor alongside the city, at a cost of 13 million marks.
Owing to the absence of heavy industry in the 1870s and 1880s, the population of Memel stagnated, although wood manufacturing persisted as the main industry. It remained the central point of the Baltic timber-trade. A British Consul was located in the town in 1800; in 1900 a British
Vice-Consul was recorded there, as well as a Lloyd's
Agent.
By 1900 steamer services had been established between Memel and Cranz
(on the southern end of the Curonian Spit), and also between Memel and Tilsit. A main-line railway was built from Insterburg
, the main East Prussian railway junction, to St. Petersburg via Eydtkuhnen
, the Prussian frontier station. The Memel line also ran from Insterburg via Tilsit
, where a further direct line connected with Königsberg, that crossed the 4 km wide Memel River Valley over three bridges before its arrival in Memel.
During the second half of the 19th century, Memel was a center for the publication of books printed in the Lithuanian language
using the Latin alphabet
- these publications were prohibited in the nearby Russian Empire. The books were then smuggled over the border into Lithuania.
The German 1910 census lists the Memel Territory
population as 149,766, of whom 67,345 declared Lithuanian to be their first language. The Germans greatly predominated in the town and port of Memel as well as in other nearby villages; the Lithuanian population was predominant in the area's rural districts. (EB, 1938 Year Book, see map of languages)
Under the Treaty of Versailles
after World War I
, Klaipėda and the surrounding Klaipėda Region
(Memel Territory) were detached from Germany and made a protectorate
of the Entente States
. The French became provisional administrators of the region until a more permanent solution could be worked out. Both Lithuania and Poland campaigned for their rights in the region. However, it seemed that the would become a free city, similar to the Free City of Danzig
. Not waiting for an unfavorable decision, the Lithuanians decided to stage the Klaipėda Revolt
, take the region by force, and present the Entente with fait accompli
. The revolt was carried out in January 1923 while western Europe was distracted by the occupation of the Ruhr
. The Germans tacitly supported the action, while the French offered only limited resistance. The League of Nations
protested the revolt, but accepted the transfer in February 1923. The formal Klaipėda Convention
was signed in Paris on May 8, 1924, securing extensive autonomy for the region.
The annexation of the city had enormous consequences for the Lithuanian economy and foreign relations. The region subsequently accounted for up to 30% of the Lithuania's entire production. Between 70% and 80% of foreign trade passed through Klaipėda. The region, which represented only about 5% of Lithuania's territory, contained a third of its industry. The Weimar Germany, under Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann
, maintained normal relations with Lithuania. However, Nazi Germany
desired to reacquire the region and tensions rose. Pro-German parties won clear supermajorities in all elections to the Klaipėda Parliament, which often antagonized with the Lithuanian-appointed Klaipėda Directorate. Lithuanian efforts to "re-Lithuanize" Prussian Lithuanians
by promoting Lithuanian language, culture, education were often met with resistance from the locals. In 1932, a conflict between the Parliament and the Directorate had to be resolved by the Permanent Court of International Justice
. In 1934–1935, the Lithuanians attempted to combat increasing Nazi influence in the region by arresting and prosecuting over 120 Nazi activists for the alleged plot to organize an anti-Lithuanian rebellion. Despite rather harsh sentences, the defendants in the so-called Neumann–Sass case were soon released under pressure from Nazi Germany. The extensive autonomy guaranteed by the Klaipėda Convention
prevented Lithuania from blocking the growing pro-German attitudes in the region.
As tensions in pre-war Europe continued to grow, it was expected that Germany would make a move against Lithuania to reacquire the region. German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
of delivered an ultimatum
to the Lithuanian Foreign Minister on 20 March 1939, demanding the surrender of Klaipėda. Lithuania, unable to secure international support for its cause, submitted to the ultimatum and, in exchange for the right to use the new harbour facilities as a Free Port, ceded the disputed region to Germany in the late evening of 22 March 1939. Adolf Hitler
personally visited the harbour and delivered a speech to the city residents. This was Hitler's last territorial acquisition prior to World War II.
During World War II
, from the end of 1944 into 1945, as Allied victory appeared imminent, the inhabitants were evacuated
as the fighting drew nearer. The nearly empty city was captured by the Soviet
Red Army
on 28 January 1945 with only about 50 remaining people. Those who remained were later expelled
or killed. After the war the Memel Territory was incorporated into the Lithuanian SSR
, marking the start of a new epoch in the history of the city.
The Soviets transformed Klaipėda, the foremost ice-free port in the Eastern Baltic, into the largest piscatorial-marine base in the European USSR. A gigantic shipyard
, dockyards, and a fishing
port were constructed. Subsequently, by the end of the 1950s, the population of the city had doubled its pre-war population, and by 1989 there were 203,000 inhabitants. In the aftermath of World War II almost all the new residents came to Klaipėda from Russia
, Belarus
, Ukraine
and Lithuania
. Initially the Russian
-speakers dominated local government in the city, but after the death of Joseph Stalin
, more people came to the city from the rest of Lithuania than from other Soviet republics and oblasts; Lithuanians then became its major ethnic group. Among Lithuanian cities with a population greater than 100,000, however, Klaipėda has the highest percentage of people whose native language is Russian.
Until the 1970s, Klaipėda was only important to the USSR for its economy, while cultural and religious activity was minimal and restricted. The developers of a Roman Catholic
church (Maria, Queen of Peace, constructed 1957-1962) were arrested. The city began to develop cultural activities in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the introduction of the Sea Festival cultural tradition. Based on the Pedagogical University of Šiauliai
and the National Conservatory of Lithuania in Klaipėda, the University of Klaipėda was established in 1991. Klaipėda is now the home of a bilingual German-Lithuanian institution, the Hermann-Sudermann
-Schule, as well as an English-language University, LCC International University.
As of 2007, the population was 185,936. The population by age was: 0-14 14.0%, 15-59 67.1%,
60+ 18.9% There were 85,493 men and 100,443 women in the city. The ethnic composition in 2003 was:
Of the city's area of 98 square kilometres, 38 % was used for buildings, 1.4% for roads, 8.45% for farming, 14.08% was water, and the remaining 38% was "other uses". Klaipėda contained 17 post offices, a railroad station, a bus station, a harbour, 26 hotels, 4 Catholic chapels,a synagogue, 10 museums, 4 theaters, and 15 sport centers.
The council is the member of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania.
(Köppen
Cfb) and continental
(Köppen Dfb). Winters are cold to mild, and summers are warm. In July and August, the warmest season, high temperatures average 20 °C (68 °F), and low temperatures average 14 °C (57 °F). In January and February, the coldest season, high temperatures average 0 °C (32 °F) with low temperatures averaging -5 °C. It is not uncommon to have temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F) in July or -18 °C (0°F) in January. Extremes range from 34 °C (93 °F) to -33 °C.
The wettest month is November with a mean total precipitation 90 mm. Not only November, but also August, September and October are wet months because of the warmth of the Baltic sea in relation to the continent and the westerly winds. The driest month is February averaging 31 mm of total precipitation. Spring is not particularly wet.
Klaipėda is a windy city with many stormy days per year. In autumn and winter, gale
s are not unusual.
Sea breezes are common from April to September. Snow can fall from October to April and a phenomenon resembling lake-effect snow is frequent. Severe snowstorms can paralyze the city in winter.
Klaipėda has unsettled weather all year round. One winter can be cold and snowy, similar to that in Moscow, while another one can be mild, windy, and rainy, similar to the weather in Scotland. August 2005 was very rainy, while August 2002, barely had any precipitation at all.
Klaipėda has 31 neighborhoods:
. It is the most important Lithuanian transportation hub, connecting sea, land and railway routes from East to West. Klaipėda is a multipurpose, universal, deep-water port. 19 big stevedoring companies, ship-repair and shipbuilding yards operate within the port and all marine business and cargo handling services are being rendered.
The annual port cargo handling capacity is up to 40 Mt. The port operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all-year round.
The tallest building in Klaipėda is 34-story Pilsotas. A 40-story commercial building is scheduled to be built in 2012, which would become the tallest building in Klaipėda.
Klaipėda's public transport is very logical and comfortable for traveling because of its geographical peculiarity the city has expanded along the coast, from north to south. In the beginning of year 2007 a new electronic monthly ticket system was introduced. It is possible to buy an electronic card in shops and newspaper stands and fill it with an appropriate amount of money.
The principal public transport routes in Klaipėda are:
Klaipėda is being serviced by Klaipėda Airport
. Domestic and international commercial scheduled airline services are provided by Palanga International Airport
.
, France
, England
, Denmark
and southern Sweden
. Other places of interest include:
, Museum Nights, the International Festival of Street Theatres, the International Short Film Festival, and the Klaipėda Sea Festival
, among others.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County
Klaipeda County
Klaipėda County is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It lies in the west of the country and is the only county to have a coastline. Its capital is Klaipėda...
.
The city has a complex recorded history, partially due to the combined regional importance of the Port of Klaipėda
Port of Klaipeda
The Port of Klaipėda is a seaport located in Klaipėda, Lithuania. It is one of the few ice-free ports in northernmost Europe, and the largest in Lithuania...
, a usually ice-free port on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, and the Akmena - Dange River. It has been controlled by the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
, the Duchy of Prussia, the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, the Entente
Triple Entente
The Triple Entente was the name given to the alliance among Britain, France and Russia after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907....
States immediately after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Lithuania as a result of the 1923 Klaipėda Revolt
Klaipeda Revolt
The Klaipėda Revolt took place in January 1923 in the Klaipėda Region . The region, located north of the Neman River, was detached from the East Prussia of the German Empire by the Treaty of Versailles and became a mandate of the League of Nations. It was placed under provisional French...
, and the Third Reich following the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania
1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania
1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania was an oral ultimatum presented to Juozas Urbšys, Foreign Minister of Lithuania, by Joachim von Ribbentrop, Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany, on March 20, 1939...
. The city was incorporated into Lithuania during its tenure as a Soviet Socialist Republic and has remained within Lithuania following its re-establishment as an independent state.
The population shrank from 207,100 in 1992 to 177,823 in 2011. Popular seaside resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
s found close to Klaipėda are Nida
Nida (town)
Nida is a resort town in Lithuania, located on the Curonian Spit. It has 1,650 residents and is the administrative center of the Neringa municipality. Nida Airport is located in the town...
to the south on the Curonian Spit
Curonian Spit
The Curonian Spit is a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. Its southern portion lies within Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia and its northern within southwestern Lithuania...
, and Palanga
Palanga
Palanga and beautiful sand dunes. Officially Palanga has the status of a city municipality and includes Šventoji, Nemirseta, Būtingė and other settlements, which are considered as part of the city of Palanga.-Legend:...
to the north.
Names
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
built a castle
Klaipeda Castle
Klaipėda Castle, also known as Memelburg or Memel Castle, is an archeological site and museum housed in a castle built by the Teutonic Knights in Klaipėda, Lithuania, near the Baltic Sea. The Teutons called the castle Memelburg or Memel, and Klaipėda was generally known as Memel until 1923, when...
in the *Pilsāts Land of the Curonians
Curonians
The Curonians or Kurs were a Baltic tribe living on the shores of the Baltic sea in what are now the western parts of Latvia and Lithuania from the 5th to the 16th centuries, when they merged with other Baltic tribes. They gave their name to the region of Courland , and they spoke the Old...
and named it Memelburg; later the name was shortened to Memel. From 1252-1923 and from 1939–1945, the town and city was officially named Memel. Due to political changes between 1923 and 1939, both names were in official use; since 1945 the Lithuanian name of Klaipėda is used.
The names Memelburg and Memel are found in most written sources from the 13th century onwards, while Klaipėda is found in Lithuania-related sources since the 15th century. The first time the city was mentioned as Caloypede in the letter of Vytautas in 1413, for the second time in the negotiation documents of 1420 as Klawppeda, and for the third time in the Treaty of Melno
Treaty of Melno
The Treaty of Melno or Treaty of Lake Melno was a peace treaty ending the Gollub War. It was signed on September 27, 1422, between the Teutonic Knights and an alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at Lake Melno , east of Graudenz...
of 1422 as Cleupeda. According to Samogitian
Samogitian language
Samogitian is a dialect of the Lithuanian language spoken mostly in Samogitia . Attempts have been made to standardize it...
folk etymology, the name Klaipėda refers to the boggy terrain of the town (klaidyti=obstruct and pėda=foot). Most likely the name is of Curonian
Curonian language
The Curonian language or Old Curonian is an extinct language spoken by the Curonian tribe, who lived mainly on the Courland peninsula and along the nearby Baltic shores....
origin and means "even ground": „klais/ klait“ (flat, open, free) und „ped“ (sole of the foot, ground).
The lower reaches of the Neman River
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
were named either *Mēmele or *Mēmela by Scalovians and local Curonian inhabitants. In the Latvian Curonian
Kursenieki
The Kuršininkai are a nearly extinct Baltic ethnic group living along the Curonian Spit. "Kuršininkai" refers only to inhabitants of Lithuania and former East Prussia that speak a Lithuanian language dialect....
language it means mute, silent (memelis, mimelis, mēms). This name was adopted by speakers of German and also chosen for the new city founded further away at the lagoon.
Teutonic Knights
A settlement of Baltic tribesBalts
The Balts or Baltic peoples , defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between the Jutland peninsula in the west and Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers basins in the east...
in the territory of the present-day city is said to have existed in the region as early as the 7th century.
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
offered King Håkon IV
Haakon IV of Norway
Haakon Haakonarson , also called Haakon the Old, was king of Norway from 1217 to 1263. Under his rule, medieval Norway reached its peak....
of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
the opportunity to conquer the peninsula of Sambia
Sambia
Sambia or Samland is a peninsula in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. The Curonian Lagoon and the Vistula Lagoon demarcate the peninsula. Prior to 1945 it formed an important part of East Prussia.-Names:Sambia is named after the Sambians, an extinct...
. However, following the personal acceptance of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
by Grand Duke Mindaugas
Mindaugas
Mindaugas was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a 1219 treaty as an elder duke, and in 1236 as the leader of all the Lithuanians...
of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
, the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
and a group of crusaders from Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
moved into Sambia, founding unopposed a fort in 1252 recorded as Memele castrum (or Memelburg, "Memel Castle"). The fort's construction was completed in 1253 and Memel was garrisoned with troops of the Teutonic Order, administered by Deutschmeister Eberhard von Seyne. Documents for its foundation were signed by Eberhard and Bishop Heinrich von Lützelburg of Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
on 29 July 1252 and 1 August 1252.
Master Conrad von Thierberg used the fortress as a base for further campaigns along the Neman River
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
and against Samogitia
Samogitia
Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...
. Memel was unsuccessfully besieged by Sambians
Sambians
The Sambians were one of the Prussian tribes. They inhabited the peninsula of Sambia, north of the city of Königsberg . Sambians were located in a coastal territory rich in amber and engaged in trade early on . Therefore, they established contacts with foreign nations before any other Prussians...
in 1255, and the scattered Sambians submitted by 1259. Memel was colonized by settlers from Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, Lübeck and Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, hence Memel also being known at the time as Neu-Dortmund, or "New Dortmund". It became the main town of the Diocese of Curonia, with a cathedral and at least two parochial churches, but the development of the castle became the dominant priority. According to different sources, Memel received Lübeck city rights in 1254 or 1258.
In the spring and summer of 1323, a Lithuanian army led by Gediminas came up the Neman
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
and laid siege to the castle of Memel after conquering the town, and devastated Sambia, forcing the Order to sue for a truce in October. During the planning of a campaign against Samogitia, Memel's garrison of the Teutonic Order's Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
n branch was replaced with knights from the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n branch in 1328. Threats and attacks by Lithuanians
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
greatly thwarted the town's development; the town and the castle were both sacked by Lithuanian tribes in 1379, while Samogitians
Samogitians
Samogitians are a part of the Lithuanian ethnicity inhabiting the region of Samogitia in Lithuania. Many speak the Samogitian dialect of the Lithuanian language.-History:...
attacked 800 workers rebuilding Memel in 1389.
The Treaty of Melno
Treaty of Melno
The Treaty of Melno or Treaty of Lake Melno was a peace treaty ending the Gollub War. It was signed on September 27, 1422, between the Teutonic Knights and an alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at Lake Melno , east of Graudenz...
in 1422 stabilized the border between the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for the next 501 years. The rebuilt town received Kulm law city rights in 1475. Memel remained part of what became Prussia and Germany; the border to Lithuania remained unchanged until 1919. It was one of the longest-lasting borders in Europe, and is referred to in the now-unsung first verse of the German national anthem
Das Lied der Deutschen
The "'" , has been used wholly or partially as the national anthem of Germany since 1922. The music was written by Joseph Haydn in 1797 as an anthem for the birthday of the Austrian Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire...
, which describes borders of German-speaking lands: Von der Maas bis an die Memel, referring to the Meuse
Meuse River
The Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
river in the West and Neman
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
river in the East.
Duchy of Prussia
Against the wishes of its governor and commander, Eric of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Memel adopted LutheranismLutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
after the conversion of Hohenzollern Margrave of Brandenburg Albert of Prussia and the creation of the Duchy of Prussia as a fief of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1525. It was the onset of a long period of prosperity for the city and port. It served as a port for neighbouring Lithuania, benefiting from its location near the mouth of the Neman, with wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
as a profitable export. The Duchy of Prussia was inherited by a relative, John Sigismund
John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
John Sigismund was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from the House of Hohenzollern. He also served as a Duke of Prussia.-Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia:...
, the Hohenzollern prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
s of the March
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
in 1618. Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
began active participation in regional policy, which affected the development of Memel. From 1629-1635, the town was occupied by Sweden
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
over several periods during the Polish-Swedish War of 1625-1629 and the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
After the Treaty of Königsberg
Treaty of Königsberg (1656)
The Treaty of Königsberg was concluded on 7 January / 17 January 1656 during the Second Northern War. Frederick William I, the "Great Elector" of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia, was forced to join the Swedish camp and became a Swedish vassal for the Duchy of Prussia and Ermland...
in 1656 during the Northern Wars
Northern Wars
Northern Wars is a term used for a series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe in the 16th and 17th century. An internationally agreed nomenclature for these wars has not yet been devised...
, Elector Frederick William
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
|align=right|Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia – and thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia – from 1640 until his death. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as the "Great Elector" because of his military and political prowess...
opened Memel's harbor to Sweden, with whom the harbor's revenue was divided. Prussian independence from Poland and Sweden was affirmed in the Treaty of Oliva
Treaty of Oliva
The Treaty or Peace of Oliva of 23 April /3 May 1660 was one of the peace treaties ending the Second Northern War...
in 1660.
The construction of a defence system around the entire town, initiated in 1627, noticeably changed its status and prospects. In November 1678 a small Swedish army invaded Prussian territory, but was unable to capture the fortress of Memel.
Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
in 1701. Despite its fortifications, it was captured by Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
troops during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
in 1757. Consequently, from 1757–1762 the town, along with the rest of eastern Prussia, was dependent on the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. After this war ended, the maintenance of the fortress was neglected, but the town's growth continued.
Memel became part of the province of East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
within the Kingdom of Prussia in 1773. In the second half of the 18th century Memel's lax customs and Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
's high duties enticed English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
traders, who established the first industrial sawmills in the town. In 1784, 996 ships arrived in Memel, 500 of which were English. (In 1900 there was still an active English church in Memel, as well as a 'British Hotel'). The specialisation in wood manufacturing guaranteed Memel's merchants income and stability for more than a hundred years. During this era it also normalised its trade relations with Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
; regional instability had degraded relations since the 16th century.
Memel prospered during the second half of the 18th century by exporting timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
to Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
for use by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. In 1792, 756 British ships visited the town to transport lumber from the Lithuanian forests near Memel. In 1800 its imports consisted chiefly of salt, iron and herrings; the exports, which greatly exceeded the imports, were corn, hemp, flax, and, particularly, timber. The 1815 Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
stated that Memel was "provided with the finest harbour in the Baltic".
During the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, Memel became the temporary capital of the Kingdom of Prussia. Between 1807 - 1808, the town was the residence of King Frederick William III
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
, his consort Louise
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen consort of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III...
, his court, and the government. On 9 October 1807 the king signed a document in Memel, later called the October Edict, which abolished serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
in Prussia. It originated the reforms of Karl Freiherr vom und zum Stein and Karl August von Hardenberg
Karl August von Hardenberg
Karl August Fürst von Hardenberg was a Prussian statesman and Prime Minister of Prussia. While during his late career he acquiesced to reactionary policies, earlier in his career he implemented a variety of Liberal reforms...
. The land around Memel suffered major economic setbacks under Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's Continental System
Continental System
The Continental System or Continental Blockade was the foreign policy of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. It was a large-scale embargo against British trade, which began on November 21, 1806...
. During Napoleon's retreat from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
after the failed invasion of Russia in 1812, General Yorck refused Marshal MacDonald
Étienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald
Étienne Jacques Joseph Alexandre MacDonald, 1st duke of Taranto was a Marshal of France and military leader during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.-Family background:...
's orders to fortify Memel at Prussia's expense.
German Empire
After the unification of GermanyUnification of Germany
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor Wilhelm of the German...
into the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
in 1871, Memel became Germany's most northerly city.
The development of the town in the 19th century was influenced by the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in Prussia and the attendant processes of urbanisation. Even though the population of Memel increased fourfold during the 19th century, and had risen to 21,470 by 1910, its pace of development lagged in comparison. The reasons for this were mostly political. Memel was the northernmost and easternmost city in Germany, and although the government was engaged in a very costly tree-planting exercise to stabilise the sand-dunes on the Curonian Spit
Curonian Spit
The Curonian Spit is a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. Its southern portion lies within Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia and its northern within southwestern Lithuania...
, most of the financial infusions in the province of East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
were concentrated in Königsberg, the capital of the province. Some notable instances of the German infrastructure investments in the area included sandbar blasting and a new ship canal between Pillau
Baltiysk
Baltiysk , prior to 1945 known by its German name Pillau , is a seaport town and the administrative center of Baltiysky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, located on the northern part of the Vistula Spit, on the shore of the Strait of Baltiysk separating the Vistula Bay from the Gdańsk Bay. Baltiysk...
and Königsberg, which enabled vessels of up to 6.5 m draughts to moor alongside the city, at a cost of 13 million marks.
Owing to the absence of heavy industry in the 1870s and 1880s, the population of Memel stagnated, although wood manufacturing persisted as the main industry. It remained the central point of the Baltic timber-trade. A British Consul was located in the town in 1800; in 1900 a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Vice-Consul was recorded there, as well as a Lloyd's
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
Agent.
By 1900 steamer services had been established between Memel and Cranz
Zelenogradsk
Zelenogradsk, is a town and the administrative center of Zelenogradsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, Located on the Sambian coastline near the Curonian Spit on the Baltic Sea...
(on the southern end of the Curonian Spit), and also between Memel and Tilsit. A main-line railway was built from Insterburg
Chernyakhovsk
Chernyakhovsk is a town and the administrative center of Chernyakhovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Instruch and the Angrapa Rivers, forming the Pregolya...
, the main East Prussian railway junction, to St. Petersburg via Eydtkuhnen
Chernyshevskoye
Chernyshevskoye is a settlement in Nesterovsky District in the eastern part of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, on the border with Lithuania.Between Chernyshevskoye and Lithuanian Kybartai is an important 24-hour border crossing point on the A229 principal road and the railway route connecting...
, the Prussian frontier station. The Memel line also ran from Insterburg via Tilsit
Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast
Sovetsk , known by its historical German name of Tilsit in East Prussia before 1946, is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the south bank of the Neman River. Population: -History of Tilsit:...
, where a further direct line connected with Königsberg, that crossed the 4 km wide Memel River Valley over three bridges before its arrival in Memel.
During the second half of the 19th century, Memel was a center for the publication of books printed in the Lithuanian language
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
using the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
- these publications were prohibited in the nearby Russian Empire. The books were then smuggled over the border into Lithuania.
The German 1910 census lists the Memel Territory
Klaipėda Region
The Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory was defined by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920 when it was put under the administration of the Council of Ambassadors...
population as 149,766, of whom 67,345 declared Lithuanian to be their first language. The Germans greatly predominated in the town and port of Memel as well as in other nearby villages; the Lithuanian population was predominant in the area's rural districts. (EB, 1938 Year Book, see map of languages)
Inter-war years
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Klaipėda and the surrounding Klaipėda Region
Klaipėda Region
The Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory was defined by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920 when it was put under the administration of the Council of Ambassadors...
(Memel Territory) were detached from Germany and made a protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
of the Entente States
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
. The French became provisional administrators of the region until a more permanent solution could be worked out. Both Lithuania and Poland campaigned for their rights in the region. However, it seemed that the would become a free city, similar to the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
. Not waiting for an unfavorable decision, the Lithuanians decided to stage the Klaipėda Revolt
Klaipeda Revolt
The Klaipėda Revolt took place in January 1923 in the Klaipėda Region . The region, located north of the Neman River, was detached from the East Prussia of the German Empire by the Treaty of Versailles and became a mandate of the League of Nations. It was placed under provisional French...
, take the region by force, and present the Entente with fait accompli
Fait Accompli
Fait accompli is a French phrase which means literally "an accomplished deed". It is commonly used to describe an action which is completed before those affected by it are in a position to query or reverse it...
. The revolt was carried out in January 1923 while western Europe was distracted by the occupation of the Ruhr
Occupation of the Ruhr
The Occupation of the Ruhr between 1923 and 1925, by troops from France and Belgium, was a response to the failure of the German Weimar Republic under Chancellor Cuno to pay reparations in the aftermath of World War I.-Background:...
. The Germans tacitly supported the action, while the French offered only limited resistance. The League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
protested the revolt, but accepted the transfer in February 1923. The formal Klaipėda Convention
Klaipėda Convention
Klaipėda Convention was an international agreement between Lithuania and the countries of the Conference of Ambassadors signed in Paris on May 8, 1924. According to the Convention, the Klaipėda Region became an autonomous region under unconditional sovereignty of Lithuania...
was signed in Paris on May 8, 1924, securing extensive autonomy for the region.
The annexation of the city had enormous consequences for the Lithuanian economy and foreign relations. The region subsequently accounted for up to 30% of the Lithuania's entire production. Between 70% and 80% of foreign trade passed through Klaipėda. The region, which represented only about 5% of Lithuania's territory, contained a third of its industry. The Weimar Germany, under Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann
Gustav Stresemann
was a German politician and statesman who served as Chancellor and Foreign Minister during the Weimar Republic. He was co-laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926.Stresemann's politics defy easy categorization...
, maintained normal relations with Lithuania. However, Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
desired to reacquire the region and tensions rose. Pro-German parties won clear supermajorities in all elections to the Klaipėda Parliament, which often antagonized with the Lithuanian-appointed Klaipėda Directorate. Lithuanian efforts to "re-Lithuanize" Prussian Lithuanians
Prussian Lithuanians
The term Prussian Lithuanians or Lietuvininkai refers to a Western Lithuanian ethnic group, which did not form a nation and inhabited a territory in East Prussia called Prussian Lithuania or Lithuania Minor in contrast to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Republic of Lithuania .Unlike most...
by promoting Lithuanian language, culture, education were often met with resistance from the locals. In 1932, a conflict between the Parliament and the Directorate had to be resolved by the Permanent Court of International Justice
Permanent Court of International Justice
The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1922 , the Court was initially met with a good reaction from states and academics alike, with many cases submitted to it for its first decade of...
. In 1934–1935, the Lithuanians attempted to combat increasing Nazi influence in the region by arresting and prosecuting over 120 Nazi activists for the alleged plot to organize an anti-Lithuanian rebellion. Despite rather harsh sentences, the defendants in the so-called Neumann–Sass case were soon released under pressure from Nazi Germany. The extensive autonomy guaranteed by the Klaipėda Convention
Klaipėda Convention
Klaipėda Convention was an international agreement between Lithuania and the countries of the Conference of Ambassadors signed in Paris on May 8, 1924. According to the Convention, the Klaipėda Region became an autonomous region under unconditional sovereignty of Lithuania...
prevented Lithuania from blocking the growing pro-German attitudes in the region.
As tensions in pre-war Europe continued to grow, it was expected that Germany would make a move against Lithuania to reacquire the region. German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
of delivered an ultimatum
1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania
1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania was an oral ultimatum presented to Juozas Urbšys, Foreign Minister of Lithuania, by Joachim von Ribbentrop, Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany, on March 20, 1939...
to the Lithuanian Foreign Minister on 20 March 1939, demanding the surrender of Klaipėda. Lithuania, unable to secure international support for its cause, submitted to the ultimatum and, in exchange for the right to use the new harbour facilities as a Free Port, ceded the disputed region to Germany in the late evening of 22 March 1939. Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
personally visited the harbour and delivered a speech to the city residents. This was Hitler's last territorial acquisition prior to World War II.
1945-Present
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, from the end of 1944 into 1945, as Allied victory appeared imminent, the inhabitants were evacuated
Evacuation of East Prussia
The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipėda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the evacuation of German civilians towards the end of World War II...
as the fighting drew nearer. The nearly empty city was captured by the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
on 28 January 1945 with only about 50 remaining people. Those who remained were later expelled
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
or killed. After the war the Memel Territory was incorporated into the Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
, marking the start of a new epoch in the history of the city.
The Soviets transformed Klaipėda, the foremost ice-free port in the Eastern Baltic, into the largest piscatorial-marine base in the European USSR. A gigantic shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
, dockyards, and a fishing
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
port were constructed. Subsequently, by the end of the 1950s, the population of the city had doubled its pre-war population, and by 1989 there were 203,000 inhabitants. In the aftermath of World War II almost all the new residents came to Klaipėda from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. Initially the Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
-speakers dominated local government in the city, but after the death of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, more people came to the city from the rest of Lithuania than from other Soviet republics and oblasts; Lithuanians then became its major ethnic group. Among Lithuanian cities with a population greater than 100,000, however, Klaipėda has the highest percentage of people whose native language is Russian.
Until the 1970s, Klaipėda was only important to the USSR for its economy, while cultural and religious activity was minimal and restricted. The developers of a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church (Maria, Queen of Peace, constructed 1957-1962) were arrested. The city began to develop cultural activities in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the introduction of the Sea Festival cultural tradition. Based on the Pedagogical University of Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
and the National Conservatory of Lithuania in Klaipėda, the University of Klaipėda was established in 1991. Klaipėda is now the home of a bilingual German-Lithuanian institution, the Hermann-Sudermann
Hermann Sudermann
Hermann Sudermann was a German dramatist and novelist.- Early career :He was born at Matzicken, a village just to the east of Heydekrug in the Province of Prussia , close to the Russian frontier...
-Schule, as well as an English-language University, LCC International University.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Klaipėda is also used as coat of arms of Klaipėda city municipality. The modern version was created by the designer Kęstutis Mickevičius. The modern coat of arms was created by restoring old seals of the Memel city (analogous with those used in the years 1446, 1605 and 1618). It was affirmed on July 1, 1992.Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Population | | |
| 1992 | 207,100 | |
| 1999 | 203,300 | |
| 2003 | 190,906 | |
| 2004 | 189,477 | |
| 2005 | 188,042 | |
| 2006 | 187,316 | |
| 2011 | 161,300 | |
As of 2007, the population was 185,936. The population by age was: 0-14 14.0%, 15-59 67.1%,
60+ 18.9% There were 85,493 men and 100,443 women in the city. The ethnic composition in 2003 was:
- LithuaniansLithuaniansLithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
63% - RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
28.2% - PolesPolesthumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
4.8% - BelarusiansBelarusiansBelarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
0.5% - Other 3.5%
Of the city's area of 98 square kilometres, 38 % was used for buildings, 1.4% for roads, 8.45% for farming, 14.08% was water, and the remaining 38% was "other uses". Klaipėda contained 17 post offices, a railroad station, a bus station, a harbour, 26 hotels, 4 Catholic chapels,a synagogue, 10 museums, 4 theaters, and 15 sport centers.
City municipality
Klaipėda city municipality council is the governing body of the Klaipėda city municipality. It is responsible for municipality laws. The council is composed of 31 member elected for four-year terms.The council is the member of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania.
Mayors
- 1990–1992 – Povilas VasiliauskasPovilas VasiliauskasPovilas Vasiliauskas is a Lithuanian politician, the president of Klaipeda Association of Industrialists, former mayor of Klaipėda....
- 1992–1994 – Benediktas Petrauskas
- 1994–1995 – Jurgis Aušra
- 1995–1997 – Silverijus Šukys
- 1997–2000 and 2000–2001 – Eugenijus GentvilasEugenijus GentvilasEugenijus Gentvilas is a Lithuanian politician, signatory of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania and Member of the European Parliament for the Liberal and Centre Union , sitting with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. He was mayor of Klaipėda from 1997 to 2001...
- 2001–2003, 2003–2007, 2007–2011 - Rimantas TaraškevičiusRimantas TaraškeviciusRimantas Taraškevičius is a politician. He was elected mayor of Klaipėda, Lithuania in 2001.-References: . Biography as published by the Seimas of Lithuania. Retrieved 2010-02-05....
- 2011–present - Vytautas Grubliauskas
Climate
Klaipėda's climate is transitional between oceanicOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb) and continental
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(Köppen Dfb). Winters are cold to mild, and summers are warm. In July and August, the warmest season, high temperatures average 20 °C (68 °F), and low temperatures average 14 °C (57 °F). In January and February, the coldest season, high temperatures average 0 °C (32 °F) with low temperatures averaging -5 °C. It is not uncommon to have temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F) in July or -18 °C (0°F) in January. Extremes range from 34 °C (93 °F) to -33 °C.
The wettest month is November with a mean total precipitation 90 mm. Not only November, but also August, September and October are wet months because of the warmth of the Baltic sea in relation to the continent and the westerly winds. The driest month is February averaging 31 mm of total precipitation. Spring is not particularly wet.
Klaipėda is a windy city with many stormy days per year. In autumn and winter, gale
Gale
A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...
s are not unusual.
Sea breezes are common from April to September. Snow can fall from October to April and a phenomenon resembling lake-effect snow is frequent. Severe snowstorms can paralyze the city in winter.
Klaipėda has unsettled weather all year round. One winter can be cold and snowy, similar to that in Moscow, while another one can be mild, windy, and rainy, similar to the weather in Scotland. August 2005 was very rainy, while August 2002, barely had any precipitation at all.
Neighborhoods
|
|
|
Port of Klaipėda
The Port of Klaipėda is the principal ice-free port on the eastern coast of the Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. It is the most important Lithuanian transportation hub, connecting sea, land and railway routes from East to West. Klaipėda is a multipurpose, universal, deep-water port. 19 big stevedoring companies, ship-repair and shipbuilding yards operate within the port and all marine business and cargo handling services are being rendered.
The annual port cargo handling capacity is up to 40 Mt. The port operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all-year round.
Notable buildings
| Name | Stories | Height | Built | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilsotas | 34 | 111.9 m. | 2007 | Residential | Built |
| BIG 2 Complex | 25 | 72–82 m. | 2009 | Mixed use | Built |
| K Tower | 20 | 71.9 m. | 2006 | Office | Built |
| D Tower | 20 | 71.9 m. | 2006 | Residential | Built |
| Klaipėdos burė | 22 | 66 m. | 2009 | Residential | Built |
| Aukštoji Smeltė | 20 | 66 m. | 2009 | Residential | Under construction |
| Minijos Banga | 20 | 62.2 m. | 2007 | Residential | Built |
| Neapolis Business Centre | 16 | 56.7 m. | 2007 | Office | Built |
| Baltijos Avenue Tower | 15 | 50 m. | 2002 | Residential | Built |
| Vėtrungė | 13 | 42 m. | - | Retail | Built |
Transportation
The principal public transport routes in Klaipėda are:
- 3 - From Žvejybos uostasŽvejybos uostasŽvejybos uostas is a neighbourhood in southern Klaipėda, Lithuania. It shares borders with Gandrališkės, Dubysos, Baltijos, Poilsis to the east and Smeltė to the south....
to Klaipėda's north; - 6 - From south citys microdistrict to Melnragė;
- 8 - From south citys microdistrict to Klaipėda's Bus Station and Railroad Stations;
- The special routes 1, 1A, 12, and 19 carry workers to the biggest harbor enterprises.
Klaipėda is being serviced by Klaipėda Airport
Klaipeda Airport
Klaipėda Airport is a privately run airport with primary focus on sports aviation and charter services. It is located east of Klaipėda in the western part of Lithuania, near the A1/E85 highway....
. Domestic and international commercial scheduled airline services are provided by Palanga International Airport
Palanga International Airport
Palanga International Airport is an international airport located in the western part of Lithuania near the Baltic Sea. The airport focuses on servicing short and mid-range routes. The facility expansion completed in 2007 has made long-range route servicing a possibility. Since 1993, the number of...
.
Culture and contemporary life
Historical
Klaipėda's main attractions are the historic buildings in the city's centre, dating from the 13th to 18th centuries. Some of its older buildings have picturesque half-timbered construction, similar to that found in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and southern Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Other places of interest include:
- The remnants of the Klaipėda CastleKlaipeda CastleKlaipėda Castle, also known as Memelburg or Memel Castle, is an archeological site and museum housed in a castle built by the Teutonic Knights in Klaipėda, Lithuania, near the Baltic Sea. The Teutons called the castle Memelburg or Memel, and Klaipėda was generally known as Memel until 1923, when...
, built in the 13th century by the Teutonic Order. It had a massive bulk and a quadrangular tower, surrounded by the ramparts and brick bastions. It lost importance after the Russian occupation from 1756 to 1762, and thenceforth started to decay. - The Žardė ancient settlement, situated on the right bank of the Smiltelė River. It is dated to the late Iron Age (10th century), and was inhabited until the 16th century.
- The remnants of the so-called 'DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
' defence system around the entire town from the 17th-18th centuries. - The maritime museum in Fort Wilhelm, built at the end of the 19th century at the spike of the Curonian Spit.
Museums
- Castle museum
- Lithuania Minor Historical museum
- Blacksmiths museum
- Lithuanian Sea museum and Dolphinarium
- Clocks museum
Festivals
Annual events include Klaipėda Music Spring, the Klaipėda Castle Jazz FestivalKlaipėda Castle Jazz Festival
The Klaipėda Castle Jazz Festival has been held annually during June or July in Klaipėda, Lithuania since 1994. It is staged near the ruined Klaipėda Castle....
, Museum Nights, the International Festival of Street Theatres, the International Short Film Festival, and the Klaipėda Sea Festival
Klaipėda Sea Festival
The Klaipėda Sea Festival has been held annually in the city of Klaipėda, Lithuania during the month of July since 1934.In 2009 the city hosted the Tall Ships Race as part of the festival. According to a city website, about 500,000 people have been present at the event....
, among others.
Sports
| Club | Sport | League | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neptūnas KK Neptunas BC „Neptūnas“ is the major basketball club of Klaipėda, Lithuania participating in Lithuanian Basketball League and Baltic Basketball League. BC „Maistas“ basketball club was founded in 1962... |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), Baltic Basketball League (BBL Baltic Basketball League Baltic Basketball League is a Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004.Currently, the league is divided into two: the Elite division and the Challenge Cup division. The 10 strongest Baltic basketball clubs participate in the Elite division. The rest of the teams compete in the Challenge Cup... ) |
Švyturio Arena |
| BC Naglis BC Naglis BC „Naglis“ is a profesional Lithuania basketball club which currently plays in Lithuanian Basketball League. BC "Naglis" profesional basketball club was founded in 1999... |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), Baltic Basketball League BBL Baltic Basketball League Baltic Basketball League is a Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004.Currently, the league is divided into two: the Elite division and the Challenge Cup division. The 10 strongest Baltic basketball clubs participate in the Elite division. The rest of the teams compete in the Challenge Cup... ) |
Neptūnas Hall |
| Nafta-Uni-Laivitė | Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
National Basketball League (NKL National Basketball League (Lithuania) The National Basketball League was founded in 2005. NKL is the second-tier basketball minor league The National Basketball League was founded in 2005. NKL is the second-tier basketball minor league The National Basketball League was founded in 2005. NKL is the second-tier basketball minor league... ) |
Žalgirio sporto rūmai |
| Tekoda | Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Regional Basketball League (RKL) | Žalgirio sporto rūmai |
| LCC TU | Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Regional Basketball League (RKL) | Michaelsen Centre |
| Lemminkainen Klaipėdos Lemminkainen Klaipėdos "Lemminkainen" is the major women basketball club of Klaipėda, Lithuania participating in Lithuanian Women Basketball League, Baltic Women Basketball League and EuroCup Women. Klaipėdos "Lemminkainen" basketball club was founded in 2001.... |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Lithuanian Women Basketball League (LMKL) | Žalgirio Sporto Rūmai |
| Dragūnas | Handball Team handball Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team... |
Lithuanian Handball League (LRL) | Neptūnas Hall |
| Kuršiai | Rugby Rugby football Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:... |
Lithuanian Rugby Union Rugby union in Lithuania Rugby union in Lithuania is a minor but growing sport.-Governing Body:The Lithuanian Union was founded in 1961, and joined the IRB in 1992, after Lithuanian independence. Although the union was formed in the sixties, it was not considered a proper national union until after the breakup of the... I Group |
Žalgiris Stadium Žalgiris Stadium (Klaipeda) Žalgiris Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Klaipėda, Lithuania. It is currently used mostly for football matches by FK Atlantas competing in A Lyga. FK Šilutė had used the stadium for few years till 2005. In the past the stadium had a capacity of 9,000 and now holds only 5,000.... |
| Atlantas FK Atlantas FK Atlantas is a Lithuanian football team from the port city of Klaipėda. The team currently plays on the first level of the Lithuanian football league pyramid.... |
Football Football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball... |
Lithuanian Football Federation Lithuanian Football Federation The Lithuanian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Lithuania. The Federation is responsible for football development in the country and for the national teams, including the Lithuania national football team. It is based in Vilnius. LFF became a member of FIFA in 1923, but... A League (A Lyga A Lyga The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. It is organized by LFF . League size has varied between 8 and 12 teams over the past few years; for its 2011 season, the league features 12 teams... ) |
Žalgiris Stadium Žalgiris Stadium (Klaipeda) Žalgiris Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Klaipėda, Lithuania. It is currently used mostly for football matches by FK Atlantas competing in A Lyga. FK Šilutė had used the stadium for few years till 2005. In the past the stadium had a capacity of 9,000 and now holds only 5,000.... |
| FC Klaipeda FC Klaipėda FC Klaipėda is a Lithuanian football club from the city of Klaipėda. The team was promoted to the A Lyga, the top-level league of Lithuania, for the 2010 season.-History:... |
Football Football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball... |
Lithuanian Football Federation Lithuanian Football Federation The Lithuanian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Lithuania. The Federation is responsible for football development in the country and for the national teams, including the Lithuania national football team. It is based in Vilnius. LFF became a member of FIFA in 1923, but... A League (A Lyga A Lyga The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. It is organized by LFF . League size has varied between 8 and 12 teams over the past few years; for its 2011 season, the league features 12 teams... ) |
Žalgiris Stadium Žalgiris Stadium (Klaipeda) Žalgiris Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Klaipėda, Lithuania. It is currently used mostly for football matches by FK Atlantas competing in A Lyga. FK Šilutė had used the stadium for few years till 2005. In the past the stadium had a capacity of 9,000 and now holds only 5,000.... |
| FK Sendvaris | Football Football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball... |
Sunday football league SFL League (SFL Lyga) | Football school stadium |
| Sadvita | Hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Lithuania Hockey League Lithuania Hockey League -Group A:*SC Energija *SM Poseidonas *Sporto Centras *Kaliningrad Pioner -Group B:*Sparnai *LRK Kėdainiai *LRK Panevėžys *Sūduva *Velniai... (NVLRL) |
Klaipedos Akropolis Ice Arena |
| Skatas - 95 | Hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Lithuania Hockey League Lithuania Hockey League -Group A:*SC Energija *SM Poseidonas *Sporto Centras *Kaliningrad Pioner -Group B:*Sparnai *LRK Kėdainiai *LRK Panevėžys *Sūduva *Velniai... (NVLRL) |
Klaipedos Akropolis Ice Arena |
| Kirai | Hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Lithuania Hockey League Lithuania Hockey League -Group A:*SC Energija *SM Poseidonas *Sporto Centras *Kaliningrad Pioner -Group B:*Sparnai *LRK Kėdainiai *LRK Panevėžys *Sūduva *Velniai... (NVLRL) |
Klaipedos Akropolis Ice Arena |
| Toras Torás Torás is a municipality in the comarca of Alto Palancia, Castellón, Valencia, Spain.... |
Hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Lithuania Hockey League Lithuania Hockey League -Group A:*SC Energija *SM Poseidonas *Sporto Centras *Kaliningrad Pioner -Group B:*Sparnai *LRK Kėdainiai *LRK Panevėžys *Sūduva *Velniai... (NVLRL) |
Klaipedos Akropolis Ice Arena |
Radio
- Radijas 9Radijas 9Radijas 9 is a music radio station that is licensed to Klaipėda, Lithuania. The station began broadcasting on June 29, 1995.- Programs :* Labas Rytas, Klaipėda* Savas Braizas* Ekomisija* Svečias Studijoje* Ant a lot of other- External links :*...
91.4 FM - LalunaLaluna (radio)Laluna is a music radio station that is licensed to Klaipėda, Lithuania.- History :The station began broadcasting on August 25, 1995 and now it is the most popular radio station in Klaipėda.- Programs :* Lalunos Top 40* Lašas Po Lašo* Viskas Bus Gerai...
94.9 FM - Vox maris 99 FM
- Kelyje 99.8 FM
- Vakarų FM 100.4 FM
- RadugaRaduga (radio)Raduga is a Russian-language music radio station that is licensed to Klaipėda, Lithuania. The station began broadcasting on September 1, 2001.- Programs :* Nauja Diena* Non stop* Geriausias laikas* 100 ir 8 malonumai* Užvesk!* Rožinė spalva* TOP-20...
100.8 FM - European Hit RadioEuropean Hit RadioEuropean Hit Radio is one of the very first commercial radio stations in Baltic States. This radio focuses on reflecting the current situation in European music charts...
96.2 FM - Power Hit RadioPower Hit Radio (Lithuania)Power Hit Radio is a commercial radio station in Lithuania that plays dance music aimed at listeners aged around 15 to 35....
96.7 FM - Zip FM 92.5 FM
Television
- Balticum TV, AnalogAnalog televisionAnalog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
, DigitalDigital terrestrial televisionDigital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
Newspapers
- Vakarų ekspresasVakarų ekspresasVakarų ekspresas is the largest regional newspaper of Klaipėda city, Lithuania with daily circulation of 15,000–20,000 copies.Vakarų ekspresas is published daily, except for Sundays...
- Klaipėda
- 15 Minučių
Notable residents
- Iveta Lukosiute Champion ballroom dancer
- Simon DachSimon DachSimon Dach was a Prussian German lyrical poet and writer of hymns, born in Memel in the Duchy of Prussia.-Early life:...
(1605–1659), poet and writer of the Ännchen von Tharau song - Matthäus PrätoriusMatthäus PrätoriusMatthäus Prätorius was a Protestant pastor, later a Roman Catholic priest, a historian and ethnographer....
(1635–1704), Protestant pastor, historian, ethnographer - Michael WohlfahrtMichael WohlfahrtMichael Wohlfahrt , aka Michael Welfare, was a religious leader who assisted Conrad Beissel in leading the Ephrata Community in Pennsylvania....
(1687–1741), religious leader in Pennsylvania - Friedrich Wilhelm ArgelanderFriedrich Wilhelm ArgelanderFriedrich Wilhelm August Argelander was a German astronomer. He is known for his determinations of stellar brightnesses, positions, and distances.- Life and work :...
(1799–1875), astronomer - Johann Georg Kant (1682–1746), Immanuel KantImmanuel KantImmanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
's father - Yisrael SalanterYisrael SalanterRabbi Yisroel Lipkin, better known as "Yisroel Salanter" or "Israel Salanter" , was the father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist...
(1810–1883), founder of Musar movement within Judaism - Isaac RülfIsaac RülfRabbi Dr. Isaac Rülf was a Jewish teacher, journalist and philosopher. He became widely known for his aid work and as a prominent early Zionist....
(1831–1902), editor-in-chief of Memeler Dampfboot, philosopher, activist - David WolffsohnDavid WolffsohnDavid Wolffsohn was a Jewish businessman, prominent early Zionist and second president of the Zionist Organization .Wolffsohn was born in Darbėnai, Lithuania, to religious parents, Isaac and Feiga. He received an observant religious education from his parents and in 1872 was sent to Germany to...
(1856–1914), second president of World Zionist OrganizationWorld Zionist OrganizationThe World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland... - Julius KröhlJulius H. KroehlJulius Hermann Kröhl was a German-born American inventor and engineer. He built the submarine, Sub Marine Explorer, technically advanced for its era, but destined to failure, because of decompression sickness, which may not have been well understood at that time by Kroehl and others...
(1820–1867), German-American submarineSubmarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
pioneer - James Hobrecht (1825–1902), city planner
- Rudolf Reicke (1825–1905), philosopher
- Hedwig Andersen (1866–1957), logopedian
- Leon Zeitlin (1876–1967), economist
- George AdomeitGeorge AdomeitGeorge Gustav Adomeit was a German-born American painter and printmaker, and also co-founder and long-time president of the Caxton Company, a printing company that was bought by the Fetter Printing Company in 1955....
(1879–1967), painter - Charlotte SusaCharlotte Susa-Biography:Susa was born Charlotta Wegmüller near Memel, East Prussia and first appeared at a stage in 1915 at Tilsit. She chose her mothers maiden name "Susa" as her stage name and began a successful career as a singer and actress at different German Opera and Operetta stages, e.g...
(1898–1976), actress - Arno EschArno EschArno Esch was a German liberal politician of the late 1940s in the Soviet Occupation Zone. He was executed at the Lubyanka prison in Moscow in 1951 at the age of 23.- Biography :...
(1928–1951) liberal politician in (SBZ) (Soviet Occupied Zone) - Dietmar Willoweit (born 1936) president of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences
- Tomas VenclovaTomas VenclovaTomas Venclova is a Lithuanian scholar, poet, author and translator of literature.Tomas Venclova is son of poet and Soviet politician Antanas Venclova. He was educated at Vilnius University. As an active participant in the dissident movement he was deprived of Soviet citizenship in 1977 and had...
(born 1937), poet and author - Günter Willumeit (born 1941), comedian
- Lena ValaitisLena ValaitisLena Valaitis is a Lithuanian-German Schlager singer. She had her greatest success during the 1970s and 1980s and competed in three Eurovision Song Contests.- Personal life:...
(born 1943), pop singer - Hans Henning AtrottHans Henning AtrottHans Henning Atrott, also called: Hans Atrott, was born 12 January 1944 in Memel, East Prussia . Atrott is the founder and first president of the German society for Humane Dying and former secretary of the "World Federation of Right to Die Societies"...
(born 1944), philosopher and pro-euthanasia activist - Oleg Kvasha (born 1958), Russian musician and composer
- Leonidas DonskisLeonidas DonskisLeonidas Donskis, Ph.D., is a Member of the European Parliament , a philosopher, political theorist, historian of ideas, social analyst, and political commentator....
(born 1962), philosopher and critic - Tomas DanilevičiusTomas DanileviciusTomas Danilevičius is a Lithuanian professional footballer currently playing for Juve Stabia. A striker, he stands 1.91m tall and weighs 82 kg.-Club career:...
(born 1978), Lithuanian football (soccer) player - Eurelijus ŽukauskasEurelijus ŽukauskasEurelijus Žukauskas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He played for the Lithuanian national basketball team from 1995 to 2004.In 1995 NBA Draft Žukauskas was drafted as a #54 by Seattle SuperSonics in the second round...
(born 1973), European basketball champion - Saulius ŠtombergasSaulius ŠtombergasSaulius Štombergas is a retired Lithuanian basketball player for the Lithuanian men's national basketball team....
(born 1973), European basketball champion - Violeta "Sati" JurkonienėSati (Lithuanian singer)Violeta "Sati" Jurkonienė is a Lithuanian singer, a member of band Agama.-Biography:Sati was born in a family of a lawyer and a journalist in Klaipėda, Lithuania. At the age of seven started attending music school...
(born 1976), Lithuanian singer - Arvydas MacijauskasArvydas MacijauskasArvydas Macijauskas is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. He announced termination of his career after his last club, Olympiacos, released him following a prolonged judicial litigation.-Early years:...
(born 1980), European basketball champion - Tomas VaitkusTomas VaitkusTomas Vaitkus is a Lithuanian professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team .Vaitkus, nicknamed Tomas the Tank Engine, made his Tour de France debut in the 2007 edition but had to abandon after a serious crash at the end of stage two. announced that he would be joining the team in 2010....
(born 1982), cycling champion - Valdas VasyliusValdas VasyliusValdas Vasylius Valdas Vasylius Valdas Vasylius (born September 3, 1983 in Klaipeda, is a Lithuanian basketball forward who played collegiately at Old Dominion University and now plays professionally in Russian Basketball Super League newcomer Krasnye Krylya Samara...
(born 1983), basketball player - Mindaugas PiecaitisMindaugas PiečaitisMindaugas Piečaitis is a Lithuanian composer and conductor who has worked with several major Lithuanian musical organizations. He gained international attention as the composer and conductor of a chamber orchestra piece featuring a performance by Nora, a cat who plays the piano.On 5 June 2009 the...
(born 1969), conductor and composer of Catcerto for Nora the Piano Cat - Tomas DelininkaitisTomas DelininkaitisTomas Delininkaitis Tomas Delininkaitis Tomas Delininkaitis (born June 11, 1982 in Klaipėda, Lithuania is a Lithuanian basketball shooting guard currently playing for BC Žalgiris. He can also play point guard if needed. He was a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team for the 2010 FIBA...
(born 1982), basketball player
Sister cities and areas
| Mannheim Mannheim Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart.... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... , since 1915/2002 Debrecen Debrecen Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :... , Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... , since 1970/1989 Kuji Kuji, Iwate is a city located in Iwate, Japan.-History:The city was founded on November 3, 1954. In 2003, the city had an estimated population of 36,596 and the population density of 111.70 persons per km²... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... , since 1989 Karlskrona Karlskrona Karlskrona is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 35,212 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Sweden's only remaining naval base and the headquarters of the... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... , since 1989 Lübeck Lübeck The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... , since 1990 Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border... , Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... , since 1992 Cherepovets Cherepovets Cherepovets is the largest city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the bank of the Rybinsk Reservoir of the Sheksna River, a tributary of the Volga River. Population: 311,869 ; It is served by Cherepovets Airport.-Location:... , Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... , since 1992 Gdynia Gdynia Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... , since 1993 Rügen Rügen Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... , since 1993 Kaliningrad Kaliningrad Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea... , Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... , since 1993 |
Kotka Kotka Kotka is a town and municipality of Finland. Its former name is Rochensalm.Kotka is located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of Kymi River and it is part of the Kymenlaakso region in southern Finland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water.... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... , since 1994 Køge Køge Køge Municipality is a municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand approx. 40 km. southwest of Copenhagen. The municipality covers an area of 255 km² , and has a total population of 56,637... , Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... , since 1995 North Tyneside North Tyneside The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England and is part of the Tyneside conurbation. Its seat is Wallsend Town Hall.... , United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... , since 1995 Liepāja Liepaja Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port... , Latvia Latvia Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden... , since 1997 Mogilev Mogilev Mogilev is a city in eastern Belarus, about 76 km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105 km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It has more than 367,788 inhabitants... , Belarus Belarus Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,... , since 1997 Szczecin Szczecin Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427.... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... , since 2002 Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... , since 2002 Odessa Odessa Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,... , Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... , since 2004 Qingdao Qingdao ' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the... , People's Republic of China People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres... , since 2004 Mérida Mérida, Mérida Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida, Venezuela, is the capital of the municipality of Libertador and the state of Mérida, and is one of the principal cities of the Venezuelan Andes... , Venezuela Venezuela Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south... , since 2010 |
External links
- Municipal website, klaipeda.lt
- Klaipėda Tourism and Culture Information Center website, klaipedainfo.lt
- Klaipėda tour overview, nwi.ru
- Klaipėda In Your Pocket City Guide (also a downloadable PDF guide), inyourpocket.com
- Klaipėda State Seaport, portofklaipeda.lt
- University of Klaipėda, ku.lt
- LCC International University, lcc.lt
- Klaipėda on Google Maps, maps.google.com
- History of Memel/Klaipėda by Richard Doody, worldatwar.net
- Memel and the Memelland by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Memellandkreise e.V. , memelland-adm.de
- Klaipėda for tourists, litauen-netz.de
- wiki-de.genealogy.net, Port of Memel
- All information for tourists about Klaipėda and its area, links, photos, storaantis.lt