Klaipėda ( ; ; German: Memel) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the third-largest city in Lithuania, the fifth-largest city in the Baltic states, the capital of Klaipėda County, the only major seaport in the country and the busiest port in the Baltic states.

The city has a diverse recorded history, partially due to the combined regional importance of the usually ice-free port at the mouth of the river . It was situated in Lithuania Minor and successively belonged to the State of the Teutonic Order, the Duchy of Prussia (at times under the suzerainty of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth), the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire, within which it was the northernmost big city until it was placed under French occupation in 1919. From 1923, the city was part of Lithuania until its annexation by Nazi Germany in 1939, and after World War II it was part of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. Klaipėda has remained within Lithuania since 1944.

The urban zone of Klaipėda expanded well into the suburbs, which sprang up around the city and surrounded it from three sides. These are partly integrated with the city (city bus lines, city water supply, etc.), and the majority of inhabitants of these suburbs work in Klaipėda. According to data from the Department of Statistics, there are 212,302 permanent inhabitants (as of 2020) in the Klaipėda city and Klaipėda district municipalities combined. As of 2025 the population of Klaipėda city is 160 885 people. Popular seaside resorts found close to Klaipėda are Neringa to the south on the Curonian Spit and Palanga to the north.

The city is also known for the annual Klaipėda Sea Festival and a nearby .

Names

thumb|left|upright=0.7|Memel city seal, 1446 (diameter ). From the Archive of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, [[Berlin.]]

The Teutonic Knights built a castle in the *Pilsāts Land of the Curonians and named it Memelburg, which would later be shortened to Memel. From 1252 to 1923 and from 1939 to 1945, the town and city were officially named Memel. Between 1923 and 1939, both names were in official use. Since 1945, the Lithuanian name of Klaipėda has been used.

The names Memelburg and Memel are found in most written sources from the 13th century onwards, while Klaipėda is found in Lithuanian sources since the 15th century. The city was initially mentioned as Caloypede in the letter of Vytautas in 1413, and in negotiation documents from 1420, the city was named Klawppeda. In the Treaty of Melno of 1422, the city's name was listed as Cleupeda. According to Samogitian folk etymology, the name Klaipėda refers to the boggy terrain of the town (klaidyti=obstruct and pėda=foot).

History

A settlement of Baltic tribes in the territory of the present-day city is said to have existed in the region as early as the 7th century. Klaipėda is the oldest city in modern Lithuania. The Balts initially established Klaipėda as a trading centre for the storage of goods and annual fairs with the Germans.

Teutonic Knights

In the 1240s, Pope Gregory IX offered King Håkon IV of Norway the opportunity to conquer the peninsula of Sambia. However, after Grand Duke Mindaugas of Lithuania accepted Christianity, the Teutonic Knights and a group of crusaders from Lübeck moved into Sambia. These groups founded a fort in 1252 called 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 founding were signed by Eberhard and Bishop Heinrich von Lützelburg of Courland on 29 July 1252 and 1 August 1252.

thumb|left|Preserved historic [[timber framed architecture]]

thumb|left|150px|Seal of viceregent in Klaipėda, 13th century

thumb|left|150px|Seal of Klaipėda as of 1409 depicting bell towers of the [[Church of St. John, Klaipėda|Churches of St. John, St. Mary and St. Nicholas]]

Master Conrad von Thierberg used the fortress as a base for further campaigns along the river Neman and against Samogitia. Memel was unsuccessfully besieged by Sambians in 1255, and the Sambians surrendered in 1259. Memel was also 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. Following it Klaipėda's status was quite extraordinary as only three cities in the State of the Teutonic Order had Lübeck city rights.

In the spring and summer of 1323, a Lithuanian army led by Grand Duke Gediminas came up the Neman and sieged the castle of Memel, while later he marched to other Prussian, Latvian, Estonian territories controlled by the Order, eventually forcing the Order to sue for a truce in October 1323. While planning a campaign against Samogitia, Memel's garrison of the Teutonic Order's Livonian branch was replaced with knights from the Prussian branch in 1328. Threats and attacks by Lithuanians greatly slowed the town's development; the castle was sacked by Lithuanian tribes in 1360, and in 1379 the reconstructed castle and town were both sacked once again. Vytautas the Great wanted the border to be the Neman River, while the Teutonic Order wanted to have Veliuona and Klaipėda in the right side of the river.

Nevertheless, no agreement was concluded and fighting continued until the Treaty of Melno in 1422 stabilized the border between the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for the next 501 years. However, two miles of Lithuanian territories, including Klaipėda, was left for the Order. In 1454, King Casimir IV Jagiellon incorporated the region into the Kingdom of Poland upon the request of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation. After the subsequent Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) the Teutonic Order regained authority over the city as a fief of the Polish Crown. The rebuilt town received Kulm law city rights in 1475.

Duchy of Prussia

thumb|Historical illustration of Memel (1684)

Against the wishes of its governor and commander, Eric of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Memel adopted Lutheranism after the conversion of Grand Master Albert of Prussia and the creation of the Duchy of Prussia as a fief of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland in 1525, It was the onset of a long period of prosperity for the city and port. 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.

During the January Uprising, in June 1863, Polish insurgents made an unsuccessful attempt at a naval landing near the city's harbor.

German Empire

thumb|Central Post Office, the former residence of [[Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander and monarchs of Prussia]]

After the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, Memel became Germany's northernmost city.

The development of the town in the 19th century was influenced by the Industrial Revolution in Prussia, as well as urbanisation.

Inter-war years and World War II

thumb|Lithuanian Army parade in Klaipėda Theatre Square in 1923

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 region would become a free city, similar to the Free City of Danzig. Not waiting for an unfavourable decision, the Lithuanians decided to stage the Klaipėda Revolt, take the region by force, and present the Entente with a 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, and the French offered only limited resistance. The revolt was supported by the Chief Rescue Committee of Lithuania Minor, chaired by Prussian Lithuanian Martynas Jankus, which operated since 22 December 1922 with its centre in Klaipėda. The League of Nations protested the revolt but accepted the transfer in February 1923. The formal Klaipėda Convention was signed in Paris on 8 May 1924 and secured extensive autonomy for the region.

thumb|Supreme Commander of the Lithuanian Army [[Silvestras Žukauskas in Klaipėda, 1925]]

thumb|left|Two 1920s posters, representing the historical attachment of Klaipėda to Lithuania in 1923

The annexation of the city had significant consequences for the Lithuanian economy and foreign relations. The region subsequently accounted for up to 30% of Lithuania's entire economic 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.

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 clashed with the Lithuanian-appointed Klaipėda Directorate. Lithuanian efforts to "re-Lithuanize" Prussian Lithuanians by promoting the 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 these rather harsh sentences, the defendants in the 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.

thumb|right|Visit of [[Adolf Hitler following the German annexation of the city, March 1939]]

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 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.

During the war, the Germans operated a forced labour subcamp of the Stalag I-A prisoner-of-war camp for Allied prisoners of war in the city, and expelled Poles from German-occupied Poland were also enslaved as forced labour in the city's vicinity.

1945–present

thumb|Participants' ships of the 2017 Sea Festival in Klaipėda

During World War II, from the end of 1944 into 1945, the Battle of Memel took place. The nearly-empty city was captured by the Soviet Red Army on 28 January 1945 with only about 50 remaining people.

The Soviets turned Klaipėda, the foremost ice-free port in the Eastern Baltic, into the largest piscatorial-marine base in the European part of the USSR.

thumb|left|[[Costa Pacifica in Klaipėda]]

Until the 1970s, Klaipėda was important to the USSR only for its economy, and 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 the 1980s, such as the introduction of the Sea Festival cultural tradition, where thousands of people come to celebrate from all over the country. 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.

In 2014, Klaipėda was visited 64 times by cruise ships and surpassed the Latvian capital, Riga, for the first time.

Geography

Climate

thumb|Klaipėda's climate is under the influence of the [[Baltic Sea.]]

Klaipėda's climate is considered to be oceanic (Köppen Cfb) using the isotherm and warm humid continental (Köppen Dfb) using the isotherm. In July and August, the warmest season, high temperatures average , and low temperatures average . The highest official temperature ever recorded was in August 2014. In January and February, the coldest season, high temperatures average with low temperatures averaging . The coldest temperature ever recorded in Klaipėda is in February 1956. Météo Climat (average records high & low, precipitation days)

|source 2 = NOAA (extremes), Time and Date (dewpoints, 2005–2015)

|date=January 2011

{|style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:1.2em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" class="wikitable"

|-

!Colspan=14|Coastal temperature data for Klaipėda

|-

!Month

!Jan

!Feb

!Mar

!Apr

!May

!Jun

!Jul

!Aug

!Sep

!Oct

!Nov

!Dec

!style="border-left-width:medium"|Year

|-

!Average sea temperature °C (°F)

| style=""|3.2<br/>(37.76)

| style=""|2.4<br/>(36.32)

| style=""|1.6<br/>(34.88)

| style=""|4.2<br/>(39.56)

| style=""|9.6<br/>(49.28)

| style=""|15.0<br/>(59.00)

| style=""|18.6<br/>(65.48)

| style=""|19.3<br/>(66.74)

| style=""|17.0<br/>(62.60)

| style=""|12.6<br/>(54.68)

| style=""|9.0<br/>(48.20)

| style=""|5.8<br/>(42.44)

| style=""|9.9<br/>(49.75)

|-

!Colspan=14 style="background:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-size:100%;"|Source 1: Seatemperature.org

|}

upright|thumb|[[The Dutchman's Cap (Lithuania)|The Dutchman's Cap, a bluff at a regional seaside park]]

Parks and forests

Parks:

  • Martynas Mazvydas Sculpture Park
  • Klaipėda University Botanical Garden
  • Klaipėda Recreation Park
  • Danė Pocket-Park
  • Fisherman Statue Pocket-Park
  • "Treko" Park
  • Park by Reikjaviko and Smiltelės Streets
  • Draugystė Park (Friendship Park)
  • Oak Grove Park
  • Debreceno Street Pocket-Park
  • Thick Linden-Tree Pocket-Park
  • Priestotės Street Pocket-Park
  • Trinyčiai Park
  • Sąjūdis Park
  • Jono kalnelis (Hill of John) park

Forests:

  • Klaipėda Forest
  • Giruliai Forest
  • Smiltyne Forest

Demographics

thumb|Residents houses (left) and [[Klaipėda Castle (right) in ]]

Klaipėda was established as an outpost dedicated for German crusaders. Nevertheless, villages in Lithuania Minor were extensively inhabited by Lithuanians,

thumb|Prussian Lithuanians in 1744

There were few German colonists in Royal Prussia when Prussian monarchs were vassals of the Polish kings (1466–1660), and they mostly moved to cities and towns. In 1700–1721 the Prussian Lithuanians population was dramatically decreased in Klaipėda and other Lithuanian counties by the Great Northern War plague outbreak which killed 160,000 (53%) of residents in Lithuania Minor (more than 90% of the deceased were Prussian Lithuanians). Following it, the Prussian authorities organized a large-scale German colonization of Lithuania Minor. The colonists received various privileges, however they constituted for only 13.4% of residents and quite a few of them later departed to other countries. The recovering population was ravaged by the Imperial Russian Army during the Seven Years' War in 1756–1763. Lithuania ceded Klaipėda Region to Nazi Germany due to the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania, however soon World War II started and residents of Klaipėda were evacuated to Germany. The latest data shows that there are more women in the city: females make up 52.83% (85,053), males make up 47.17% (75,926).

Religion

thumb|left|185px|Façade of the [[Church of St. John, Klaipėda|Church of St. John with 75-metre tower which dominated in Klaipėda's skyline until World War II, photographed in the 19th century]]

The first church (possibly chapel) dedicated to the military garrison was built along with the Klaipėda Castle in 1252 and was consecrated after Mary, mother of Jesus, although it did not have as much effect for the townspeople, as well as the residents of surrounding villages. Initially, it was planned that Klaipėda would become centre of the Bishopric of Courland.

thumb|upright|[[Church of St. Jacob, Klaipėda|Church of St. Jacob (Lietuvininkai) in the second half of the 19th century]]

Following the creation of the Duchy of Prussia in 1525 and due to the Reformation movement, the Evangelical faith was spread in the languages of the local people, including Lithuanian. Following the Klaipėda Revolt in 1923 the priests of the Church of St. Jacob stayed loyal to Lithuania and did not demonstrate vast support for Adolf Hitler in 1939.

In 1956, there were 30,000 Catholics in Klaipėda. Since 1991, the Catholic Church of Klaipėda Region belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Telšiai. The Days of Lutheran Culture that features various concerts, discussions, lectures and other events are held annually in Klaipėda Region since 2023.

City municipality

The Klaipėda city municipality council is the governing body of the Klaipėda city municipality. It is responsible for municipal laws. The council is composed of 31 members (30 councillors and a mayor) and is directly elected for four-year terms.

The council is the member of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania.

Mayors

  • 1990–1992 – Povilas Vasiliauskas
  • 1992–1994 – Benediktas Petrauskas
  • 1994–1995 – Jurgis Aušra
  • 1995–1997 – Silverijus Šukys
  • 1997–2000 and 2000–2001 – Eugenijus Gentvilas
  • 2001–2003, 2003–2007, 2007–2011 – Rimantas Taraškevičius
  • 2011–2015, 2015–2019, 2019–2023 – Vytautas Grubliauskas
  • 2023–present – Arvydas Vaitkus

Port of Klaipėda

thumb|The port of Klaipėda handled more than 36 million tons of cargo in 2022

The Port of Klaipėda is the principal ice-free port on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. It is an important transportation hub in Lithuania, which connects sea, land and railway routes from East to West. In 2022 the port handled 36,1&nbsp;million tons of cargo and it was visited by 5605 ships. The port operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round.

  • "39–45"
  • "Amber Queen" museum of amber
  • Blacksmiths museum
  • Castle museum
  • Clocks museum
  • Exposition of resistance movement and deportation
  • Lithuanian Art Museum Pranas Domšaitis gallery
  • The History Museum of Lithuania Minor
  • Maritime museum and Dolphinarium

Maritime Museum

The Lithuanian Maritime Museum is set in a former nineteenth-century fortification of the Spit. In the Maritime Museum, there is an aquarium, which features exhibitions of marine fauna, mammals and seabirds. The aquarium is populated with invertebrates, and freshwater fish of Lithuania, as well as various tropical fish. The museum's courtyard has a pool filled with seals, sea lions, and penguins. The marine fauna exhibition has diverse exhibits: mollusk shells, various fossils, algae and other special exhibits, including prehistoric organisms.

Festivals

Annual events include Klaipėda Music Spring, the Klaipėda Castle Jazz Festival, Museum Nights, the International Festival of Street Theatres, the International Short Film Festival, and the Klaipėda Sea Festival, among others. The Parbėg laivelis folk festival, which involves concerts, ship displays and theatrical performances, is also regularly held.

Cityscape

Urbanism and architecture

thumb|Port of Klaipėda in 1852

The city plan is linear, stretching along the shores of the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea. The main parts of the city Old Town on the left bank of the Danė River, as well as the new residential areas built after 1945 (Pempininkai, Naujakiemis, Alksnynė, Gedminai, and others). Klaipėda Castle's bastion complex, which dates from the 15th through 18th centuries, still exists on the right bank of Danė River.), Teachers' Seminary (1908), City Hospital (1902), and the Craftsmen's Shelter (1910). Also, a wooden villa in Giruliai, Šlaito Street 4 was built in the second half of the 19th century. Furthermore, a Neo-Renaissance villa was built in 1874. The aforementioned villa is now used as the Klaipėda County I. Simonaitytė Public Library. Industrial buildings, including a gas factory built in 1861 by the architect J. Hartmann, the fachwerk Union Chemical Fertilizer Factory built in 1869–80, the pulp factory built in 1900 and later expanded to form 1994 Klaipėda Cardboard Company, were also extensively constructed. Furthermore, a bascule bridge was built over the canal between the castle and the Danė River in 1855.

thumb|Klaipėda Old Town in 1932

In the early 20th century, Jugendstil style buildings were built in the city, including houses at Tiltų Street 13 and H. Manto Street 30, as well as a villa at Smiltynės Street 11. Other notable constructions from that period include the Palace of Culture (1963, architect A. Mikėnas, now Klaipėda Musical Theater), Marriage Palace (1980, architect R. V. Kraniauskas), Lithuanian Maritime Museum and Aquarium (1979, architects P. Lapė, L. Šliogerienė; located in Kopgalis Fortress, 1866), and Hotel Klaipėda (1986, architect G. Tiškus; now Amberton Klaipėda). During the period of Teutonic Knights there were so-called Latin schools near the city churches in Pilsotas, the northern part of the Klaipėda Region inhabited by the Curonians, however most of the schools were established in Sambia Peninsula.

During the period of the Duchy of Prussia schools in Lithuania Minor were created based on the regulations of the church authorities. Around 1590, the Lithuanian community became independent, and then in ~1620 a separate Klaipėdian Parochial School was opened in a house built on a plot belonging to a priest of the Lithuanian Church, located between the extension of John's Street and Market's Street, but the church and school were demolished in 1627.

thumb|Stasio Šimkaus Conservatory

At the end of the 17th century, the Great School (or the Latin School) was established which was the first upper school in Klaipėda, and in ~1850 the school was granted gymnasium status, while in 1891 it was named after Queen Louise. In 1829, the Klaipėda Navigation School was established due to the demand to train navigators and sea captains. In 1902, the Klaipėda Teachers' Seminary was established with an objective to prepare teachers who know Lithuanian language. In 1923, the Klaipėda Conservatory was established on the initiative of composer Stasys Šimkus to educate professional musicians which is still active.

Currently, Klaipėda has 12 gymnasiums, 3 primary schools, 17 progymnasiums, and 4 elementary schools. Additionally, there is Eduardo Balsio Gymnasium of Arts. Most of pupils in Klaipėda later studies in the universities or colleges as Lithuania is one of the world's leading countries in OECD's statistics of population with tertiary education (58.15% of 25–34-year-olds in 2022).

Tertiary education

thumb|Academic campus of [[Klaipėda University]]

thumb|LCC International University

Initially, Klaipėda had no university, therefore many Klaipėdians and prominent Lithuanians from Lithuania Minor and Lithuania proper studied and lectured at the University of Königsberg which was established in 1544 with a permission of Sigismund I the Old and had equal status to the University of Kraków. Since 1718 the University of Königsberg had the Lithuanian language seminar which was the first independent discipline of Lithuanian language in higher education.

In the interwar period three high schools were established in Klaipėda. The Klaipėda Pedagogical Institute (est. in 1935) which prepared higher qualification teachers for primary schools. The Klaipėda Regional Pedagogical Institute (est. in 1935) which prepared higher qualification teachers for regional German schools. There also were proposals to establish a university in Klaipėda, however German annexation of the Klaipėda Region in 1939 and subsequently occurred sovietization of Lithuania prevented it from being realized.

In the Soviet period branches of the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute (1959) and Šiauliai Pedagogical Institute (1971), as well as Faculty of Preschool Education of the Šiauliai Pedagogical Institute (1975), and the Klaipėda Ecology Centre of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences were established in Klaipėda. In 2019, Klaipėda University joined the EU-CONEXUS which is an international alliance of coastal cities universities aiming to enhance cooperation between them. Every year over 3,000 students study at Klaipėda University, while nearly 40,000 are alumni. The majority of its students are internationals from tens of countries worldwide. Moreover, Vilnius Academy of Arts and Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre also has faculties in Klaipėda.

thumb|right|[[Ieva Simonaitytė Public Library]]

Libraries

A number of libraries are located in Klaipėda, with the most notable being Klaipėda University Library (est. in 1991, has hundreds of thousands of publications copies), Klaipėda City Municipality Imanuel Kant Public Library (est. in 1920, has 20 departments), Klaipėda County Ieva Simonaitytė Public Library (est. in 1950, has over 900,000 documents of which nearly 600,000 are books), etc.

Notable buildings

thumb|upright|K and D complex

The tallest building in Klaipėda is Pilsotas, which is a 34-storey building.

{|

|+ Tallest 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

Railway

thumb|A narrow gauge railway station in 1920

The Klaipėda railway station (Lithuanian: Klaipėdos geležinkelio stotis) is located at Priestočio g. 1, north of the Old Town.

The railway station consists of two buildings. The old building, made of yellow bricks and reflecting features of Classical architecture, was built in 1881. Currently, the building hosts various small businesses. The new railway station was built of red bricks in 1983.

The railway network of then Prussia reached Klaipėda in 1878. Initially used for lumber and fish freight on the Klaipėda–Šilutė and Klaipėda–Šilutė–Pagėgiai routes, the railway grid network of Lithuania Minor received a major boost after the Klaipėda uprising and the annexation of the region by Lithuania in 1923.

, Lithuanian Railways were operating two routes from Klaipėda railway station, with 5 daily trains each: routes Klaipėda – Vilnius and Klaipėda – Radviliškis. Train tickets could be obtained at the station or with a surcharge on board the trains.

The railway station is served by the following buses of Klaipėda city passenger transport:

  • No. 9 south of the city – city hospital (via Central Klaipėda Terminal)
  • No. 6 south of the city – Melnragė district (Melnragė beaches)
  • No. 8 south of city – bus station (through Old town)
  • No. 15 south of the city – city hospital
  • No. 100 bus station – Palanga International Airport (PLQ)

Airport

thumb|right|Palanga International Airport

Domestic and international commercial scheduled airline services are provided by Palanga International Airport. The airport is connected with Klaipėda by a city bus.

Klaipėda also has a small, privately run aerodrome with a focus on sports aviation and charter services.

Ferries

Ferries to Smiltynė

thumb|right|View to the Klaipėda central ferry port terminal – the Old Ferry port

Klaipėda is located next to the Curonian Spit and a small part of the peninsula (Smiltynė) is within Klaipėda. People can reach the peninsula by ferry using one of the two terminals.

  • The Old ferry terminal (Danės st. 1) – ferry from city center for passengers traveling on foot or with bikes;
  • The New ferry terminal (Nemuno st. 8) – ferry for people with motorized vehicles.

International ferries

In Klaipėda, there are three ferry lines and two ferry companies: DFDS Seaways and TT-Line.

Ferries depart from the Central Klaipėda Terminal (CKT). DFDS operates ferries to Kiel (Germany) and Karlshamn (Sweden), and TT-Line ferries head to Trelleborg (Sweden).

Buses

thumb|right|Klaipėda Bus Station

thumb|right|Electric bus Dancer, manufactured in the [[Klaipėda Free Economic Zone and used for city's public transportation since 2020]]

Klaipėda's bus public transportation is arranged in a north–south axis, based on three parallel principal streets, running along the coast of Curonian Lagoon and thus making the grid logical and comfortable for commuting.

In shops and newsstands, electronic cards could be bought for the purpose of paying for transportation. Public transport is organized, supervised and coordinated by the Klaipėda city passenger transport.

Buses to other cities and towns depart from Klaipėda bus station (Butkų Juzės g. 9).

Buses to Curonian Spit villages Nida and Juodkrantė depart from a bus stop in Smiltynė (next to the Old ferry terminal).

Trams

Trams in Klaipėda functioned in 1904—1934 and 1950–1967. It was the only tram transport in the history of Lithuania, as well as the last years of first independent Lithuania, then in Soviet Lithuania. It was an interurban transport which was operated by Memeler Kleinbahn AG company.

The tram system had two lines with 12&nbsp;km of tracks and 17 tramcars. The first line was from the old city (lighthouse and Strandvilla restaurant) through center and northern suburbs, which included Royal (Didžioji) Vitė and Bomelio Vitė localities. Eventually, the route would go to beaches, then to Melnragė, a resort. The second line was from the old city through Royal Smeltė, an industrial suburb, then south to Wilhelm Channel and Wooden Bay. Line The tram lines were all connected to the stock exchange in the center of the city. Branches of the tram routes connected the center with railway station through Liepaja (now Manto) Street and Liepaja (now Lietuvninku) Square. Another tram route passed near the Winter Port through the Vite locality. In 1950—1967 tram run functioned in line to Smeltė only. Tram lines were used for delivery of goods from railways and ports. Eventually, the tram degraded and closed due to wear, as well as lack of funds for its renewal and development.

City authorities are currently planning to revitalize the tram system in Klaipėda. The proposed tram routes plan to connect Klaipėda with Šventoji through Palanga International Airport, as well as Palanga. In 2017, a feasibility study began for first tram line on Herkus Manto and Taikos streets.

Old town

thumb|right|Old town of Klaipėda

Klaipėda's Old Town is notable among other towns in Lithuania for its abundance of German architecture. Klaipėda's Old Town is unique with its fachwerk architectural style and its planned street structure, which is uncharacteristic to any other old town in Lithuania. Its streets are geometrically configured very correctly, and the angle of intersection is straight.

One of the most popular places in Klaipėda's old town is The Theatre Square. It hosts a variety of concerts, the Sea Festival, the International Jazz Festival and other events. An important focus of the Theatre Square is the Taravos Anikė sculpture depicting a youthful barefoot girl. The sculpture was erected in the memory of the poet Simonas Dachas and perpetuates one of the poet's described heroes.

Sports

{| class=wikitable

|-

! Club

! Sport

! League

! Venue

|-

|Neptūnas

|Basketball

|Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), Eurocup (Eurocup)

|Švyturio Arena

|-

|Klaipėdos Neptūnas-Akvaservis

|Basketball

|National Basketball League (NKL)

|Žalgirio sporto rūmai

|-

|LCC TU

|Basketball

|Regional Basketball League (RKL)

|Michaelsen Centre

|-

|Tekoda

|Basketball

|defunct

|Žalgirio sporto rūmai

|-

|Neptūnas

|Basketball

|Lithuanian Women Basketball League (LMKL)

||Žalgirio Sporto Rūmai

|-

|Dragūnas

|Handball

|Lithuanian Handball League (LRL)

||Neptūnas Hall

|-

|Kuršiai

|Rugby

|Lithuanian Rugby Union I Group

|Žalgiris Stadium

|-

|Neptūnas

|Football

|I Lyga

|Žalgiris Stadium

|-

|Atlantas

|Football

|defunct

|

|-

|FK Klaipedos Granitas

|Football

|defunct

|

|-

|FK Sendvaris

|Football

|Sunday football league SFL League (SFL Lyga)

|Football school stadium

|-

|Sadvita

|Hockey

|Lithuania Hockey League (NVLRL)

|Klaipedos Akropolis Ice Arena

|-

|Skatas - 95

|Hockey

|Lithuania Hockey League (NVLRL)

|Klaipedos Akropolis Ice Arena

|-

|Kirai

|Hockey

|Lithuania Hockey League (NVLRL)

|Klaipedos Akropolis Ice Arena

|-

|Toras

|Hockey

|Lithuania Hockey League (NVLRL)

|Klaipedos Akropolis Ice Arena

|-

|Marių Meškos

|Ultimate

|Lithuanian Ultimate Frisbee federation I group

|Smiltynė beach, Indoor halls

|-

|

|Ultimate

|SUN BEAM (tournament)

|Smiltynė beach

|-

|Scala dream

|Rock climbing

|Inhouse climbing club with top Lithuanian climbers

|Indoor climbing facility

|-

|Fabrique

|Rock climbing

|Inhouse climbing club with top Lithuanian climbers

|Indoor climbing facility

|}

Economy

thumb|right|Klaipėda is famous for [[Švyturys brewery, established in 1784]]

Klaipėda generates approximately 12 percent of Lithuania's GDP and about 80 percent of western Lithuania's GDP. Much of Klaipėda's economy is impacted by trade in the Port of Klaipėda. In the eastern part of the city, there is the Klaipėda Free Economic Zone, which offers 0 percent tax incentives for first 6 years.

Klaipėda also the location of the first Geothermal Demonstration Plant in the Baltic states, which supplies with geothermal heating and Klaipėda Combined Heat and Power Plant. In 2014, Klaipėda LNG FSRU with FSRU Independence ship was opened and guaranteed the alternative way of supplying the country with gas.

Most of the city's GDP is generated in the service sector. Inhabitants of Klaipėda have a higher income than the average of Lithuania. Companies in Klaipėda include BLRT Western Shipyard, DFDS Lisco, Švyturys, Klaipėdos jūrų krovinių kompanija, Grigeo Klaipėda and Balticum TV.

According to the Lithuanian Department of Statistics, the GDP in the second quarter of 2017 as compared with the first quarter of 2017, has increased by 7.7 percent, while comparing with the second quarter of 2016 it has increased by 4.0 percent. The rise is also planned in the further years.

  • Cleveland, United States
  • Debrecen, Hungary
  • Gdynia, Poland
  • Karlskrona, Sweden
  • Kotka, Finland
  • Kuji, Japan
  • Liepāja, Latvia
  • Lübeck, Germany
  • Mannheim, Germany
  • North Tyneside, England, United Kingdom
  • Odesa, Ukraine
  • Sassnitz, Germany
  • Szczecin, Poland
  • Mersin, Turkey

The city was previously twinned with:

  • Cherepovets, Russia
  • Kaliningrad, Russia
  • Mogilev, Belarus

Cooperation agreements

Klaipėda has an additional cooperation agreement with:

  • Porto, Portugal

See also

  • Neighborhoods of Klaipėda
  • Ports of the Baltic Sea

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Baedeker, Karl. Northern Germany. London, 1904, p.&nbsp;178.
  • Christiansen, Eric. The Northern Crusades. Penguin Books. London, 1997. pp.&nbsp;107, 160, 248.
  • The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (2006).
  • Gathorne-Hardy, Geoffrey Malcolm. A Short History of International Affairs, 1920 to 1934. Oxford University Press, 3rd impression, May 1936, p.&nbsp;89/91.
  • Encyclopædia Britannica 1938 Year Book.
  • Hagen, Ludwig: Die Seehäfen in den Provinzen Pommern und Preußen. Berlin 1885 (2 Bände, Band 2: Memel)
  • Kirby, David. The Baltic World, 1772–1993: Europe's Northern Periphery in an Age of Change. Longman. London, 1999. p.&nbsp;42, 133.
  • Kirby, David. Northern Europe in the Early Modern Period: The Baltic World, 1492–1772. Longman. London, 1990. p.&nbsp;366
  • Koch, Hannsjoachim Wolfgang. A History of Prussia. Barnes & Noble Books. New York, 1993. pp.&nbsp;35, 54, 194.
  • Urban, William. The Teutonic Knights: A Military History. Greenhill Books. London, 2003, pp.&nbsp;65, 121.
  • Woodward, E.L., Butler, Rohan, (editors). Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919–1939 (1939), Third Series, volume IV. HMSO, London, 1951.
  • klaipedainfo.lt – Klaipėda Tourism and Culture Information Center website
  • 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
  • Klaipėda for tourists, tripadvisor.com
  • wiki-de.genealogy.net, Port of Memel