Guide to History & Landmarks of Klaipėda (Memel)

About Klaipėda (Memel)

Klaipėda (Lithuanian), or Memel (German), is the third largest, and strategically, might be the most important port not only in Lithuania but in the whole region. All thanks to the fact that it is the northernmost port in the Baltic Sea that doesn’t freeze during the winter. Of course, it might change quite soon given the effects of climate change. Despite that, Klaipėda will remain a special place thanks to its unique place in history. Like any of the three largest cities in Lithuania, Klaipėda has its own charisma due to an absolutely different heritage and influences. While Kaunas is known for its Art Deco Architecture from the interwar period, which was recently recognized by UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and Vilnius for its ancient Lithuanian roots and Polish/Catholic influences, Klaipėda has German roots hence its other name – Memel.

It often surprises me how much history could be found in a small country like Lithuania. Growing up as a native, it took me a while to grasp that Klaipėda and Memel are actually the same place. As time passed I learned more about the history of my country, and I realized that Klaipėda is much much more than just a city in a different part of Lithuania. Why does the city have two names? Why it belongs to Lithuania, and not Germany, or even Russia? Which historical landmarks represent the city’s past the most? And, finally, based purely on historical context, which country has the most legitimate claim to the ownership of the city, and why is it Lithuania? In this article, you’ll find these answers and more.

Klaipėda Details

• Location: Klaipėda city
• Ethnographic region: Lithuania Minor (Lithuania Minor)
• Coordinates: 55.7033° N, 21.1443° E
• Distance from Vilnius: 311 km / 193 mi
• First mentioned (Memel): 1252
• First mentioned (Klaipėda): 1413 (letter by Vytautas)
• City rights: 1258
• Population: 149,103 (2020)
• Area: 98.35 km² / 37.97 mi²
• Forecast: Klaipėda weather
• Best time to visit: Summer
• Accommodation: Klaipėda booking
• Best hotel: Victoria Hotel Klaipėda

Map of Klaipėda (Memel)

Legend of Name Klaipėda

The legend tells of a tribe settled near the middle reaches of the Akmena River, who worshipped Fire and the Sun. The tribe sent their two bravest hunters, the blond-haired, blue-eyed brothers Elnias and Vilkas (Eng.: Elk and Wolf), to search for a better place to live. Traveling along the paths of wild animals through forests and oak-covered hills, the brothers saw an expansive, majestic blue sea from a high vantage point. To reach it by avoiding the treacherous swamp that lay between, the brothers chose different paths.

Elk successfully reached the coastline and thought to himself that here, where the land was fertile and the sea boundless, he would bring his tribe. However, Vilkas, who followed the path along the mouth of the Akmena River, disappeared forever. No matter how hard Elnias searched for his brother, he found only a treacherous footprint being swallowed by the swamp. Returning to his tribe, Elnias led them to the recently discovered land.

For centuries, the story of Elnias’s futile wanderings in search of Vilkas lost tracks was passed down from generation to generation until the story faded away, leaving only the name of the place where Vilkas vanished—Klaipėda (Klai(džiota) pėda, Eng.: “Wandering Footprint”).

History of Klaipėda (Memel)

The third largest city of Lithuania is far from being shy of points of interest, quite the contrary. Its unique mix of German and Lithuanian heritage and history makes Klaipėda unique not only in Lithuania but the whole world. You don’t have to be a history buff to find the period between the Worlds Wars explicitly interesting and consequential with scar marks visible throughout the region left and right.

Middle Ages

Though distant, this period has set the scene for the future. If you go back far enough, let’s say to the 13th century, when Klaipeda, or rather Memelburg was founded in 1252 by the Teutonic Order, there was virtually no scent of Lithuanians in the area, given those day standards. There were western Baltic Peoples: Prussians and Curonians in the process of being wiped out by Prussian State ancestors, the Crusaders, and Eastern Baltic people known as Samogitians (Liet. Žemaičiai) trying to get a piece of the pie before Germans took it all. The dynamic between these peoples set borders between Lithuania Minor and Samogitia in modern-day Lithuania. The south (Lithuania Minor) was conquered by the Teutonic Order and the North (Latvia) by the Livonian Order. In between stood Samogitians, a Baltic Tribe, today is widely considered to be as much Lithuanians as Highlanders (Liet. Aukštaičiai) – who back in the Middle Ages were simply known as Lithuanians.

Now let’s go back to the Baltic seaside where Klaipėda is situated. While most of these lands were conquered by the Teutonic Order, a small portion of it was controlled by the Curonian Megava tribe. It fell under the influence of Samogitians instead of Germans. The area included Šventoji and most notably Palanga. The former is situated only 25 km / 15.5 mi from Klaipėda but boasts a totally different architecture and heritage.

But enough of setting the scene, the final important date in this period is 1410, the Battle of Grunwald fought between the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After the defeat, the Crusaders had to accept the terms set by the Holy Emperor Sigismund with the right bank of Neman, including Veliuona and Klaipėda in the Lithuanian sphere of influence, making Memelburg an illegally built fortress in the area of Samogitia. Eventually, the Teutonic Order was not happy with the outcome, and fighting continued until the Treaty of Melno which set the border for the next 501 years. Klaipėda and 2 miles of Lithuania were left for the Order, in exchange, the area around Palanga was finally relieved of the constant pressure.

Prussian Times

Once everything had settled down, Memel slowly became a faraway corner of the quasi-independent Prussian State under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Not much is known about this period. We all know that the purpose of the foundation of Memelburg in the Curonian Klaipėda was to advance further against the Samogitians. Ironically, centuries later, the same Baltic tribe conquered Klaipėda, but not by the sword but rather by migrating. Slowly, this military outpost started to evolve into a small, nevertheless significant, city.

The major works began with the reconstruction of the castle in 1529, transforming the previously inhabited territory into a newly reconstructed castle complex. Residents of the old city were relocated to an island bordered by the Danė (Dangė) river, corresponding to the current old town area up to Didžiosios Vandens Street. In the 17th century, the town already flourished with two parts divided by the old riverbed growing simultaneously: the old town and the area known as Ody Street block (later renamed Friedrich Town). By 1722, these two parts merged to form what we now recognize as the old town. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the river became a hub for shipbuilding due to the availability of quality, affordable wood. Skilled shipbuilders from Königsberg and the Netherlands contributed to this thriving industry.

The importance of Klaipėda grew so much that between 1807 and 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars, Memel became a temporary capital of the Kingdom of Prussia. The Town Hall became a royal palace for Frederick William III and his Queen Louise together with their children.

Post-World War I

The collapse of Eastern Empires that followed World War I offered all kinds of opportunities and Lithuania was quick to react. Partly, because many nations did, but mostly because the country already had a working apparatus in place, the Great Seimas of Vilnius, that demanded greater autonomy before World War I in 1905 during the Russian Revolution. The demands were not met but Lithuanian language and Latin letters were allowed gain in schooling, public, and churches.

A much better opportunity came across during the last stages of WWI. On February 16, 1918, Lithuania declared itself as an independent country from its new overlords, the German Empire. Germans, of course, were not happy with it, but due to their greatly weakened state, the Empire couldn’t dismantle the movement entirely. It didn’t take long for the war to end and the Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920) was a perfect storm to ratify the independence of the country internationally. In fact, the Lithuanian committee was so committed that it decided to distance itself from neighboring Baltic States Latvia and Estonia because Lithuanians believed they had much more to show for their words than other Baltic states did. Ironically, Lithuania got its sovereignty recognized internationally last but mostly because of two major disputed areas: Vilnius and Klaipėda. While the first one was claimed by Poland, the second was a part of German states since 14th century as we already have learned. While the situation looked very dire at the time, both regions are a part of Lithuania today.

But first, how Lithuania did even manage to have a claim on Klaipėda? Well, the German territory West of Neman was detached under the League of Nations after the Treaty of Versailles in 1918. Lithuanians took advantage in 1923 during the rule of the French. At that time the economic situation in the region was in difficult condition, and some troops from mainland Lithuania moved in into Little Lithuania to imitate an uprising in favor of joining the newly established Lithuanian State. Ironically, these actions were blessed by Germany itself, as Lithuanians asked for support before the event. Very few people died during the Klaipėda Revolt as the local population didn’t resist.

World War II

In 1939 Nazi Germany gave an ultimatum to Lithuania to retrieve its lost territory. Naturally, the small state had no choice but to accept the harsh terms from the aggressor. From the German perspective: Adolf Hitler had retrieved some of the Empire’s ‘stolen’ territories after the unfair terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Memel was the line of the core territory, the Nazi government drew in the defend against the advance of the Soviet army from the East. Once it fell, Berlin fell soon after as well. Given the city’s importance and involvement in the Second World War, it is a miracle that so much of its authentic architecture remains.

After World War II Klaipėda became a territory of the Soviet Union together with the whole Soviet Republic of Lithuania. Its integrity remained even after the re-establishment of the Republic of Lithuania in 1990. Today, strategically, arguably, it is the most important city in Lithuania.

Top Things to Do in Klaipėda (Memel)