Klaipeda is located on the eastern coast of Lithuania where the Curonian Strait (Kursiu marios) flows into the Baltic sea.

The town was founded in 1252, when the Livonian Order, after occupying the coastal lands of the Balts, built a wooden castle at the mouth of the Dane river and called it Memelburg.

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Repeatedly raided by the Zemaiciai, Sembai and the Lithuanian army, several times occupied and burnt to the ground, it was restored again and remained under the rule of the Order. A town grew around the castle, and as early as 1254 it was granted the Lübeck rights; a port, as well as shipping and commerce, expanded. In 1593, commercial shipbuilding started there. In 1540, 1678 and 1854 the town was devastated by fire.

For centuries, the town was ruled by the Livonian Order, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the German Empire. In 1629-35 it was occupied by the Swedes and in 1757-62 by the Russians. It was only in 1923 that Lithuania incorporated the ethnic Baltic lands, i.e., the territory of Klaipeda. In 1939-45 the territory was once again seized, this time by fascist Germany.

By the end of the war, the town was heavily damaged; the greater part of the Old Town was destroyed and few inhabitants remained. During the years of Soviet power (1945-90), the churches, even those only slightly damaged, and also the many other valuable buildings, were reconstructed (only 2 of 7 churches were left). Klaipeda was turned into an industrial town; it expanded and far overstepped its ancient borders. The remaining and restored Old Town preserved its old-time spirit and charm. At present, Klaipeda with its population of 205,000, ranks third among the towns of Lithuania and is one of the most important towns of the Republic with an ice-free port, stretching for 15 km along the coast of the Curonian lagoon. It is an important sea transport centre with an international ferry port, oil export, commercial and fishing ports, and shipbuilding and ship-repairing, fish and food processing, and wood and furniture industries.

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The town has a university, other higher, special secondary and comprehensive secondary schools, music and drama theatres, museums, libraries, concert halls, culture centres, an Art Exhibition Palace, and galleries, as well as a park of sculptures, the carillon and many other historical and cultural monuments. The Old Town, with its beautiful Teatro Square, is very distinctive and inviting.

Guests of the town are accommodated in 11 hotels. Those interested in sports can make use of stadiums, the plentiful gyms, 3 swimming pools, a yacht club, a bicycle track, a track-and- field athletics facility and other facilities, and those who are ill can receive medical aid in 8 hospitals.

The great treasures of Klaipeda include the Giruliai wood, parks, almost 10 km of beautiful sand beaches, and also, of course, the Maritime Museum and Aquarium with a Dolphinarium and the Kursiu Nerija in a beautiful setting, created by the sea, winds and human hands.

After the restoration of Lithuanian independence, Klaipeda moved from a once-closed city to establish sister-city relations with 14 cities, not only in the Baltic region, but also elsewhere in Europe, the USA and Japan. The full list is as follows: Liepaja in Latvia, Gdynia in Poland, Karlskrona in Sweden, Køge in Denmark, Kotka in Finland, Kaliningrad and Cherepovec in the Russian Federation, Mogiliov in Belarus, Lübeck and Rostock in Germany, Debrecen in Hungary, North Tyneside in Great Britain, Cleveland in the USA and Kuji in Japan. As a port, Klaipeda is very popular with foreign partners and the second most significant (if not a more advatageous) Lithuanian town after the capital, Vilnius.

Klaipeda is a unique city in the Baltic region which, due to its geographical location and market economy conditions, will increase its income from contacts with large regions.

Klaipeda City
Klaipeda
Lithuania

The great treasures of Klaipeda is the Giruliai wood, parks, 10 km of beautiful sand beaches, and across the Curonial lagoon is the famous Neringa peninsula.

The Klaipeda sea port is an ice-free port stretching 15 km along the coast of the unique Curonian lagoon.

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