History

The founding of the port city Klaipeda (formerly Memel) dates back in 1252 with the building of the Memelburg Castle by the knights of the Livonian Order. Shortly thereafter, it acquired an administration that used the Lübeck city rights model. In this early period, the region was an area of conflict between German and Lithuanian cultures; however, a border between Prussia and Lithuania was established that remained stable for 500 years. Klaipeda became an important trading centre during the Middle Ages when it was a part of the Hanseatic League. In the 1500s a Lithuanian church was built and the city gradually became multi-cultural as well as prosperous through its position as a significant port city.

Sweden ruled Klaipeda in the 1600s, and Russia in the 1700s. After reconsolidation with Prussia in the late 1700s, it became a centre of trade with England, generating yet more prosperity and a legacy of English influence. Trade through these years was largely based on agricultural and timber products. As early as 1743 the first timber trade office was opened, and Klaipeda became the most famous trading port in the Baltic region with its harbour, which at that time was just inside the mouth of the Dane River, capable of holding up to 300 vessels (Klaipeda State Seaport Authority, n.d.).

After World War I, Klaipeda was separated from Germany and briefly held by the Allies. Lithuanian sovereignty over Klaipeda (Memel) was internationally recognized by the Treaty of Versailles (signed by France, Britain, Italy and Japan) in December 1923. In 1924, Klaipeda became a part of an autonomous region within Lithuania. Klaipeda was returned to Germany in 1939. Shortly thereafter, many Germans fled before the USSR overran the city in early 1945.

In 1947, Memel was renamed Klaipeda and was incorporated into the Lithuanian Soviet Socialistic Republic. During the years as a part of the USSR, the Soviet government developed the city as a shipyard and a fishing port, as well as a terminal to serve the Soviet Army.

Klaipeda became a part of the newly independent Lithuania in 1991. Since then, Klaipeda has grown to be the economicly prosperous city of Lithuania. Its German roots can bee seen in its old architecture and Russians make up nearly 22% of its population, but there is no doubt about the independent, Lithuanian, fighting spirit of the citizens of Klaipeda.