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The City
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Until 1919 Klaipeda was part of Germany and known as
Memel
, and its population remained largely German until 1945. The neatly restored Old Town draws quite a few visitors (mainly German), but there's not much to keep you here for more than a few hours.
Klaipeda is bisected by the River Dane and the main sights are in the Old Town (Senamiestis) on its southern bank, an area of half-timbered buildings and cobbled streets. At the heart of the Old Town is Theatre Square (Teatro aikste) named after the ornate Neoclassical Theatre building on its northern side. Hitler spoke from the balcony in March 1939 after Germany annexed Klaipeda in its last act of territorial aggrandizement before the outbreak of war. In front of the theatre is Anna's Fountain (Anikes fontanas), a replica of a famous prewar monument to the German poet Simon Dach (1605-59), which depicts the heroine of his folksong A?nnchen von Tharau . Southeast of the square, the History Museum of Lithuania Minor , Didzioji vandens 6 (Mazosios Lietuvos istorijos muziejus; Wed-Sun 11am-7pm; 3Lt), has local archeological finds, national costumes and ancient domestic implements, while the nearby Blacksmiths' Museum of Lithuania Minor , Saltaklviu 2 (Mazosios Lietuvos kalvystes muziejus; Wed-Sun 11am-7pm; 3Lt), has a display of wrought-iron work, a traditional Lithuanian folk art form, including some ornate grave memorials.
In the
New Town
(Naujamiestis), on the northern side of the Dane, at Liepu 16, is Klaipeda's splendid red-brick Gothic-revival
Post Office
. Built between 1883 and 1893, it is a vivid reminder of imperial German civic pride. A few doors along at Liepu 12, the
Clock Museum
(Laikrodziu muziejus; Tues-Sun noon-5pm; 4Lt) is stuffed with timepieces from the earliest candle clocks onwards, and includes some magnificent seventeenthu and eighteenth-century examples. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Lithuania,
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