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The History of Klaipėda
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Klaipėda was founded in 1252 when the bishop of Kuršas concluded an agreement with the Livonia Order to build the castle and city of Memelburg by the Danė River.
From that time on, the city, though being surrounded by the Balts, has for centuries existed in cultural and economic atmosphere of the German state. Until 16th century it was a small village by the castle. In the beginning of 16th century when the castle was reconstructed and expanded, a new city was built on the left bank of the Dane River. Now it is the old part of the city of Klaipeda, where the streets still have the names of craftsmen’s guilds (for example, Kalvių, Kepėjų, Kurpių, Vežėjų, etc.) Later other nearby villages joined Klaipėda. In 15-18th centuries Klaipeda suffered many disasters such as fires and plague. Moreover, it changed hands all the time. The city was occupied and destroyed by soldiers from Žemaitija, later Klaipeda constituted a part of Prussian Duchy, passed to Sweden, then again to Prussia, and then belonged to the Russian Empire for some time. When the army of Napoleon occupied Berlin, Klaipėda became the residence place of the Prussian king for one year. Until 18th century it was just a provincial town full of fortresses and soldier barracks. The inhabitants’ main business was fishing and trading with other cities. From the second half of 18th century Klaipėda began to grow rapidly. Numerous craftsmen’s workshops were established, and ships and warehouses constructed. Up to 1,000 ships came to the port of the Dane River every year. Klaipėda was badly damaged again during the 1854 fire when most of the buildings burned down. After the fire almost all city was reconstructed using stone. The Prussian King himself took care of the reconstruction works. It is in those years that the new large buildings appeared – the Central Post Office, Queen Louise’s College for Girls, and Queen Victoria’s Lyceum for Girls. From 1871 to 1919 the city belonged to Kaiser’s Germany. It was in those years that many attempts were made to turn Klaipėda into a German city; however, a strong resistance to that was offered. From 1923 to 1939 Klaipėda constituted a part of the independent Republic of Lithuania and had some autonomy rights. From 1939 to 1945 the city was occupied by Nazi Germany, thus Klaipėda became a war seaport. It was badly damaged during World War II. Two thirds of all buildings and the port have been destroyed, and the city inhabitants had to go elsewhere. With the coming of Soviet occupation, people came to live in Klaipėda not only from Lithuania but also from other parts of the Soviet Union. From 1990 Klaipėda is a part of the newly independent Lithuania. After all the disasters it had suffered, the city has preserved its historic atmosphere. Klaipėda stands out from other Lithuanian cities not only with its history but also its western-style architecture. The Old Town of Klaipėda is its most interesting part. The old fachwerk architecture, the narrow streets, the closed courtyards of the old craftsmen all remind of the past, even of the times of crusaders.
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The Old Klaipėda Markets
Opposite to the other cities of the old Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where the markets took place in a square, in Klaipėda the market places were applicable streets (a Prussian tradition). These kinds of markets were called “long”. Even today the names of these market streets have retained their old names – butchers, bakers, potters and so on, where you could buy meat, bread and other produce and utensils.
In the XVI century trade took place on Turgaus (market) Street. Here were the regular markets and fairs. In the XVIII century, when the economy recovered, they lasted even up to weeks. Almost several hundred years ago, when serfdom was abolished in the territory of Klaipėda, the stream of farm produce increased into the city. The markets began to spread, the New Market was opened (next to the city’s castle remains). Later a fish market established itself next to it. The fishermen brought the fish through the lagoon and sold them right out of their boats. With the opening of the New Market the current Theater Square ended up between two markets and for a long time blended in with them and basically turned into one market. So at the beginning of the last century, Klaipėda had an unusually formed long market place, going from John’s Church (it didn’t last to these days), through Turgaus Street, Theater Square – up to city’s castle.
The only rectangular market square in Klaipėda showed up almost 300 years ago. This was the privileged Friedrich’s suburban market. In the center stood the most popular of the city’s inns and the hotel “German House”. Unfortunately, it didn’t become the central market. Later livestock was sold here. The Germans continued to call this market Friedrich, while the Lithuanians called it Livestock. Today this old market continues to operate – this is the city’s Old Market. Here you can buy not only seasonal vegetables, but also fresh fish, meat, flowers, clothes.
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