EVERYTHING WHAT YOU NEEDTO DREAM...
Klaipeda
KNOWLEDGE OF Klaipeda
KlaipÄ—da (simplified Lithuanian transcription: [klaÇ?pÄ“da]; German: Memel or Memelburg) is a Lithuanian town on the Baltic Sea. It has 187,442 inhabitants (2005, down from 207,100 in 1992). KlaipÄ—da is Lithuania's only seaport and has a major ferry terminal with connections to Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. It is situated close to the mouth of the Curonian Lagoon.
Initially a Baltic settlement and a Prussian town, KlaipÄ—da was a German city from 1871 to 1919 named Memel. Some of KlaipÄ—da's older buildings have a picturesque framework architecture similar to that found in Germany, England, and Denmark. Popular Lithuanian seaside resorts found close to KlaipÄ—da are Neringa and Palanga.
The settlement of Baltic tribes in the territory of present-day KlaipÄ—da is known to have already begun in the first centuries AD.
Like many other cities of the former East Prussia, Klaipėda has two names. Officially in 1252–1923 and in 1939–1945 it was named Memel; in 1923–1939 and since 1945 it has had the name Klaipėda. At the earliest, the former place-name could be found in sources from the 13th century, and the latter (Klaipėda) in sources from the 15th century. The former notion that Memel is a place-name of German etymology is contradicted by the evidence. The lower reaches of today’s Neman were named either Memele or Memela by local inhabitants. Klaipėda is seemingly a Samogitian appellation which perhaps, most plausibly, refers to the boggy terrain of the town.
The Livonian Order and the Bishop of Curonia founded a castle in 1252 and recorded it as castle on Memele (German Memelburg, also Mimmelburg). In 1258 a town, which would become the metropolis of the Diocese of Curonia with a cathedral and at least two parochial churches, was granted Lübeck City Rights. Starting from 1328, when the castle and its surroundings were transferred from Livonia to the Teutonic Order in Prussia, the development of the castle, not the town, eventually became the dominant priority. In the 14th century, during a lengthy war between the Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the castle and the borough of the colonists, situated in front of the castle on a small island, were being attacked every 15 to 20 years by Samogitians and Lithuanians, and this greatly thwarted the town's development.
The Peace at Melno-See in 1422 fixed the border between the Teutonic Order and Lithuania. Memel remained part of Prussia and the border remained unchanged until 1919. It was one of the longest-lasting unchanged borders in Europe, and is referred to in the now-unsung first verse of the German national anthem, describing the borders of German-speaking lands: Von der Maas bis an die Memel, referring to the river.
Beginning in 1475 Memel was governed by the Culm Law of the Prussian Land cities. In 1525 Ducal Memel, under Albert of Prussia (Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach-Preußen), adopted Lutheranism. It was the beginning of a long time of prosperity for the city and port, since Ducal Prussia was a Polish fief and later part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This border city served as port for neighbouring Lithuania, benefiting from its location near the mouth of the Neman River. After the coalescence of the Ducal Prussia and the Duchy of Brandenburg in 1618, Prussia actively started to participate in regional policy, which notably rebounded on the development of Memel. The construction of the defence around the entire town, initiated in 1627, noticeably changed both its status and prospects. Memel became a fortress (Memelfestung), whose system of fortification at the beginning of the 18th century was notable as one of the most reliable in Prussia. Notwithstanding, only twice could this fortress demonstrate its potential. The first occasion seems to have been a short martial venture of the Swedish army. In November 1678 they invaded Prussian territory but weren’t in a fit state to seize a well protected fortress. The second time was in the Seven Years' War, when Memel's fortifications succumbed to the envelopment of the Russian army, supported by cannonade. Consequently in 1757–1762 the town, like the whole of East Prussia, was dependent on the Russian Empire. After the latter operation the maintenance of the fortress was neglected, which in essence notably positively influenced the town's growth.
Furthermore, in the second half of the 18th century Klaipėda's lax customs enticed English traders here, who established the first industrial enterprises of wood manufacturing in Memel – the sawmills. The specialisation in wood manufacturing guaranteed Klaipėda's merchants a permanent income and stability for more than a hundred years. It likewise normalised trade with Königsberg, ongoing competition with which had brought about various unfulfilling or, worse, acrimonious situations since the 16th century.
A nearly unique, ponderous political event in Klaipėda's history was its status as temporary capital of the Kingdom of Prussia in Napoleonic times. In 1807–1808 Memel was a residence of King Frederick William III of Prussia, his consort Louise, the court and the government. Indeed, here on October 9, 1807 the king signed what was later called the October edict, today noted as the act of abolishment of serfdom in Prussia. It originated the notable reforms of Heinrich Friedrich Karl, baron von und zum Stein and Karl August von Hardenberg.
The development of the town in the 19th century was conditioned by the industrial revolution in Prussia and its attendant process of urbanisation. Even though the population of Memel increased fourfold during the 19th century and there were 21,470 people living there in 1910, in comparison the pace of development was slack indeed. The reasons for this were mostly political. Firstly, Memel was on the periphery of the state and this meant that modern communications were late coming to the town, and that the state was not interested in its development, in case the political situation in the region changed in the borderlands. Furthermore, most national financial infusions in the province East Prussia were addressed to the centre of region – Königsberg (nowadays Kaliningrad). Owing to the absence of heavy industry in the 1870s and 1880s the population of the town started to decline, while wood manufacturing persisted as the main industry.
With the creation of the united German state in 1871, Memel became the most northeasterly city of Germany. Still, according to the 1905 census, almost half of the inhabitants of the region declared Lithuanian as their mother tongue.
Initially a Baltic settlement and a Prussian town, KlaipÄ—da was a German city from 1871 to 1919 named Memel. Some of KlaipÄ—da's older buildings have a picturesque framework architecture similar to that found in Germany, England, and Denmark. Popular Lithuanian seaside resorts found close to KlaipÄ—da are Neringa and Palanga.
The settlement of Baltic tribes in the territory of present-day KlaipÄ—da is known to have already begun in the first centuries AD.
Like many other cities of the former East Prussia, Klaipėda has two names. Officially in 1252–1923 and in 1939–1945 it was named Memel; in 1923–1939 and since 1945 it has had the name Klaipėda. At the earliest, the former place-name could be found in sources from the 13th century, and the latter (Klaipėda) in sources from the 15th century. The former notion that Memel is a place-name of German etymology is contradicted by the evidence. The lower reaches of today’s Neman were named either Memele or Memela by local inhabitants. Klaipėda is seemingly a Samogitian appellation which perhaps, most plausibly, refers to the boggy terrain of the town.
The Livonian Order and the Bishop of Curonia founded a castle in 1252 and recorded it as castle on Memele (German Memelburg, also Mimmelburg). In 1258 a town, which would become the metropolis of the Diocese of Curonia with a cathedral and at least two parochial churches, was granted Lübeck City Rights. Starting from 1328, when the castle and its surroundings were transferred from Livonia to the Teutonic Order in Prussia, the development of the castle, not the town, eventually became the dominant priority. In the 14th century, during a lengthy war between the Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the castle and the borough of the colonists, situated in front of the castle on a small island, were being attacked every 15 to 20 years by Samogitians and Lithuanians, and this greatly thwarted the town's development.
The Peace at Melno-See in 1422 fixed the border between the Teutonic Order and Lithuania. Memel remained part of Prussia and the border remained unchanged until 1919. It was one of the longest-lasting unchanged borders in Europe, and is referred to in the now-unsung first verse of the German national anthem, describing the borders of German-speaking lands: Von der Maas bis an die Memel, referring to the river.
Beginning in 1475 Memel was governed by the Culm Law of the Prussian Land cities. In 1525 Ducal Memel, under Albert of Prussia (Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach-Preußen), adopted Lutheranism. It was the beginning of a long time of prosperity for the city and port, since Ducal Prussia was a Polish fief and later part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This border city served as port for neighbouring Lithuania, benefiting from its location near the mouth of the Neman River. After the coalescence of the Ducal Prussia and the Duchy of Brandenburg in 1618, Prussia actively started to participate in regional policy, which notably rebounded on the development of Memel. The construction of the defence around the entire town, initiated in 1627, noticeably changed both its status and prospects. Memel became a fortress (Memelfestung), whose system of fortification at the beginning of the 18th century was notable as one of the most reliable in Prussia. Notwithstanding, only twice could this fortress demonstrate its potential. The first occasion seems to have been a short martial venture of the Swedish army. In November 1678 they invaded Prussian territory but weren’t in a fit state to seize a well protected fortress. The second time was in the Seven Years' War, when Memel's fortifications succumbed to the envelopment of the Russian army, supported by cannonade. Consequently in 1757–1762 the town, like the whole of East Prussia, was dependent on the Russian Empire. After the latter operation the maintenance of the fortress was neglected, which in essence notably positively influenced the town's growth.
Furthermore, in the second half of the 18th century Klaipėda's lax customs enticed English traders here, who established the first industrial enterprises of wood manufacturing in Memel – the sawmills. The specialisation in wood manufacturing guaranteed Klaipėda's merchants a permanent income and stability for more than a hundred years. It likewise normalised trade with Königsberg, ongoing competition with which had brought about various unfulfilling or, worse, acrimonious situations since the 16th century.
A nearly unique, ponderous political event in Klaipėda's history was its status as temporary capital of the Kingdom of Prussia in Napoleonic times. In 1807–1808 Memel was a residence of King Frederick William III of Prussia, his consort Louise, the court and the government. Indeed, here on October 9, 1807 the king signed what was later called the October edict, today noted as the act of abolishment of serfdom in Prussia. It originated the notable reforms of Heinrich Friedrich Karl, baron von und zum Stein and Karl August von Hardenberg.
The development of the town in the 19th century was conditioned by the industrial revolution in Prussia and its attendant process of urbanisation. Even though the population of Memel increased fourfold during the 19th century and there were 21,470 people living there in 1910, in comparison the pace of development was slack indeed. The reasons for this were mostly political. Firstly, Memel was on the periphery of the state and this meant that modern communications were late coming to the town, and that the state was not interested in its development, in case the political situation in the region changed in the borderlands. Furthermore, most national financial infusions in the province East Prussia were addressed to the centre of region – Königsberg (nowadays Kaliningrad). Owing to the absence of heavy industry in the 1870s and 1880s the population of the town started to decline, while wood manufacturing persisted as the main industry.
With the creation of the united German state in 1871, Memel became the most northeasterly city of Germany. Still, according to the 1905 census, almost half of the inhabitants of the region declared Lithuanian as their mother tongue.
Chapi