Klaipėda

This article is about the town in Lithuania. For other meanings, see Klaipėda (disambiguation).

Klaipėda [ˈklaɪ̯peda] ( listen^{? /i}, German Memel) is a port city in Lithuania. It has the status of a city municipality, thus has an elected mayor and city council. It is surrounded by the Klaipėda Rajon Municipality, whose administrative seat is the town of Gargždai. Until 1920 it was the northernmost town in Germany. In the interwar period the town was the centre of the Memelland. The diverse past - from the time of the Teutonic Order through Prussia, Sweden, Germany, the Memelland and the Soviet Union - was and still is a defining feature of this most important Lithuanian Baltic port, as is its central location in the Baltic region. Klaipėda is a major Lithuanian city (166,861 inhabitants, 2021).

Geographical location

Klaipėda is located about 120 km as the crow flies northeast of Kaliningrad (Königsberg) and about 290 km northwest of the capital Vilnius on the mainland at the mouth of the Dange (Lithuanian Danė) into the Curonian Lagoon opposite the northern end of the Curonian Spit, called Kopgalis (German: Süderspitze). The town is embedded in the Curonian landscape Pilsaten ("pil", "pilstu", "pilt", "pilti" = flow, pour, pour, drip).

Climate

Monthly average temperatures and precipitation for Klaipėda

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature (°C)	0,2	−0,3	3,2	8,7	15,1	18,4	19,9	20,1	16,4	11,5	6,1	2,3	Ø	10,2
Min. temperature (°C)	−5,2	−4,9	−2,1	2,0	6,9	10,9	13,6	13,6	10,2	6,4	1,7	−2,5	Ø	4,3

Precipitation (mm)	50	31	39	36	39	56	74	83	89	80	90	68		735

Sunshine hours (h/d)	1,1	2,3	3,9	6,0	8,5	9,5	8,8	8,1	5,6	3,2	3,1	0,9	Ø	5,1

Rainy days (d)	12	10	10	8	8	8	9	12	11	13	14	14		129

Humidity (%)	84	81	80	78	75	78	80	79	80	82	85	85	Ø	80,6

Temperature

0,2

−5,2

−0,3

−4,9

3,2

−2,1

8,7

2,0

15,1

6,9

18,4

10,9

19,9

13,6

20,1

13,6

16,4

10,2

11,5

6,4

6,1

1,7

2,3

−2,5

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Precipitation	50	31	39	36	39	56	74	83	89	80	90	68
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Source: wetterkontor.de

Questions and Answers

Q: What is Klaipėda?

A: Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania located where the Nemunas River flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County.

Q: What was its German name?

A: The German name of Klaipėda was Memel.

Q: How long did it remain part of Germany?

A: Until 1920, Klaipėda was part of the northernmost city of the German Empire.

Q: What is significant about its port?

A: The Port of Klaipėda is an important ice-free port on the Baltic Sea that has been controlled by various countries throughout history.

Q: When did it become part of Lithuania?

A: The city became part of Lithuania when it was a Soviet Socialist Republic and remained part of Lithuania after it again became an independent state.

Q: How has its population changed over time?

A: The population shrank from 207,100 in 1992 to 177,823 in 2011.

Q: Are there any popular seaside resorts nearby?

A: Yes, popular seaside resorts found close to Klaipėda are Nida to the south on the Curonian Spit, and Palanga to the north.