Theater square with drama theater and famous sculpture “Ann from Tharau”
Klaipėda Theater Square is the heart of the city. There is a sculpture of Ann from Tharau in the middle of the fountain at the center of the square. The monument is dedicated to Simon Dach, a German poet who was born in Klaipėda and studied at Konigsberg University. Ann was a girl whom the poet fell in love with at first sight. However, she was engaged to another man. Simon Dach dedicated a poem to her and called it “Ann from Tharau”, which is still very popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The fountain with the sculpture of the girl and the bas-relief of the poet were created in 1912 by a sculptor from Berlin – Alfred Kune. During World War II, the sculpture disappeared. It was reconstructed in 1990 on the initiative of the city inhabitants and emigrants.
The building behind the sculpture is the Drama Theater. Since the 18th century, the theatre has played an important role in the cultural life of Klaipėda. This building was reconstructed in the 19th century in the neo-classic style. The Klaipėda coat of arms is on the facade of the building.
The old warehouses
In the 16th century, quay of Danė river was blocked up with warehouses. At the beginning of the 17th century, in Fisherman street were built masonry dwelling houses and warehouses.
In the first half of 20th century, the warehouse (Žvejų g. 12) was called the ”Germania-Speicher” (German warehouse). A neighbor warehouse (Žvejų g. 8) was called the ”Dange-Speicher” (Danė warehouse). It can be assumed that in the second half of 19th century these warehouses, due to the similarity of its architecture were called the two brothers. The names of Klaipėda warehouses have deep traditions. In the 18th-19th centuries were known these warehouses of Klaipėda: Hermis, Leopard, Three Roofs, Greater, Karolis, The Green.
Sailing vessel “Meridianas”
The educational vessel Meridian was built in 1948 in Finland in a Turku (Finland) shipyard as a contribution to the soviet union after the second world war, along with 48 other similar ships. Very few others remain. The ship that went to Estonia was perhaps the luckiest, as it is currently being displayed in Tallinn. Meridian, that went to the Klaipėda Navigation School, was the first vessel for many future postwar captains and helmsmen. Meridian as an educational vessel closed its doors in 1967 and opened up as a restaurant on the Dane river quay.
In Autumn 2013, the ship has been repaired, restored and returned to it’s original location. The newly renovated Ship offers a marine exposition, in which you can learn about the history of Meridian, its journeys at sea, the structure of the ship and various maritime gadgets.
City’s Bastion Fortifications
Under the guidance of the engineer Charles Rose, the city was to be encircled in the manner of Holland-type fortifications, eastward from the former church of the St. John. Moulds and bastions measuring about 3.5 meters high were formed, and outer ditches (moats) were dug. Because of their size, the cities fortifications are categorized as being among the great royal castles. The works were finished only in the late 17th century-early 18th century. Later, the moulds were reconstructed in the mid-18th century. The fortification system of Klaipėda at the time was complex. Because the city was surrounded by bastion fortifications in the East and South and secured by the Naujoji Danė River in the North, the only access was via three gates named after their main objects. The latter two were built upon earthen ramparts.
Today, the former fortification system can be best observed at the end of Turgaus Street, from the bastions referred to in the historical records as the Geldern and Purmark. In front of the bastions, the water-area of the defensive moat, and the only surviving ravelin can be seen.
Sculpture park
Sculpture Park is an open-air gallery of modern Lithuanian sculpture, which was founded in 1977. Today, 116 sculptures created by 67 Lithuanian artists are exhibited in the park that covers an area of 12 hectares. In 1820, the central cemetery of the city was opened on this site, and the monument to those buried before 1944 can be seen in the park. It is quiet, green and peaceful spot for moment of break in the surroundings of nature and art.
Castle place with it’s museums
Castle place in Klaipėda has always been the most significant part of the city. The castle impelled the construction of city; the bastions protected Klaipėda from enemies.Castle was first mentioned in a document issued on 29 July 1252. Magister the Great Eberhard von Zeine agreed with the Kursh Bishop Heinrich on the building of a castle.
In the beginning of 20th century, part of castle’s channels was buried. The territory of Klaipėda castle site was assigned to the dockyard and separated from the city. For years, no one could visit this place. Now, this square is used for various events, city celebrations, street acts, handcraft fairs.
There are two museums: castle museums and museum 39/45
Castle museum is quite small, located inside the ruins of the old actual castle surrounded by moats, which was built in Klaipėda in the 13th century. Inside the authentic 16–18th-century poterns, you will learn about the development of the castle and the city. The museum exhibits archaeological articles and documents found in the castle and the Old Town, the seals of the Klaipėda city, and the reconstructed clothing of the 17th century. Among the exhibits, the symbol of the Renaissance Klaipėda, a golden ring with an inlaid gemstone, and the scale model of the Klaipėda castle and city of the second half of the 17th century.
Museum 39/45 tells us the story of a very important and sorrowful stage of the history of the city of Klaipėda – World War II. The museum is highly modern: the exhibit hall is equipped with 13 interactive points and there are 4 halls presenting different stages of the war era. The Klaipėda on the Eve of War Hall is the first venue in Lithuania to display documents that testify the event as well as photographs and movie chronicles of that time.
Northern pier
Klaipėda pier is the gate of Klaipėda port, consisting of the southern and northern breakwaters that protect the port against waves, ice-drift and silt. It is not solely a functional structure of the port but also a place well-liked by the residents and visitors to the city. The site of the northern breakwater is an area where the residents and guests of the city enjoy taking walks by the sea, as well as watching sunsets and the arriving and departing ships. The area attracts both lovers of quiet walks and active leisure activities, with training sessions or day camps of water sports – surfing, paddle boarding, kite surfing and sea kayaking – taking place there as well. It is a place where you can feel the power of the sea and the true atmosphere of the port city.
Klaipėda university botanical park
Garden is located in a beautiful valley of the Danė River, where oaks still remember the times of Prussian kings and a unique collection of dune plants opens a gateway to the knowledge of the Baltic seaside. Ornamental and other economically valuable plants are collected and exhibited in 3 sections: dendrological, medicinal and aromatic plants, and herbaceous decorative plants. Visitors are also invited to take a look at the collections of climbing plants and Baltic dune plants. The Botanical Garden exhibits a total of nearly 4,000 taxa plants. The garden also features objects that remind us of the Prussian history: a cemetery, oaks and defensive embankments.
Searching for sculptures amidst the streets of Klaipėda Old Town
Searching for sculptures amidst the streets of Klaipėda Old Town is a special route just for that. It provides an opportunity to perceive a unique seaside atmosphere of the Klaipėda city even better. The biggest part of the sculptures and monuments are located in the city center and the old town, so you will be able to familiarise yourself with a majority of them by taking a half-day stroll. Do not miss the sculpture of the magic mouse as rubbing the nose of that mouse guarantees success. In the Market Square, you will see a sculpture of a dog, a Doberman: the guardian of the Old Town, and on the Royal Quay at the Biržos Bridge, there is the mermaid of Klaipėda on a luxurious throne luring passers-by.
