Klaipėda

Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania. It is where the Nemunas River  flows into the Baltic Sea. Klaipėda is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County. The German name of the city is Memel. Until 1920, this city was the northernmost city of the German Empire. 

The city's history is complicated. The Port of Klaipėda is important in the area. It is a usually ice-free port on the Baltic Sea. It has been controlled by the Teutonic Knights, the Duchy of Prussia, the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, the Entente States, Lithuania, and the Third Reich. The city became part of Lithuania while it was a Soviet Socialist Republic. Klaipėda remained part of Lithuania after it again became independent state.

The population shrank from 207,100 in 1992 to 177,823 in 2011. Popular seaside resorts found close to Klaipėda are Nida to the south on the Curonian Spit, and Palanga to the north.

Sister cities and areas
  Mannheim, Germany, since 1915/2002
  Debrecen, Hungary, since 1970/1989
  Kuji, Japan, since 1989
  Karlskrona, Sweden, since 1989
  Lübeck, Germany, since 1990
  Cleveland, Ohio, United States, since 1992
  Cherepovets, Russia, since 1992
  Gdynia, Poland, since 1993
  Rügen, Germany, since 1993  Kaliningrad, Russia, since 1993
  Kotka, Finland, since 1994
  Køge, Denmark, since 1995
  North Tyneside, United Kingdom, since 1995
  Liepāja, Latvia, since 1997
  Mogilev, Belarus, since 1997
  Szczecin, Poland, since 2002
  Leipzig, Germany, since 2002
  Odesa, Ukraine, since 2004
  Qingdao, People's Republic of China, since 2004
  Merida, Venezuela, since 2010

Category:Cities in Lithuania
Category:Klaipėda County
Category:Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea