Old meme. Memel city in Prussia G Memel Latvian SSR in 1945

The old city of Klaipeda-Memel is now small, although it continues to be quite solid. About 60% of its buildings were destroyed during the Great Fire of 1854 and the fighting of World War II, but what remains still retains the atmosphere of old Memel, a city more North German in spirit than Lithuanian.

In the first part, a hike from the Dane embankment to the southern border of the Old Town.

On the left on the hill (with the flag of the city) is the place where the Memelburg castle stood (a small number of ruins are present), on the right - the already familiar K-Tower and D-Tower.

In its stone incarnation, the castle looked something like this.

Development of the Dane embankment. On the right (next to the kebab shop) you can see the cash pavilion of the ferry to the Curonian Spit.

The castle hill is surrounded by a bay from three sides, where a lot of boats of varying degrees of luxury are moored.

Between the waterfront and the cruise terminal are several small houses that now house hotels and shops that cater to owners of yachts and boats.

Among them there are also interesting examples of modern architecture. The "Old Port Hotel" combines hi-tech and half-timbered houses in a wonderful way. It turns out high-werk or fah-tech.

Traditional half-timbered, of course, is also present.

Theater Square in Klaipeda, probably the largest in the Old Town. In the center is the building of the Klaipeda Drama Theater (1775), on the left is a modern extension to it. Here, tourists usually buy amber.

Building on the south side of the square.

Neighborhood of the Theater Square. She is behind me, the D-Tower is visible on the left, in the house on the right is the Old Hansa restaurant. In general, there are many restaurants in Klaipeda, where I really wanted to go only because of the names alone: "Old Hansa", "Livonia", "Memelis". The latter also turned out to be a brewery, which predetermined the choice in its favor.

I repeat, the Old Town in Klaipeda is quite solid, although, of course, it could not have done without late inclusions. Closer to the Dane embankment, a whole block of modern buildings is growing, but how tactful they look in general. No one here is trying to deceive either residents or tourists. The new architecture looks exactly new, and does not try to mimic the Middle Ages with dummies, but at the same time it is high-tech in the historical environment, and it looks out of place here, making the city relevant.

Typical stalins also come across, and the situation is worse with them. Well, at least they covered it with tiles. The Market Street (Turgaus gatve), a reminder that the Theater Square was once a market place, goes to a distant pipe.

Now the Market Square is located on the southern outskirts of the Old City, and I went there along the streets, the names of which I now don’t even remember.

In the building with flags is the Museum of the History of Lithuania Minor.

Remains of old Memel.

Upper street (Aukstoji gatve). In the building on the left is the old post office, you can send a postcard to your homeland.

Only for Belarusians. Zianon's safe house.

On Zamkova Street (Pilies gatve) a monumental Stalinist building, now owned by the Baltiya shipbuilding company, was discovered. On the spire, probably in Soviet times, there was a traditional star in a laurel wreath.

And finally, we come to the new Market Square, which, of course, is not new, but is still a market square. It occupies a rather large area of land between Zamkova Street and Mira Avenue (Taikos prospektas).

At the Market Square, the Old Town ends, as this picture clearly shows.

Above the dog is the inscription "Old Town Watchman" (well, or something like that).

The tentacles of our distribution network have even reached Klaipeda.

Prospekt Mira ends on this square, leading to the residential districts of the city. In the distance behind the trees on the left is the Market Square, in front of the Old Town.

I remember this place for three things. First, an old bookstore sign. In Lithuania, this is almost gone.

Secondly, a statue of Neringa, a huge giant aunt who saved ships and sailors and, like, poured the Curonian Spit for this.

Well, the building behind Neringa is the Svyturis brewery (in Russian, by the way, it translates as "lighthouse"), one of the largest in Lithuania, the sister of our Alivaria. Surprisingly, there was no beer bar at the brewery (which, by the way, I counted on), its place was taken by some terrible Chinese restaurant.

From here, along Bridge Street (Tilto gatve) I moved in the opposite direction, back north to Dana. Unfortunately, this time it was not possible to see the Soviet Klaipeda in the south of the city. I still preferred instead to go to the Curonian Spit, to the sea.

previous series.

- Coordinates

/ / 56.40250; 24.15722(Memele, mouth)Coordinates :

The name of the river "Memele" probably comes from the Prussian language, which means "surrounded by water" or "marshy place". [[C:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]][[C:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]] Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. Memele

tributaries

Apasha (Lithuania)
Vīžona (Lithuania)
Dienvidsuceja (114 km)
Viesite (59 km)
Nereta (25 km)
Rikon (18 km)
Zuru (9 km)
Solar water (7 km)

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing Memele

All this news made me dizzy... But Veya, as usual, was surprisingly calm, and this gave me the strength to ask further.
- And who do you call an adult? .. If there are such, of course.
- Well, of course! The girl laughed sincerely. - Want to see?
I just nodded, because my throat was completely seized with fright, and my “fluttering” conversational gift was lost somewhere ... I perfectly understood that right now I would see a real “star” creature! .. And, despite the fact that, as far as I could remember, I had been waiting for this all my conscious life, now all of a sudden all my courage for some reason quickly “went to the heels” ...
Veya waved her hand - the terrain has changed. Instead of golden mountains and a stream, we found ourselves in a marvelous, moving, transparent "city" (in any case, it looked like a city). And right towards us, along a wide, wet-glittering silver "road", an amazing man was slowly walking ... He was a tall, proud old man, who could not be called anything else but majestic! sometimes very correct and wise - and pure, like crystal, thoughts (which for some reason I heard very clearly); and long silvery hair covering him with a shimmering cloak; and the same, surprisingly kind, huge violet "Vaina" eyes ... And on his high forehead shone, wonderfully sparkling with gold, a diamond "star".
“Rest to you, Father,” Veya said softly, touching her forehead with her fingers.
“And you, the departed one,” the old man answered sadly.
From him emanated endless kindness and affection. And I suddenly really wanted, like a small child, to bury my head in his knees and hide from everything for at least a few seconds, breathing in the deep peace emanating from him, and not think about the fact that I'm scared ... that I don't know where my house... and that I don't know at all - where I am, and what is really happening to me at the moment...

On January 28, 1945, Soviet troops stormed the German city of Memel, now better known under the Lithuanian name of Klaipeda. If we look at a modern geographical map, we will find Klaipeda as the third largest (population 200 thousand people) city of Lithuania, the main port of the republic. Meanwhile, if anyone has the right to this city, then it is Russia as the assignee of the USSR.

Memel was part of the historical region of East Prussia. The city was founded by the German crusaders in 1252 on the land of the Baltic tribe of the Curonians, and their kindred Prussians. The name comes from the German name of the river Neman. By the middle of the 17th century, the Curonians as an ethnic group ceased to exist. All of them were assimilated by the Germans. Only mentions of them remained in the form of geographical names - the Curonian Spit and the Curonian Lagoon. Part of the Curonians became part of the Latvians, making up the population of the historical region of Courland (in Latvian - Kurzeme). Thus, from the middle of the 17th century until 1945, Memel and the surrounding areas should be considered German ethnic territory for good reason.

Memel belonged to the Teutonic Order, then to Prussia. In 1807, Memel was even the temporary capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, after the capture of Berlin by Napoleon. In 1757-62, during the Seven Years' War, the city was occupied by Russian troops, the population was sworn in as loyal to the Russian Empire. But, as you know, Emperor Peter III, who was distinguished by a truly Gorbachev admiration for everything Western, primarily Prussian, gave Memel back to his idol Frederick II. By the way, Frederick was very angry with the East Prussians for the fact that they became Russian subjects without undue moral remorse, and in principle did not visit East Prussia for the remaining years of his reign. After the unification of Germany in 1871, Memel became the easternmost city of the German Empire. It is no coincidence that in the words of the famous anthem "Germany above all!" sounds - "from the Meuse to Memel ..". As you can see, the history of the city of Memel is no different from the history of East Prussia.

Although in the Middle Ages there was a strong state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, whose borders stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea, but Memel was never part of Lithuania. It is significant that the German authorities themselves, in order to incite ethnic conflicts in Russia at the end of the 19th century, organized in Memel a large-scale publication of literature in the Lithuanian language with the Latin alphabet (in 1865-1904, Lithuanian books were printed in Russian Lithuania in Cyrillic).

In 1914, 140 thousand inhabitants lived in Memel.

After the defeat of Germany in the First World War, according to the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty, Germany lost 1/8 of its territory, but Memel in 1919-1923. remained German in fact, and it is very incomprehensible whose legally. 99 article of the Treaty of Versailles Memel and the surrounding area was under the collective control of the Entente. At the head of the region was the French military commissar and the local government (Directory), consisting of local Germans. There was a small French garrison in the city, the Memel police were also subordinate to the command of the Entente. The Entente planned to make Memel a "free city" like Danzig. Local residents liked this idea, because the Memels were afraid of the economic crisis that reigned in Germany in those years. In a referendum held in December 1922, 90% of the Memel residents voted for the status of a free city. In fact, Memel already was. Memel in 1919-23 had the right to conclude trade agreements with foreign states, had its own court, flag and customs sovereignty. The German citizenship of the inhabitants continued to exist, and for the most part the old laws remained in force. But the official proclamation of a new free city did not happen - Memel became a victim of aggression from Lithuania.

After the collapse of the Russian Empire, a small, poor, but very ambitious Lithuania was born. The borders of the then Lithuania were not at all the same as in the modern post-Soviet republic. The city of Vilna (today it is called Vilnius) belonged to Poland. However, in 1931, Lithuanians in Vilna out of 195 thousand inhabitants of the city, there were 1.6 thousand people, or 0.8% of the population (by the way, the vast majority of modern Vilnius Lithuanians are descendants of post-war Lithuanian-speaking migrants). The Baltic Republic of Lithuania had one sea city - Palanga, a shallow resort. But the Lithuanian rulers could not miss the chance to capture the port city of Memel, taking advantage of the weakening of Germany.

On January 11, 1923, taking advantage of Germany's refusal to continue paying reparations, the French government sent troops into the Ruhr region of Germany. The Lithuanian rulers decided not to miss the chance to seize someone else's property. True, openly invading someone else's territory was somewhat inconvenient, and the Lithuanian authorities decided to make the invasion of their troops an "uprising" of freedom-loving Memels, eager to unite with the great free Lithuania. On January 13, Lithuanian troops numbering 1.5 thousand people, posing as "rebels", invaded the territory of the Memel region, and occupied the city five days later. Power passed to a certain "Committee of Lithuania Minor", which, of course, immediately announced the annexation of the city to Lithuania.

Germany, which did not have an army under the articles of the Treaty of Versailles, could only react with notes of protest. On the other hand, 200 French soldiers stationed in Memel were supposed to resist all attempts to invade the city, but how could this be done if France itself provoked the invasion of the Lithuanians in order to further weaken Germany? As a result, the "military actions" in Memel looked like a modern velvet revolution. For 5 whole days there were “battles” in the city, in which 2 Frenchmen, 12 Lithuanians and 1 German policeman were killed. It looks like the opponents fired endlessly into the air to give the impression of a fight.

On January 23, 1923, Memel, renamed Klaipeda (in Lithuanian means "plain", "wet place") was officially annexed to Lithuania. So Lithuania, having committed an act of aggression, violated the European borders established by the Treaty of Versailles. Seized by marauder's itching, the rulers of Lithuania could not think that by their actions they had created a precedent for revising the borders of Versailles. What borders can be changed in the other direction, the little rulers of a small country did not understand. After that, all complaints that the USSR seized Lithuania in violation of international law, from the Lithuanian side, to put it mildly, are not correct.

In early 1924, the League of Nations recognized the sovereignty of Lithuania over Klaipeda, subject to the wide autonomy of the region, enshrined in a special constitution - the "Memel Statute". On May 8, 1924, the Paris Convention was signed between Lithuania and the allied powers of the Entente (England, France, Italy and Japan), which determined the status of Memel within Lithuania. (Also known as the Klaipeda or Memel Convention). The Convention transferred the Memel region under the sovereignty of Lithuania. Article 2 of the Convention stated that the Memel Region constitutes, under the sovereignty of Lithuania, "an entity having legislative, legal, administrative and financial autonomy." Thus, Lithuania received only limited sovereignty over Memel, and quite a limited one at that. The Lithuanian authorities did not even think of fulfilling the terms of the Convention, and even the Memel Statute, which automatically disavowed the decision of the League of Nations.

However, we must pay tribute to the then Lithuanian leaders - unlike the current Baltic politicians, the "German-speaking" population of Klaipeda received the same rights as the Lithuanians (although under the conditions of the police dictatorship established in Lithuania in 1926, these rights meant nothing). In 1926, the Lithuanian authorities dissolved the local parliament and banned German parties. To pacify the indignation of the Germans in Klaipeda, martial law was introduced, which existed for 12 whole years - until 1938. 25 out of 29, in the parliament were received by the German parties, whose goal was to "return to Vaterland". Of course, civilized free Lithuania responded to this by arresting the elected regional government. The Judicial Chamber of the League of Nations once again stated toothlessly the violation of the Memel Statute.

In 1923-39. thousands of Lithuanian migrants arrived in the Klaipeda region, the Lithuanian language was forcibly introduced in schools and offices, but the city retained its Germanic character, the German language and culture absolutely dominated it. Klaipeda provided a third of the GNP of Lithuania, although in general the industrial production of Lithuania, as well as of all limitrophic states, did not reach the level of 1913. But without Klaipeda, Lithuania was at the level of development of the banana republics of Central America.

Of course, this situation could not last long. In 1938, Lithuania succumbed to the pressure of Poland, officially renouncing its claims to Vilna. Lithuanian rulers tried to counterbalance Poland to establish allied relations with Germany. But, of course, small countries cannot be equal allies. Hitler, who, when necessary, could be a fiery democrat, suddenly reminded the Lithuanian politicians that not all is well in Lithuania with human rights, especially the German minority. Of course, one hint of the Fuhrer was enough for democratization to begin in Lithuania. In November 1938 martial law was lifted in Memel. In the free elections to the Memel parliament held on December 11 of the same year, 87% of the votes were cast in favor of a single list of German parties. Let us pay attention to the democratism of these elections, since all residents of the Klaipeda region, including Lithuanian-speaking migrants who arrived after 1923, participated in them.

On March 22, 1939, Hitler demanded that Lithuania return Memel to Germany, which was done immediately. Significantly, no one in the Lithuanian parliament spoke out against the treaty. Moreover, the Lithuanian government did not even try to appeal to the countries - guarantors of the Memel Statute, thereby recognizing that the 1924 treaty on Lithuanian sovereignty over Memel was no longer valid.

On May 15, 1939, England, and then other members of the League of Nations, recognized de jure the transfer of Memel to Germany.

During the Great Patriotic War, pushing the enemy, Soviet troops occupied East Prussia, including Memel. According to the decisions of the Big Three conferences, East Prussia was divided between Poland and the USSR. The German population of the region was deported. The liberated territory was quickly settled by settlers from all over the Soviet Union. On their part of the former East Prussia, the Soviet leaders created the Kaliningrad region as part of the RSFSR. But Memel, again renamed Klaipeda, was annexed to the Lithuanian SSR by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 20, 1950. This was motivated only by the need to create a republican port, since Palanga was not suitable for this role.

This territorial acquisition of the USSR was finally legalized by the Treaty between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Federal Republic of Germany of August 12, 1970 (Moscow Treaty). Germany officially recognized the right of the USSR to East Prussia, including Memel (Klaipeda). Note that the entire Soviet Union, and not its republic, was recognized as the owner of the city.

Interestingly, there are no documents legally substantiating Lithuania's rights to Klaipeda, which was recognized by none other than A. Brazauskas (former leader of the Republican Communist Party, then Prime Minister of post-Soviet Lithuania). The withdrawal of Lithuania from the USSR was justified by the Baltic figures by the fact that the very accession of the Baltic republics to the USSR was illegal. Well, in this case, keeping Klaipeda (as well as Vilna) in Lithuania is also illegal. Only Russia, the legal successor of the USSR, has historical rights to Klaipeda.

The population of Klaipeda, half Russian, half Lithuanian, equally consists of post-war settlers and their descendants. As in all the Baltics, business and material production in Klaipeda is in the hands of the Russians. The native Balts were only capable of possessing European manners and pursuing a Hottentot policy. True, Lithuanians are still good at basketball and farming. On the other hand, Russian migrants with their Soviet mentality turned out to be incomparably more capable of doing business than the “European” Baltic aborigines.

Modern Lithuania as a state has no prospects. In Lithuania, unlike Estonia and Latvia, according to official data, the titular nation has a significant majority - 77% of the inhabitants of the republic in 2003 (in 1989 -80%). However, tens of thousands of Vilna Poles were recorded as Lithuanians in the Soviet population censuses. The dominant Catholicism among Lithuanians (which, as you know, opposes birth control), contributed to the emergence of an incomparably more favorable demographic situation in Lithuania. During the 20th century, the number of Lithuanians doubled, despite significant human losses in wars and emigration. After the Great Patriotic War, Lithuanian-speaking migrants managed not only to partially populate Klaipeda, but also to make up half of the population of Vilnius, although as early as 1931 Lithuanians made up less than 1% of the population in Vilna, Poland. But during the years of "freedom" Lithuania has become the same dying country as the rest of the Baltic republics. Since 1992, Lithuania has also experienced depopulation. The birth rate fell by 2.5 times. By 2004, the population of the republic decreased by 200 thousand people (despite the fact that in 1989 the entire population of the republic was 3,695 thousand people). And this process continues. If these demographic trends continue, by 2050 the population of Lithuania will be one million less, that is, the population of the republic, even if the current borders are maintained, will decrease by 20%, and will be the same as in 1960.

The first thing that the Baltic republics have after joining the European Union on May 1, 2004 is a sharp increase in emigration to the western part of Europe. During the first year of EU membership, 250,000 immigrants from "newcomer" countries arrived in the UK alone, of which Lithuanians alone accounted for 15%. Emigration moods cover the broad masses of the Balts. Mass emigration leads to the fact that Lithuania itself is turning into a country of old people. Moreover, Lithuania came out on top in the world in terms of suicide rates.

Klaipeda is also experiencing a comprehensive crisis. The population of the city has decreased by more than 10% since 1992. This is especially impressive, because ruined Lithuanian farmers continue to move to Klaipeda. The Klaipeda seaport is the main source of foreign exchange earnings in the republic, but all the profits flow away mainly to the Vilnius bureaucrats, and the city continues to be a depressed region.

What conclusion follows from these historical considerations? It is simple - Klaipeda (or Memel, call it whatever you like) should become a Russian city. There is no need to become discouraged at the thought that Lithuania is already a member of the European Union and NATO, and the city will not give up so easily. There is no reason to believe that the European Union is a more viable entity than the League of Nations. The EU is undergoing a process of disintegration of the states that make it up. Autonomous regions such as Wallonia, Padania, Catalonia are distinguished, in the UK there was a devolution that actually divided the United Kingdom into England, Scotland, Wales and Ulster. Russians in Klaipeda should strive for the city to receive a special status within the EU and for the federalization of Lithuania. Having become something like a free city, even while remaining formally a part of the Republic of Lithuania, Klaipeda can quietly become part of Russia within the framework of some kind of Kaliningrad-Riga economic association. As soon as the EU collapses under the influence of incompatibility within one confederation of millennial European nations, moreover, diluted with hordes of colored migrants, and NATO disintegrates after armed conflicts between its members (for example, after the war between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus, or Romania and Hungary for Transylvania), then the free Russian city of Memel (Klaipeda) will finally again become the city of the Russian state.

The Germans return to Memel in 1939.

The history of the “free city” (the term “free” is used not in a legal sense, but in an ideological one. Formally, Memel was under the control of the Entente Powers) Memel, which is now marked on maps under the well-known Lithuanian name Klaipeda, is interesting to read from the point of view of parallels, analogies and, in general, the very idea of a “free city” on the border of the “enlightened West” ™ and all the others. The topic is relevant in St. Petersburg, as we have supporters of the idea of a "free city". The following text gives an opportunity to look at the prospects of such a situation on the experience of Klaipeda. In parentheses, let's not forget that Klaipeda, unlike St. Petersburg, is an ice-free port.
Let's hit the road!
Without delving too deeply into the darkness of centuries, casually mentioning the crusaders, Swedes and Samogitians related to the city, we see Memel, which by the end of the First World War of 1914-1918. was listed as the northernmost port city of Prussia. The collapse of Kaiser Germany led to the fact that the victorious powers, mindful of what Prussia meant to the Germans, decided to tear the city away from Heimatland, rightly thinking about the weakening of German influence in the Baltic Sea, if not forever, then for a long time.
A young, stubborn Poland appeared, which France saw as a counterbalance to Germany, and which also had expansionist plans in the Baltic Sea. Wow, what plans! "Grateful" to those around them for centuries of vegetation, the Poles wanted to squeeze the entire Baltic Fleet from the Russians and rule the seas themselves. Not at all, of course, but to the Danish straits for sure. In these plans, there was clearly no place for the German Memel on the eastern borders. From the other side of the Memel region, the newly formed Lithuania (then without Vilnius yet) popped up like a pimple, which desperately needed a port in the Baltic to have a guarantee of its long and happy independence through free export / import by sea.

WHERE DREAMS LEAD

What to do if interest in history in the world is not considered applied. Why does a smart person need him in ordinary life, except sometimes to show off in a company, remembering a little-known fact? It does not matter that in fact the case will turn out to be a historical anecdote, but it will favorably highlight the narrator in the eyes of the interlocutors. Especially if the eyes are female. Toli is a matter of physics. You sit on an airplane and do some simple calculations to predict the time of arrival. Or, well, geometry. You can draw a plan of the room and build a closet. And put in the closet all the history textbooks, which are difficult to find application in the filled life of a city dweller.

Meanwhile, acquaintance with critical moments in the history of one's country and its immediate neighbors can be of great service in understanding what has happened, is happening and will happen around us if the stars align in one order or another. And at the right moment, he can suggest, for example, that it is time to shift the necessary things from the closet to suitcases, grab the children and quickly get out of the impending disaster on the plane, while they are still flying.
Here the Ukrainians lived, did not grieve, and suddenly, bam, war. "All of a sudden," sort of. But in fact - both "from this" and "from this".

But today is not about them, but about the fate of the "free city" as a phenomenon.
Once at the beginning of the journey to the East, the Fuhrer planned something similar for St. Petersburg. But it didn't work out, fortunately. Although some here believe that unfortunately. And the movement of the Reich towards St. Petersburg began precisely there - in Memel 1938-39.
But first things first. So, Memel between the two world wars: a city that was needed by everyone, and at the same time was a draw.

WHOSE IS HE? HE'S NOTHING!

Territorial losses of Germany after WWI. Memelland is the most northeastern part.

The volleys of the world war have died down. Europe buried its dead and squinted its eyes to see the future through the smoke of fires. The victorious powers set about constructing the world order, picking up the pieces of failed empires and shaping them into a new kaleidoscope of the European home. Among these fragments, Memel turned out to be a city that had no one to give. It was decided to leave it under the mandate of the League of Nations. In 1920, it was transferred under the collective control of the Entente countries. A small French garrison was present. Self-government was run by local Germans, who were the majority among the economically active population of Memel itself and the surrounding area, called Memelland. Whether the Germans considered all their Lithuanian neighbors "cattle" history is silent. Not without it, I think.

French administration in Memel, 1920

By the will of fate, Memel was supposed to become a "free city", like Danzig, which could not be left German, but the Polish future was also contraindicated for him. Well, do not give it to the Swedes? Why? Soviet Russia was against the idea of a "free city" and demanded that its interests also be taken into account in the fate of the ice-free port. Slave country, what to take from it. Freedom cannot be carried to the spirit. She has interests, you know. Let her interests in the ice of the Gulf of Finland freeze annually from November to May.
Poland hoped that the city itself would fall into her hands with the assistance of "their own" French, with whom they had almost reached an agreement. France, planning to transfer the Memel region to Poland, was guided, of course, not by love for Mickiewicz or craving for Polish beauties, but hoped that in the future the port would not fall into the hands of Germany that had suddenly risen from its knees. How to look into the water.

NEW CHALLENGER

And then Lithuania appears on the scene. A small but proud country that wants the territories that belong to it "by right". The Constituent Seimas of Lithuania modestly spoke in favor of joining Klaipeda to Lithuania on the basis of autonomy.
Memel Germans, who constituted an active majority in the region, quickly figured out which way the wind was blowing, and during the plebiscite of 1921, which was organized by the "Working Group of the Society for the Free State of Memel" ("Arbeitsgemeinschaft für den Freistaat Memel"), 54,429 people (75, 75% of citizens who had the right to vote) voted for a free state and against a union with Lithuania. We will never be brothers! ©
To which the Lithuanians presented their surveys, which showed that the Lithuanian language should be given the official status of the 2nd language, despite the fact that during the survey of 1922 it was revealed that 93% of people declared themselves as ethnic Germans in the city of Memel and 63% declared themselves as memellenders on the territory of Memelland.

On December 18, 1922, the Supreme Committee for the Salvation of Lithuania Minor (as the Lithuanians called the Memel Region), called in Germany "Direktorium der Litauer", appeared in Memel. The official purpose of this committee was to organize the inhabitants of the Memel region into one whole society, which was to become part of Lithuania. They supported the linguistic, national and cultural activity of Lithuanians in Lithuania Minor. They also wanted to enlist the support of their brethren living in Lithuania and other countries of the world.
Once Yin erupted, then Yang should appear somewhere nearby. The organization "German-Lithuanian Fatherland Union" ("Deutsch-Litauischer Heimatbund") together with the "Working Group of the Society for the Free State of Memel" ("Arbeitsgemeinschaft für den Freistaat Memel") put forward the idea of the "Free State of Memelland", which was later to join of course or to Germany.

TO ARMS, Pilieciai!

Lithuanian "rebels" (disguised as civilian soldiers) during the Klaipeda uprising of 1923

The situation developed in such a way that the Germans, between the Poles and Lithuanians, far-sightedly chose the latter. Germany approved the strengthening of the Lithuanian resistance forces directed against Poland. The "Memel Shooters' Union" ("Memeler Schützenbund") purchased 1,500 rifles, 5 light machine guns and ammunition from Germany, paying with money from secret funds, the main contributors of which were Lithuanian emigrants, mostly living in the United States. Weapons for the Lithuanians were purchased, no less, from the commander-in-chief of the Reichswehr, Hans von Seeckt. On behalf of the army, he assured Lithuania that the Germans would not interfere in the Lithuanian intervention.
The gun hung at the beginning of the play did not hang until the last act of the drama and went off almost immediately. Time is money!

The coup began on January 9, 1923. The Supreme Committee for the Salvation of Lithuania Minor published a manifesto to the French soldiers who were in the region, in which they asked the soldiers not to interfere. The rebels had to: be polite (oh!), do not rob, do not drink alcohol, do not participate in political conversations, do not carry Lithuanian documents, do not carry tobacco and matchboxes with Lithuanian identification inscriptions.
On the same day, volunteers from Lithuania crossed the border of the region (they were in civilian clothes, which they changed into on the train, but for identification they put on armbands with the letters "MLS"). Many Lithuanian residents of the region supported the rebels by supplying them with food.

Funeral of the French soldiers killed during the uprising of 1923 in Memel

Memel itself could not be taken peacefully, as the port was defended by French soldiers. The "polite" insurgents launched their attack on 15 January at 01:00. Several French officers and soldiers, a policeman and German volunteers were taken prisoner. By 05:00 Memel was occupied and the French soldiers retreated and surrendered a little later. Of course, no one wanted to die for no reason. The total casualties were small: 20 rebels and 2 French soldiers were killed.
After these events, the territory of the Memel region was taken completely under the control of the Supreme Committee for the Salvation of Lithuania Minor.

The monument to Kaiser Wilhelm, as it should be in the days of popular uprisings, was knocked off the pedestal and dragged to the backyards

January 16, a small Polish warship "Komendant Pilsudski" (former Finnish "Karjala", and even earlier former Russian "Lun") entered the port of Klaipeda. One of the passengers on it was Mssr. Trouson, a member of the French mission in Poland. His task was to suppress the coup, but seeing that the Memel region was already occupied, and the French troops were actually imprisoned, the ship left. The Poles are late.

The Polish armed forces could intervene in the situation. However, the ominous profile of comrade Trotsky appeared from behind the gray forests and the Soviet units glittered with bayonets, which began to concentrate on the Polish border. The new Soviet-Polish war did not smile at Warsaw, despite the “Miracle on the Vistula” that had just happened. Thus, the USSR indirectly helped Lithuania take Klaipeda.

WELL WE ARE IN LITHUANIA
On January 19, the Directory of Klaipeda Region requested to be admitted to Lithuania as an autonomous territory with a separate parliament and government, two official languages, the right to administer taxes and duties, independently conduct cultural and religious affairs, oversee the local legal system, agriculture, forestry and social security system.

Let's stop for a moment to feel the moment. Lithuania "put with the device" on democratic procedures, the opinion expressed by the majority of the population, foreign territorial integrity and the decisions of the League of Nations! Not bad for a miniature republic, which is a week without a year. This is how history should be made, and you: "sanctions, sanctions ...".

What is the West - the guarantor of the status of "free city"?
On January 10, the governments of France and Great Britain, through diplomatic channels, asked Lithuania to "use all its efforts" to make sure that there are no attacks on people and their property. They also condemned support for the uprising from Lithuania.

1923. Uprising. Arrival at the port of the British light cruiser HMS "Caledon", who died on the streets of Memel, the arrival of the French destroyers.

France soon sent a small squadron to Memel. Great Britain also made a mark by sending the cruiser HMS Caledon. The negotiations with the Lithuanian rebels, which began on January 25, were not successful. The rebel committee refused to hand over the city to the French, and the patrols that came ashore were fired upon and returned to the ships. Then the French command developed a plan for the armed capture of Memel, supported by the British. On February 2 (they prepared for a long time!) The British cruiser landed a landing party ashore to interact with the French infantry battalion that made up the Memel garrison. At the same time, an ultimatum was put forward to Lithuania demanding the return of the Memel region to the hands of the High Commissioner of the Entente. At the same time, the Entente promised that if the ultimatum was accepted, the Memel Territory would then be transferred to Lithuania.
Lithuania accepted the ultimatum, after which, on February 16, the Council of Entente Ambassadors decided to transfer the Memel Territory to Lithuania. This decision was subject to the condition that Lithuania fulfill the following requirements:
- autonomy of the region;
- freedom of transit and use of the Memel port by Poland;
- development of the status of the region and the conclusion of a special convention;
- equality in the region of the German and Lithuanian languages;
- equalization of civil and commercial rights of foreigners and residents of the autonomy.

In addition, at an unofficial level, it was emphasized that the transfer of Memel to Lithuania is a kind of compensation for the loss of the Vilna region (Vilnius), which Poland had previously torn off. In 1924, the actual transfer of Memel under the sovereignty of Lithuania took place.

Lithuania, having settled in the region, predictably took up the "de-Germanization" of new territories. The policy of planting the Lithuanian language was carried out, although, according to the census on January 20, 1925, out of 141,645 inhabitants who had the right to vote, 59,315 (41.88%) identified themselves as Germans, 37,626 (26.56%) as Lithuanians and 34 337 (24.24%) - to memellenders.
In 1926, a military coup took place in Lithuania. After the coup in December 1926, martial law was introduced in the Klaipeda region (which lasted until 1938), German parties were banned and the local parliament was dissolved, which was a gross violation of the Memel Statute. At the request of the League of Nations, the Lithuanian authorities were forced to call new elections in the Memel region, which gave the majority to the German parties (25 mandates out of 29). However, already in 1932, the elected German authorities of Memel were arrested. The consequence was the appeal of the powers - guarantors of the Memel Convention to the International Court of Justice of the League of Nations, which demanded that Lithuania restore the rights of the Memel Parliament.

On the streets of Klaipeda between the wars. Signboards in German

The Lithuanian port of Klaipeda was actively developing. New structures were built, a new railway line was laid, and the fairway was doubled. Up to 80 percent of Lithuania's foreign trade turnover passed through the former Memel. If in 1924 there were 694 ships, then in 1935 there were already 1225. Soviet Russia also actively conducted foreign trade through the port of Klaipeda, defending its trade interests.

NOTHING IS ETERNAL

The cover of the Life magazine with the hero of the return of Germany to Memelland, the heavy cruiser "Deutschland"

But the happiness of a small state, under the guise of world clashes, cutting off its access to the sea, did not last long. The territories should go to those who really "really need it." Germany recovered from the defeat, built up its muscles and spread a map on which “their” lands were marked, which, due to an absurd misunderstanding, belonged to those who had not been allowed to enter decent houses in Europe before.
And soon the smoke of an impressive squadron literally appeared on the horizon of Klaipeda, the flagship of which symbolically walked, built to replace the sunken ships of the old Kaiser fleet, the heavy cruiser (pocket battleship) Deutschland. On its bridge, defying seasickness, was Adolf Hitler himself, the chancellor of Germany. Personally.

To be continued

Two documents have survived to this day, dated July 29 and August 1, 1252 and signed by the Grand Commander of the Teutonic Order Eberhard von Zaine and Bishop Heinrich von Lutzelburg of Courland. According to them, the order founded a fortress in a swampy area on the left bank of the Dane River, which was called Memelburg (Memel is the German name for the Neman). Around this castle, originally wooden, a settlement grew very quickly, which received the Lübeck right already in 1254 or 1258 (according to other sources). Until 1923 (and in 1939-45) Memel was the northernmost German city, during the interwar period and after the end of World War II, this city was known as Klaipeda.
The old city of Klaipeda-Memel is now small, although it continues to be quite solid. About 60% of its buildings were destroyed during the Great Fire of 1854 and the fighting of World War II, but what remains still retains the atmosphere of old Memel, a city more North German in spirit than Lithuanian.

On the left on the hill (with the flag of the city) is the place where the Memelburg castle stood (a small number of ruins are present), on the right - the already familiar K-Tower and D-Tower.

In its stone incarnation, the castle looked something like this.

Development of the Dane embankment. On the right (next to the kebab shop) you can see the cash pavilion of the ferry to the Curonian Spit.

The castle hill is surrounded by a bay from three sides, where a lot of boats of varying degrees of luxury are moored.

Between the waterfront and the cruise terminal are several small houses that now house hotels and shops that cater to owners of yachts and boats.

Among them there are also interesting examples of modern architecture. The "Old Port Hotel" combines hi-tech and half-timbered houses in a wonderful way. It turns out high-werk or fah-tech.

Traditional half-timbered, of course, is also present.

Theater Square in Klaipeda, probably the largest in the Old Town. In the center is the building of the Klaipeda Drama Theater (1775), on the left is a modern extension to it. Here, tourists usually buy amber.

Building on the south side of the square.

Neighborhood of the Theater Square. She is behind me, the D-Tower is visible on the left, in the house on the right is the Old Hansa restaurant. In general, there are many restaurants in Klaipeda, where I really wanted to go only because of the names alone: "Old Hansa", "Livonia", "Memelis". The latter also turned out to be a brewery, which predetermined the choice in its favor.

I repeat, the Old Town in Klaipeda is quite solid, although, of course, it could not have done without late inclusions. Closer to the Dane embankment, a whole block of modern buildings is growing, but how tactful they look in general. No one here is trying to deceive either residents or tourists. The new architecture looks exactly new, and does not try to mimic the Middle Ages with dummies, but at the same time it is high-tech in the historical environment, and it looks out of place here, making the city relevant.

Typical stalins also come across, and the situation is worse with them. Well, at least they covered it with tiles. The Market Street (Turgaus gatve), a reminder that the Theater Square was once a market place, goes to a distant pipe.

Now the Market Square is located on the southern outskirts of the Old City, and I went there along the streets, the names of which I now don’t even remember.

In the building with flags is the Museum of the History of Lithuania Minor.

Remains of old Memel.

Upper street (Aukstoji gatve). In the building on the left is the old post office, you can send a postcard to your homeland.

Only for Belarusians. Zianon's safe house.

On Zamkova Street (Pilies gatve) a monumental Stalinist building, now owned by the Baltiya shipbuilding company, was discovered. On the spire, probably in Soviet times, there was a traditional star in a laurel wreath.

And finally, we come to the new Market Square, which, of course, is not new, but is still a market square. It occupies a rather large area of land between Zamkova Street and Mira Avenue (Taikos prospektas).

At the Market Square, the Old Town ends, as this picture clearly shows.

Above the dog is the inscription "Old Town Watchman" (well, or something like that).

The tentacles of our distribution network have even reached Klaipeda.

Prospekt Mira ends on this square, leading to the residential districts of the city. In the distance behind the trees on the left is the Market Square, in front of the Old Town.

I remember this place for three things. First, an old bookstore sign. In Lithuania, this is almost gone.

Secondly, a statue of Neringa, a huge giant aunt who saved ships and sailors and, like, poured the Curonian Spit for this.

Well, the building behind Neringa is the Svyturis brewery (in Russian, by the way, it translates as "lighthouse"), one of the largest in Lithuania, the sister of our Alivaria. Surprisingly, there was no beer bar at the brewery (which, by the way, I counted on), its place was taken by some terrible Chinese restaurant.

From here, along Bridge Street (Tilto gatve) I moved in the opposite direction, back north to Dana. Unfortunately, this time it was not possible to see the Soviet Klaipeda in the south of the city. I still preferred instead to go to the Curonian Spit, to the sea.