Lithuania · Klaipėda

Klaipėda emerged in the Middle Ages at the mouth of the Danė River on the Baltic Sea. The Deutscher Orden and the Bishop of Courland founded a castle there in 1252, which became known under the name Memel. Its location on the sea and along important trade routes shaped the development of the settlement. In the Middle Ages, it belonged to the dominion of the Deutscher Orden, later to the Duchy of Prussia and the Kingdom of Prussia.

After the First World War, the Memel Territory was separated from the German Reich and initially placed under the administration of the League of Nations (Völkerbund). Lithuania took control of the territory in 1923. In 1939, it was reincorporated into the German Reich. Towards the end of the Second World War, large parts of the population fled; the city subsequently became part of the Soviet Union and was incorporated into the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. Since the restoration of Lithuanian independence, Klaipėda has belonged to the Republic of Lithuania.

The city therefore has a multifaceted history in which German, Lithuanian and East Baltic influences converge. The historical German name Memel recalls the long period during which Klaipėda belonged to the Prussian and German cultural and administrative sphere. At the same time, the city is closely connected with the history of Lithuania, particularly with the country’s development as a Baltic state.

Today, Klaipėda is Lithuania’s most important seaport and a centre of the maritime economy. The coin commemorates the city’s 775-year history: from the medieval foundation of the castle in 1252 to the present-day Lithuanian port city, its development has been shaped by changing state affiliations and political upheavals. This occasion does not focus on a particular person or an individual building; it honours the historic city itself.