"Klaipedos Apskritis" Klaipedos Apskritis by Sonic747

I have decided to introduce this map system after noting that sometimes it is important to better understand where exactly some of the mentioned locations are. Therefore all locations, which are in "must see activities", "off the beaten path" and "transportation" sections of this page are shown on map here. Look at map's legend and if you'll be interested in some location on map, search for it at this page.

Klaipedos Apskritis:
Size - 5209 square kilometers
Population - 383943 inhabitants (192954, or 50,26% of them in capital Klaipeda)
Population density - 73,71 inhabitants per square kilometer

To go to other regions of Lithuania or to read about country in general, go here:
Lithuania

Klaipedos Apskritis has borders with the following Apskritys of Lithuania:
Telsiu Apskritis (to the northeast)
Taurages Apskritis (to the southeast)

Prime beaches in summer are always full

Klaipedos Apskritis is the only Apskritis of Lithuania bordering sea, and great part of it's GNP is related to that. Klaipeda, the largest city of region with population of 250000 people, is the only seaport in Lithuania. North and south of it there are resort towns, which are full of people in summer. Coastline and sand dunes, also amber are what brings people here. Region is also interesting because due to it's long dependancy from Germany (until 1923) architecture here is somewhat different from that in most of Lithuanian cities. Klaipeda, despite being third largest city, brings to itself second number of tourists in Lithuania, just after Vilnius.

Klaipeda architecture reminds long German rule

Klaip?dos Apskritis historically is probably the least Lithuanian part of country. Most of it was aquired by Lithuania only in 1923. After WW1 it, together with Danzig, was taken from Germany and made "free cities", controlled jointly by former entente powers. However, due to it's close proximity to Lithuania, and Lithuanian community living there, also due to the fact that Klaip?da (then known as Memel) was a main port, Lithuania in the interwar period started seeking to take it. This taking happened in 1923 by Lithuanian irregular army, however an agreement was signed after it that the region will have it's own elected parliament and leader, because of large German community there.
However when Russian armies came here in WW2, most of Germans were slaughtered or exiled by Russians and now there are just few of them left. However, under Soviet occupation, many Russians were sent to this region - to the port of Klaip?da as a labour, and elsewhere because of good coasts and climate (usually handicapped and such people were sent). However in Soviet times the region was somewhat neglected because there were other resort towns and larger ports elsewhere in the Union. After independence of Lithuania in 1990, the region had regained it's importance. Now this 99km coastline serves all country's population as the only sea coast of Lithuania, and also Klaip?da is the only port of Lithuania.

• Pros:Beutiful nature, history, nice beaches
• Cons:Many people in summer
• In a nutshell:A must see if you want to see Lithuanian resorts and/or German-influenced parts of Lithuania