A walk from Theatre Square to the Danė
A short route through Klaipėda's Old Town: from the theatre that turned to face its square to the river that was once a port.
From Teatro Apartamentai your first stop is almost round the corner: the Klaipėda Drama Theatre stands just 140 metres away.
The theatre that turned to face its square
A masonry theatre was built here in 1819. It burned in the great fire of 1854 and was rebuilt in 1857. Raised on its old foundations, the new building turned its main façade to today's square and, in a sense, "founded" it. This ground was once a swampy quagmire: the square took shape only in the 19th century, after most of the castle's moats were filled in.
The girl in the middle of the square
The fountain went up in 1912 in memory of the poet Simon Dach (1605–1659), who was born in Klaipėda; the sculptor was Alfred Künne of Berlin. The barefoot girl on top is the heroine of Dach's poem, Ännchen von Tharau. The story goes that he fell in love with her at first sight at her own wedding in Königsberg Cathedral; the poem later became famous as a song. The monument is believed to have been taken down in 1939, and the sculpture disappeared during the war. The one you see now was recreated from photographs and an original copy of a small sculpture, and unveiled on 18 November 1989.
Worth coming back for in the evening: close by on Kurpių Street is Kurpiai, the city's first jazz club. Check what's on first.
Timber frames and old warehouses
In the Old Town, look for narrow streets, old warehouses and half-timbered (Fachwerk) buildings. Head for Aukštoji Street and the streets around Didžioji Vandens Street. Fachwerk is typical of the Klaipėda region, and in the fires of the 17th century wooden and timber-framed houses burned, so masonry buildings multiplied.
The Danė
The walk ends at the only river running through the heart of the city. The Danė is first mentioned in 1252, in the agreement on building Klaipėda Castle, under the name Danghe. It was once a port harbouring about 300 ships. The Biržos Bridge is a steel bascule bridge whose two halves lift to an angle of 50 degrees.
On the quay near the Castle Bridge stands the former warship M52 "Sūduvis". She served in Germany from 1958 as the "Koblenz", was handed to the Lithuanian Naval Force in 1999, and passed to the Lithuanian Sea Museum in 2021. She is now a museum ship; check the opening hours before you go. The quay is at its best as the sun goes down, when the water holds both the ships and the sky.
The theatre, the fountain, Kurpiai and the Danė quay are in our guide, with distances from the door.
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Teatro g. 5-3, 91247 Klaipėda · +37065800998