Dreverna
An old fishermen’s village, first mentioned in 1253 and situated on the coast of the Curonian Lagoon by the mouth of river Dreverna. Dreverna fishermen were glorified by Jonas Gižas, the skilful maker of the Kurėnas, twist- and fish-trap boats. To this day, the little cemetery of Dreverna has preserved the rare monuments of Lithuania Minor, i.e. christenings (krikštai). Not far from Dreverna village, the fish market Strykis was open for almost 300 years, attracting hundreds of fishermen and merchants. By now, fishing has remained the main occupation of Dreverna village people. Nowadays the popularity of recreational and tourism business is constantly increasing.
Karklė
Karklė village, settled by the Baltic Sea in the end of the 15th century and beginning of the 16th century is one of the oldest and biggest historical coastal villages. Over the centuries, Karklė village has preserved its ethnographic originality. The values of cultural heritage harmoniously merge with the local nature of the coast. The old cemetery is extant on the seashore; the poet S. Šemerys-Šmerauskas (1898-1981), one of the participants of the Four Winds movement is buried there. Karklė village is announced to be an ethno-cultural reservation.
Agluonėnai
Agluonėnai is situated on the bank of the Agluona stream. Agluonėnai was first mentioned in 1540, in the tax book of Klaipėda district residents. With the restoration of the Independence of Lithuania, the Lietuvininkai (Minor Lithuanians) oakery was planted and the altar-monument of Pillars of Gediminaičiai (sculptor J. Mickevičius)was erected on the bank of the Agluona streamlet. The monument is intended to commemorate the Independence of Lithuania and 450th anniversary of Agluonėnai village. One of the hypotheses is that Kontvainai, the village next to Agluonėnai harbours the roots of Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804), the founder of German philosophy. Richard Kant, the grand-grandfather of the philosopher is assumed to have lived in Kontvainai. The grandfather of Immanuel Kant was a saddler in Klaipėda, whereas the father of the philosopher managed this trade in Koningsberg, where the would-be philosopher was born.
Priekulė
Priekulė town is situated by the picturesque turn of the River Minija. Since 1540, Priekulė was the biggest village in Klaipėda region. Nowadays, the town is very valuable in architectural and urban terms. The town centre that was formed in the 19th century is typical of the bigger Minor Lithuania town. The first Priekulė Evangelic Lutheran church was built in 1587. In the beginning of the 19th century the famous publishing houses of J. F. Šrėderis and J. Traušys were operating in Priekulė; the railway complex was opened in 1875 and the post office was built by the nobleman Gleichas. During the Second World War the town perished greatly; and in Soviet years it was attempted to obliterate any traces of the cultural Minor Lithuania existence still present there. In 1990, the monument was unveiled to commemorate the glorious 450th anniversary of Priekulė town. The author of the monument is J. Meškelevičius, the sculptor from Priekulė.
Priekulė is not only famous for its publishing house and book publishers, but also for its writers. E. Vichert, a famous German writer was working in Priekulė. However, most frequently the name of Priekulė is associated with the writer I. Simonaitytė.
Veiviržėnai
Veiviržėnai has been mentioned in historical sources from the 13th century; in 1751, the little town was bestowed a commercial privilege, and in 1792 – the rights to autonomy and the coat of arms. In the little town, the church of
St. Apostles Evangelist Matthew was built in 1769. In 1791, the wooden chapel-oratory was built in the cemetery. In 18th-19th centuries, Veiviržėnai was famous for its weekly markets and fairs, organized 4 times per year. During the years of Independence, Veiviržėnai was the centre of the district. The Monument to Independence was erected in 1932.
Vanagai
Vanagai is a Klaipėda district village of historical significance. Writer Ieva Simonaitytė (1897 – 1978), the classic of the Lithuanian literature was born here. The former birthplace of the writer is marked with the wooden sculpture by the folk artist V. Majoras. Vanagai village is adorned by the Evangelic Lutheran single-nave stonework church of Neo-Gothic style. By the church, there is an old cemetery of minor Lithuanians.
Gargždai
Gargždai is administrative centre of Klaipėda district. It’s population is 15,8 thousand. Gargždai town is approximately
In historical sources Gargždai for the first time is mentioned in the name of Garisda in 1253, however, people lived here from Brass Age. In the XVth c. the settlement moved to the western shore of the River Minija. Gargždai Manor is being mentioned from the XVIth c. Up to the the XVIIIth c. the settlement belonged to the estate of baron E. Röne. The Magdeburg’s Rights were given to Gargždai and the coat of arms (the sword surrounded by laurel garland in the red frame) of Gargždai town was awarded in 1792. The settlement became a town and was entitled to organize markets and fairs. From the XIXth c. Gargždai was famous as for being the frontier town and experienced its prosperity days. The trade, crafts, cultural and religious life were developing at that time. During the First World War, almost all the centre of the town burned away, only some of the brick buildings were untouched. Samogitian Road was built through the centre of the town from 1931 to 1939. However, the town was desolated by the fire one more time. Only the contemporary buildings survived: court, a part of the municipality, stables of the former Manor complex, customs- house and a part of J. Basanavičius Street. During the occupation of the Soviet Union, Gargždai developed a lot. In 1950 it became the centre of the Klaipėda district. The major image of the town was created, i.e. a typical example of the Soviet construction. Having announced the Independence of Lithuania, Gargždai experienced a new period of its existence. Today the town cannot be proud of the very rich architecture, but its history holds its ground among the Lithuanian towns which developed in the similar way.
Year by year Gargždai town and its district attract more and more investors, foreign capital companies. The incoming finances are designated for the development of the town’s infrastructure, renovation of buildings, development of cultural life, sport and tourism.
2009-03-05 10:38:12