Klaipeda

Klaipeda, or Memel (pop. 191,000), city in western Lithuania, on the Baltic Sea. Named Memelburg by Teutonic Knights who conquered a fort here in 1252, it was renamed after the Memel Territory became part of Lithuania in 1923. It is an ice-free seaport and trade center specializing in fishing, food processing, shipping, shipbuilding, and textile production.

See also: Lithuania.