Klaipeda

A city of western Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. Founded as a fortress in 1252 by Teutonic Knights, it was an important trading town of the Hanseatic League and was later held by Sweden, Prussia, and Russia before becoming (1924) part of an autonomous region within Lithuania. It was occupied by Germany in World War II and captured by Soviet forces in 1945. It is the chief port and industrial city of Lithuania. Population: 186,000.