Panoramic Klaipeda & Amber

Enjoy a tour that reveals Klaipeda’s history, including the years under Soviet rule, and then discover how fossilized amber has shaped the city’s fortunes.

Pass several of Klaipeda’s architectural gems such as the Clock and Watch Museum, the neo-Gothic post office and a former military barracks that now houses Klaipeda University. Like the rest of Lithuania, Klaipeda was ruled by the Soviets from the end of World War II until 1991, when the country gained its independence.

You will pause for photos at one of the few remaining Soviet memorials before driving through residential areas that the Soviets built. The scenery and guide’s commentary with offer great insight into the nearly 50 years that the Soviets controlled Lithuania.

As influential as that period was, the production of items made with amber has also had a huge impact on Klaipeda. Since ancient times, this organic substance from pine trees has been used for medicinal purposes, as an ingredient in perfume and for jewelry. During a visit to an amber workshop, you will learn about the importance of this fossilized tree resin and see how natural amber turns into one-of-a-kind jewelry. Find out from the craftsmen themselves the remedial qualities of 50 million years old Baltic amber.

Back in Old Town, you will visit the Amber Antiques Museum and sip a cup of amber tea while listening to tales of the ancient amber trade route that passed nearby, stretching as far as Rome. Enjoy an orientation walk through the narrow streets of Klaipeda’s Old Town. See the old Fachwerk construction buildings, along with the houses where shoemakers, blacksmiths, bakers and other craftsmen lived. Stop at Theater Square where you’ll find a symbol of romantic love and the story behind it; the sculpture of Annchen from Tharau adorns the fountain.