Klaipėda (Memel) naval fort - museum

Abstract

A 19th Century naval fort housing the Lithuanian Sea Museum (LSM) since 1979 represents the only type of sea shore defence architecture of the German/Prussian Empire in the present territory of the Lithuanian Republic. The hexagonal embankment structure with living quarters built on the very tip of the Curonian Spit between 1865 and 1871 formed a front part of the Memel sea port defence line. It represents a type of naval heritage fortification situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. The initial goal of the paper is to present a historical sketch of the Nehrungs naval fort, the key function of which was to defend a narrow mouth of the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea entering the port of Klaipeda. Also, the study analyses how the authentic features and structures of the fort tailors the needs of the museum, how the functions of a historical building conform to the needs of the present day public. Preserving authentic features of the fort and keeping it open for the public is one of the main goals of the Lithuanian Sea Museum’s activity.