Formerly Memel; Port in Lithuania, on the Baltic coast at the mouth of the river Dange; Industries include shipbuilding and iron foundries; it trades in timber, grain, and fish. It was founded on the site of a local fortress 1252 as the castle of Memelburg by the Teutonic Knights, joined the Hanseatic League soon after, and has changed hands among Sweden, Russia, and Germany. Lithuania annexed Klaipeda 1923, and after German occupation 1939–45 it was restored to Soviet Lithuania 1945–91.