Šilutė

Understand

thumb | 300px | Šilutė Lutheran Church Lithuania Minor was a German-speaking area of the Baltic. Heydekrug (the future Šilutė) was a market town for trading fish caught in the nearby rivers and brackish Curonian Lagoon. In 1923 as part of the First World War peace treaties it was assigned to Lithuania: during World War II it was occupied by Germany and several prison camps were set up here, but nothing remains of these.

The area remains agricultural, with small-scale tourism. Southwest of town, the River Nemunas breaks up into a delta, and the largest of the delta islands (connected by road bridge) is Rusnė. This area is below mean sea level, with polders in the Dutch style drained by pumping stations. The main river and River Skirvytė the southernmost channel of the delta now form the border with Russian Kaliningrad, with no local crossing point. This makes Šilutė a quiet backwater.

Visitor information is available at the Hugo Šojus mansion, the main museum, same hours.

Get in

Šilutė is 40 km south of Klaipėda, by road follow Highway 141.

Four trains a day take one hour from Klaipėda and terminate here. For times and tickets see LTG Link.

is 1 km east of town centre.

Two Kautra buses a day take one hour from Klaipėda via Priekulė, Vilkyčiai and Saugos. They meander on through the back lanes via Jurbarkas and Šakiai to Kaunas, taking another 3 hr 45 min. For times and tickets see Autobusu Biletai.

Klaipėda City Bus 115 also runs here twice a day, and continues to Rusnė village.

Buses make multiple stops through town. The bus station is 100 m south of the railway station.

Get around

You need your own wheels, the area is easy cycling country.

Rusnė island, 9 km southwest of town, is reached by Highway 206 bridge.

Gluosniu Taxi is on +370 642 79827.

See

thumb | 300px | Uostadvaris lighthouse (Šilutės evangelikų liuteronų bažnyčia) marks town centre, at Lietuvininkų g 21. It was completed in 1926. Old Town Square (Turgaus aikštė) is 50 m north of the museum. It's quite remarkable how, in an area so steeped in history, its governors have managed to create such a bland uninteresting civic space. is a village at the head of the delta. Old buildings here include the Lutheran church of 1809, the post office and fishermen's cottages. is a village north of the delta with a museum and traditional architecture. projecting into the Curonian Lagoon is a spot for bird-watching.