KlaIpEda - In Your Pocket

6 juodkrante
Fish
Pamario Takas L. Rėzos 42, tel. (+370) 699 872 48.
A traditional wooden house painted light blue and located
more or less in the middle of the village overlooking the
lagoon, Pamario Takas serves a range of grilled meat
and local fish dishes as well as catering to the whims
of children. One of several similar places, this one has a
laid-back atmosphere which is ideal for visitors looking
to get away from it all. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. 18 -20Lt.
TABSW
Žvejonė L. Rėzos 30, tel. (+370) 469 532 80. The
quintessential Juodkrantė restaurant complete with a
good menu of smoked and fresh fish alongside other
meat treats, this recommended, slightly tumble-down
establishment also comes with a rather nice summer
garden. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00. TJABS
Fun
Kogas L. Rėzos 1, tel. (+370) 655 269 49, www.
jovila.lt. Recently built for a feature film about a legendary
German pirate, Kogas has been transformed into a
fun place to indulge in medieval fantasies and gorge on
local dishes. Staff tend to dress in period costumes and
the menu leans in the direction of old-fashion food. On
a warm summer evening there are few better places to
relax, eat, drink and be merry. Kogas is also available for
private rental. Find it docked in the small harbour in the
southern end of the village. You can’t miss it. QOpen
11:00 - 24:00. TEBSW
International
Vela Bianca L. Rėzos 1a, tel. (+370) 690 065 44.
About as modern and sophisticated as Juodkrantė gets,
this nautical-themed (what else?) two-floor thatchedroof
restaurant directly in front of Kogas on the water’s
edge features bean bags for chairs, outside seating and
a rather splendid fillet pork dish. Managing to balance
tradition with cutting-edge style, this is arguably the
best restaurant in town. QOpen 09:00 - 24:00. 29Lt.
TJAUEBSW
What to see
Surplus to the individual listings below, Juodkrantė
features a couple of other sights and sensations worth
sniffing out, namely the infamous Witches Hill (Raganų
Kalnas), a series of approximately 80 wooden sculptures
that started life in 1979 and that keeps growing.
The collection, which features carved likenesses of animals
and creatures from Lithuanian mythology, is well
signposted from the main road. Also worth a mention
is the extraordinary, loud and potentially messy colony
of 1,300 or so pairs of great cormorants and a further
580 or thereabout pairs of grey herons. A hugely
controversial colony, the birds’ droppings are basically
poisoning everything in the vicinity, although as both
the cormorants and the herons are now protected
species there’s not much that can be done about it.
Located just south of the village, look for the first lay-by
on the right and following the unsignposted wooden
steps to the purpose-built observation platform.
www.inyourpocket.com
Museums & Galleries
Liudvikas Rėza Cultural Centre (Liudviko
Rėzos Kultūros Centras) L. Rėzos 8, tel. (+370)
469 534 48, www.lrezoskc.lt. Named after the late
Curonian academic Ludwig Rheese (or Rhesa, 1776-
1840) and also the location of the village’s tourist
information centre, this red brick former school building
features a small concert and exhibition hall at ground
level and a permanent exhibition space upstairs made
up mostly of items relating to the building’s namesake
including a collection of books printed in both the extinct
Curonian language and proto-Lithuanian. Upstairs also
features several old photographs of the village from the
private collection of Elizabeth Kluwe. QOpen 10:00 -
18:00. Closed Mon, Sun. 3/1Lt. J
Museum of Miniature Arts (Miniatiūrų Muziejus)
L. Rėzos 3, tel. (+370) 469 533 23. An
intriguing collection of over 300 miniatures from all
over the world including paintings, reliefs and other art
forms, this recommended diversion is located inside
a traditional wooden house across the road from the
Evangelical Lutheran Church. The museum is actually
made up of several houses in the immediate area, of
which the others open during the summer season for the
purpose of putting on a wide range of art exhibitions.
QOpen 11:00 - 18:00, Sun 11:00 - 16:00. Closed Mon.
6/3Lt. J
Churches
Evangelical Lutheran Church (Juodkrantės
Evangelikų Liuteronų Bažnyčia) L. Rėzos 56, tel.
(+370) 616 838 33. Completed in 1885 to replace an
earlier wooden church that burned down a decade before,
this classic German-looking little red brick house of worship
is fairly plain inside but worth a look all the same.
During the Soviet occupation the building served first
as a storage space before being turned in a museum of
miniatures (which now operates across the road) in 1976.
The church was reconsecrated during the heady days
of perestroika in 1989. Q Mass Sun 9:30 (Lithuanian,
German, English). Only summer time. J
Places of interest
Juodkrantė Cemetery (Juodkrantės Kapinės)
Miško. Not quite as exciting or revealing as several other
ethnographic cemeteries in the region, this small cemetery
at the northern tip of the village is still in use but does
feature a few graves with German inscriptions from the
second half of 19th and early part of 20th century. The
words Ruhe Sanft on the backs of the German metal
crosses translates roughly as Rest in Peace. J
Sport & Leisure
Although not as geared up for sport and leisure tourism
as Nida, several places open up during the summer
months in Juodkrantė and rent bicycles and small boats.
Like much of the area around the Curonian Lagoon, the
water at Juodkrantė is a hugely popular destination for
local kite surfing, windsurfing, sailing and paragliding
enthusiasts. For more information about getting involved,
speak to the nice people at the Turizmo Informacija
Juodkrantėje.
Klaipėda In Your Pocket klaipeda.inyourpocket.com
With an airport just up the road, a ferry and cruise liner
port in the city centre, bus connections, a train station and
an internationally recognised cycle route running through
it, if you’re having trouble arriving in Klaipėda you may
like to have somebody feel your pulse and possibly call a
priest. Click one of the options on the left for more.
By bus
Long-distance buses arrive in Klaipėda from Kaliningrad,
Riga and most major Lithuanian towns and cities. The
newish bus station, if not exactly cutting edge, is at least
an improvement on the concrete monstrosity that once
stood in its place. The combined ticket hall and waiting
room also features toilets (1Lt) and a couple of machines
selling drinks and snacks. A left luggage office (bagažinė)
for travellers who only plan on spending the day in town
can be found at the front of the building which also
contains a decent IKI supermarket, a handful of small
shops and a café selling good value buffet food ready in
an instant. ATMs can be found outside. Getting to town
Taxis can be found lurking around the station perimeter. A
ride to Old Town should cost around 10Lt from an honest
driver, possibly even less. Buses to the city centre leave
from outside the front of the building. For more information
on which number buses to take, see Arriving by train. The
bus station is a good 20-minute walk from Old Town.
By car
Klaipėda is at the end of the 311km highway from Vilnius
and is also connected to Riga via the A13 (E272) that
hugs the coast before crossing the border and becoming
the A11. A massive new intersection just east of the
city is currently under construction, which will eventually
make life easier for traffic. At the moment though, the
mess of unfinished flyovers and confusing road signs
only make matters worse. Brave souls wishing to take
a vehicle into the city should know in advance that
Klaipėda’s a sprawling mass of bumpy roads possessing
little in the way of useful signposts. Don’t leave valuables
unattended, and if you can, use guarded parking
whenever possible.
Homeland Farewell, see p.29.
klaipeda.inyourpocket.com
arriving in klaipeDa
Yacht Port
Serving up to 70 yachts and motor cruisers,
Klaipėda’s yacht port offers the opportunity to
berth in Old Town. Facilities include around the clock
security, electricity, fresh water, fuel, minor repairs
and even internet access. For more about using the
facilities including information on passport control
and customs clearance, see the port’s website at
www.ports.lt.
By ferry
Ferries arrive in Klaipėda from Kiel and Sassnitz in
Germany as well as Karlshamn in Sweden. Services
at the ferry terminal are few and far between. If you
want to change money, find a Medicinos Bankas kiosk
(Open 08:00 - 19:30, Fri, Sat, Sun 24hrs) in the main
terminal building. Getting to town The International
Ferry Terminal is about 12km south of the city centre.
Bus Nº1a leaves from outside the main terminal building
a few times a day. Buy a ticket from the driver for 2.40Lt
and validate it in the appropriate machine. Journey time
to the centre is about 25 minutes. All buses terminate at
the last stop on Taikos before Old Town. Taxis are usually
waiting around outside. A journey to Old Town costs
anything from 35-60Lt.
By plane
Klaipėda is served by Palanga Airport, which is about
25km north of the city on the main A13 (E272) highway.
All year round the Airport handles flights to and from
Copenhagen, Oslo and Riga, with the addition of flights
to and from Moscow during the summer. Small even
by Lithuanian standards, the airport is easy to use. A
currency exchange office takes care of changing money,
plus there’s an ATM, café, duty free shop, ticket office
and Avis, Hertz and Europcar car rental kiosks. Getting to
town Buses for Klaipėda leave from the small stand outside
the main entrance, and all of them go via Palanga.
The journey time is about 50 minutes. Tickets cost 8Lt
and can be bought from the driver. The bus terminates
at the main bus station. See Arriving by bus for more information.
Taxis are usually parked outside the terminal
building whenever flights arrive. The journey to Klaipėda
costs anything from 100Lt upwards.
By train
A handful of trains arrive in Klaipėda each day from
Šiauliai, Šilutė and Vilnius. Facilities at the train station
include toilets outside near the platforms, large
luggage lockers (4Lt/day), a drinks machine and not a
lot else. Getting to town Taxis can be found outside
the front of the station. A ride to Old Town should cost
around 10Lt from an honest driver. Minibus Nº8 leaves
from a small stand just to the right of the exit and goes
south through the city centre. Pay the driver 2.50Lt and
shout when you want him to stop. The larger city bus
Nº8 leaves from the bus stop to the right of the minibus
stop and follows the same route. Buy a ticket from the
driver for 2.40Lt. Both buses go through Old Town during
the week and around it on Saturdays and Sundays.
The train station is a good 20 minutes away on foot
from Old Town.
June 2012 - May 2013
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