Hello and welcome! We\u2019re about to set off on a one-of-a-kind journey, exploring the fascinating surroundings of the Dang\u0117 River and uncovering the historical treasures along its banks. As we wait for our water bus, I\u2019d like to invite you to enjoy a couple of fascinating stories about the area we’re in. The first story is about Liep\u0173 Street Bridge, built in 1880 after the street was extended and a new road to Plikiai was constructed. The bridge was used for a narrow-gauge railway built before World War I. The railway network linked Klaip\u0117da with P\u0117\u017eai\u010diai, Bajorai, Laukgaliai, and Plikiai. During World War I, Liep\u0173 Street Bridge was blown up, rendering the railway unusable. After the bridge was rebuilt, the narrow-gauge line resumed operation, but only until World War II, after which the Soviet era saw the rails being removed for good. It might seem that the traces of the narrow-gauge railway have been entirely wiped from the city’s history, but in the area between Klaip\u0117da\u2019s bus station and the railway station, the old complex of dark red brick buildings still serves as a reminder of that era. While you can no longer ride the narrow-gauge railway around the city, life goes on, and there’s still a steady flow of cars crossing Liep\u0173 Street Bridge. The bridge was last renovated in 2007. Below it, on the left bank of the Dang\u0117 River, there\u2019s a pedestrian and cyclist tunnel that leads to a scenic cycle path.<\/p>\n
The second story I promised is about the manor that once stood here. The area from Liep\u0173 Street Bridge to Railway Bridge once belonged to the Louise Estate, also known as Luisenhof. One might assume the estate is named after the beautiful Louise, Queen of Prussia, who lived in Memel in the early 19th<\/sup>\u00a0century, but that’s just a happy coincidence. The manor, part of which still stands on Liep\u0173 Street, was founded in 1783 by the merchant Christian Wilhelm Wachsen and was named after his wife. In 1800, he married Louise, a wealthy widow and the daughter of Johann Christian Witte, the director of the city\u2019s post office and bank, and thus became one of the wealthiest people in Klaip\u0117da. Wachsen was a well-educated, respected, and progressive man who built a windmill, warehouses, and linseed drying facilities. It was in his house on what is now Tilt\u0173 Street that a legendary ball took place in 1802, attended by King Frederick William\u00a0III of Prussia, Queen Louise, and Emperor Alexander I of Russia.<\/p>\n In 1898, the manor became home to a woodworking company, and in 1917, the city purchased most of the Louise Estate lands. This way, Klaip\u0117da inherited not only the manor’s grounds but also its rich history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20296,"menu_order":33,"template":"","format":"standard","place-category":[625],"restoranu-kategorija":[],"class_list":["post-30422","place","type-place","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","place-category-klaipeda-water-bus-tour-along-the-dane-river"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klaipedatravel.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/place\/30422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klaipedatravel.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/place"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klaipedatravel.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/place"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klaipedatravel.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/place\/30422\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klaipedatravel.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klaipedatravel.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"place-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klaipedatravel.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/place-category?post=30422"},{"taxonomy":"restoranu-kategorija","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klaipedatravel.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/restoranu-kategorija?post=30422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}