Priekulė, Lithuania


Priekulė is a small town in Klaipėda District Municipality, Lithuania. It is located on the banks of Minija River about south of Klaipėda. Priekulė is the seat of Priekulė elderate. Priekulė was part of East Prussia for most of its history and, as part of the Klaipėda Region, became part of Lithuania in 1923–1939 and after World War II in 1945.

History

Priekulė's name is known since the first half of the 16th century. At first it was named Paminia, and it was a small village with three homesteads. In 1511, a tavern "zur Minnige" is mentioned in written sources. In 1540, a certain Lukas Preckol is an owner of the tavern. It is believed that the town name was derived from Preckol's last name. The name "Precols" was recorded on region maps in 1548. A church was built in 1587 and a teacher was hired in 1594.
In 1609 during the Polish–Swedish War, regiments of the Polish–Lithuanian cavalry plundered the town. In 1688 minister Wilhelm Martin built a new church. In 1905 the village, now known as Prökuls, had 500 residents who were mostly Protestant Lutherans and mainly spoke the Memelland-Samogitian dialect.
On December 19, 2002 the city was granted coat of arms by the President of Lithuania.

Landmarks

There is St. Anthony of Padua Church, built in 1938. In the city park grows a centuries-old oak, that is preserved as monument of nature. In the city there is a monument to Lithuanian writer Ieva Simonaitytė. Her cottage is turned into memorial museum. Estates of the forefathers of philosopher Immanuel Kant were located in in the vicinity of Priekulė.

Notable residents