Klaipėda Theatre Square

Theatre Square, often called "Anikė Square" (Ännchen Square) by the people of Klaipėda because of the "Ännchen von Tharau" (Taravos Anikė) sculpture here. It is the city's main square, where city events take place and the Christmas tree stands, and a place where those on guided tours make a longer stop to learn the history of the theatre and understand how today's square came to be. It may sound unusual today, but this area was once a marshy bog, and only in the 19th century, once part of the castle's defensive moats had finally been filled in, was a continuous area formed here and the first buildings put up.