Memel Area
  • Memel Area, Memelgebiet
  • Territority of the former Prussian
    Province of East Prussia
  • 1923 occupied by Lithuanian troops
  • 1939 back to the German Empire
  • 1923 occupied by Soviet troops
  • 1948 to Soviet Lithuania
Contents:

 

Memel Area:
The Memel area is a narrow stripe of territory northern of the river Memel with a whole area of 1 100 square miles. Since 1252 it belonged to the Order of the Teutonic Knights and became in 1525 a part of Prussia, and belonged since 1773 to the Province of East Prussia. With the came into force of the Versaille diktat on the 1st of October in 1920 got the Memel area separated from Germany and subordinated under the administration of the League of Nations. In 1922 was performed a plebiscite, wich however not contained the option of a re-affiliation to Germany, but only one option to a creation of a Free State of Memelland. For this option voted nevertheless 90% of the consulted people whereupon Lithuanian squads occupied the Memel area on the 10th of January in 1923. The League of Nations accepted this use of force and passed the "Memel convention" on the 8th of May in 1924, wherewith the Memel area became affiliated to Lithuania as an autonomous territory. As a result of a treaty between the German Empire and Lithuania the Memel area became given back to the German Empire on the 22nd of March in 1939, and incorporated to the Province of East Prussia again. In the January of 1945 the Memel area got occupied by Russian military and is administrated from Soviet-Lithuania since the 7th of April in 1948.
Source: Volker Preuss
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Flags:

Flagge Fahne flag Dienstflagge Provinz Ostpreußen East Prussia

to 1920,
official flag of the Province of East Prussia

Flagge Fahne flag colours Landesfarben Memelland Memel

colours of the country of Memelland
Source: Flags of the World

Flagge Fahne flag Memelgebiet Memel Area

1920–1939,
– official flag of Memel Area
Source: Flags of the World
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Meaning/Origin of the Flag:
The Memel Area wurde was separated from Germany on the 1st of October in 1920 when the Versailles Dictate came into force and subordinated under the administration of the League of Nations. Before there was not a "Memel Area", because the region belonged to East Prussia and was incorporated into its administrative districts structures. Therefore the Memel Area never had – so long as it belonged to the Prussian Province of East Prussia – an own flag.
There circulate in difference to that reproductions of black-white-black flags with the inscription "Memel".  This goes back to a law in which it Prussian inshore skippers was temporarily allowed to write their home port into the white stripe of the Prussian flag. Therefore, these flags, impossibly can not bee seen in context with the Memel Area.
On the 1st of October in 1920 was introduced for the as political structure new created Memel Area an own flag. It was lengthwise striped and showed two stripes in yellow and red – the colours the Memel Town – and in the upper staff quadrand near the pole the coat of arms of Memel Town within a red disk. Outside of Memel Town this Flag was nearly never in use, because the people in the Memel Area – the tract of land on both sides of Memel River – used traditionally a horizontally green-white-red striped flag. Green, white and red are the colours of Tilsit Town (today named Sovjetsk) and were counted for the "Prussian-Lithuanian Colours".
Source: Volker Preuss
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Coat of Arms:

Wappen coat of arms Memelgebiet Memel Area

 coat of arms of Memel
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Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms:
In context with the separation from Prussia and the subordination under the international administration (France, Great Britain, Italy and Japan) was introduced the coat of arms of Memel Town as that for the Memel Area.
Source: Volker Preuss
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Numbers and Facts:
  • Area:
    1 099 square miles
  • Inhabitants:
    141 240 (1910)
    thereof
    85% Germans
    14% Lithuanians
  • Density of Population:
    128 inh./sq.mi.
  • Capital:
    Memel (Lithuanian: Klaipeda)
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History:
1252 · foundation of the "Mummelburg" by the Order of the German Knights
1257 · city law
1328 · establishment of a governmental subsidiary of the Order of the German Knights, the Memelland is in this way excorporated from the Livonian order's province and subordinated under the government of the Prussian order's province
1525 · part of Prussia
1773 · to the Prussian Province of East Prussia
1st of October 1920 · coming into force of the Versailles Dictate: separation of the Memel Area from Germany, subordination under the administration of the League of Nations
1922 · plebiscite (90% yes-votes) for the creation of a Free State of Memelland
10th of January 1923 · occupation of the Memel Area by Lithuanian troops
8th of May 1924 · the League of Nations passes the "Memel Convention" (annexion of the Memel Area by Lithuania as autonomous territory)
1926 to 1938 · Lithuania imposes the war law over the Memel Area
22nd of March 1939 · conventional determination between the German Empire and Lithuania: the Memel Area becomes given back to the German Empire and incorporated the Province of East Prussia
January 1945 · Second World War: occupation of the Memel Area by soviet troops
7th of April 1948 · subordination of the Memel Area under the administration of Soviet Lithuania
Source: Wikipedia (D)
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Origin of the Country's Name:
As in 1252 the "Mummelburg" was build the about 40 kilometers distant Memel River probably was the names patron. But the Memel Area itself is positioned between Memel Town and Memel River. Memel Town is called "Klaipeda" in Lithuanian language and Memel River is called "Nemunas".
Source: www.geschichtsverein-international.de
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