Discover Šilutė: Old Town and River Landscape
Accommodation in Šilutė
Šilutė offers two different ways to explore: its state-protected historic centre and a boat trip from the town to Nemunas Delta Regional Park. The historic centre is a national heritage site. While squares, a bridge and historic buildings bring the town’s history to life in its streets, the boat trip turns your attention to the river landscape and its biological diversity. If you’re looking for a hotel in Šilutė, you can choose between a stay focused on the town’s history and an experience in nature on the water.
Šilutės katalikų bažnyčia
Photo: Pegasas at Lithuanian Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Traces of the Town’s History
From the 16th century until the Second World War, large markets were held in the Old Market Square. The square is still surrounded by old buildings, and its stone paving remains beneath the asphalt. Another way to discover history in the townscape is the 500-metre-long wall “Šilutės sienos”: it depicts important events in the town’s history and notable figures from the region.
The “Šilutės sekretai” project offers a different perspective. Twenty miniature rooms, covered with glass, are set into the pavement on Lietuvininkų Street. They illustrate everyday life in historic houses from the late 19th to the early 20th century. While the wall presents events and figures on a large scale, the miniature rooms draw attention to life in houses at the time. The iron arch bridge over the Šyša is also part of the Old Town as an urban monument.
Church and Hugo Šojaus Manor
Šilutė Evangelical Lutheran Church was built in 1926 to a design by architect K. Gutknecht. Its 50-metre-high tower houses three bells and Lithuania’s largest tower clock. Beside the main altar is an 80-square-metre fresco by painter Richard Pfeifer, featuring 104 people. The year of construction, the tower and the fresco offer different perspectives on the building, from its origins to its large-scale figurative art.
Hugo Šojaus Manor is a state manor established in Šilutė in 1721 and an elegant example of late Classicist and Historicist architecture. Its restrained design is typical of the Klaipėda region. Since 2015, the manor has housed the Hugo Šojus Museum. Some of the former farm buildings are home to restoration and education centres. The architecture, museum and use of individual former farm buildings thus present different aspects of the manor complex.
River Landscapes and Routes
From Šilutė, visitors can explore the river landscape and biological diversity of Nemunas Delta Regional Park on a boat trip. For small boats, the port at Uosto g. 9 is listed as a place to embark and disembark. Check the latest departure and boarding details in advance.
Those wishing to explore the surrounding area by car or bicycle can follow the “Rusnės sala” route, which passes through Šilutė. Another route, “Kintai – Ventės ragas – Minija”, includes Šilutė, the Aukštumala raised bog landscape, the Aukštumala Educational Trail and Rupkalviai. These routes offer a different perspective from the boat trip: they focus on the named places and landscapes along a road route, while the boat trip centres on the river landscape and its biological diversity from the water.
Discover more destinations: Klaipeda, Skuodas, Nida, Pervalka, Dreverna, Vileikiai, Žemaičių Naumiesčio Seniūnija, Ventė
For the broader travel overview: Klaipėda County.
