Šilutė between the Old Town and the River Landscape

The Old Town between the market, bridge and town history

The Old Market Square tells the story of a long market tradition: large markets were held here from the 16th century until the Second World War. Old buildings still surround the square; the stone paving remains beneath the asphalt. This connects the present-day view with the site’s historic purpose, even though the former market area may no longer look as it did then.

Another Old Town landmark is the iron arch bridge over the Šyša. It is considered an urban monument of Šilutė Old Town. The town’s history is also brought to life on “Šilutės sienos”: the 500-metre-long wall depicts important events in the town’s history and prominent figures from the region. On Lietuvininkų Street, the “Šilutės sekretai” project explores a different scale. Twenty miniature rooms covered with glass are set into the pavement; they illustrate everyday life in historic houses from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

The church and manor as architectural highlights

The 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, depicting 104 people. The tower, clock and fresco each offer a different focal point during a visit to the church: the building’s height, a striking detail in the townscape and a large-scale work inside the church.

The manor founded by Hugo Šojus in 1721 displays a different architectural style: the building combines Late Classicism and Historicism with the restrained design typical of the Klaipėda region. The Hugo Šojus Museum has been housed in the manor since 2015. Some of the former outbuildings now house restoration and education centres. Historical architecture and contemporary cultural uses therefore sit side by side at the manor.

From town experiences to the river landscape

Šilutė is also a starting point for discovering the river landscape and biological diversity of Nemunas Delta Regional Park on a boat trip. This offers a different focus from exploring the market, church and manor: instead of town history, the emphasis is on waterways and the nature of the delta.

Two routes from the Šilutė Tourism Centre also offer guidance for different ways to explore the area. The “Rusnės sala” route passes through Šilutė and can be travelled by car or bicycle. The listed locations on the “Kintai – Ventės ragas – Minija” route are Šilutė, the Aukštumala raised bog landscape, the Aukštumala educational trail and Rupkalviai. The modes of transport explicitly specified apply to the “Rusnės sala” route; different details are therefore available here for the two routes. On the second route, the raised bog landscape and educational trail are specific nature attractions that stand out from exploring the town.

If your main interest is experiencing the protected Old Town, its buildings and historic traces, these attractions may shape your choice of a holiday apartment in Šilutė. If you are more interested in a boat trip or the routes, you can also take these interests into account when planning. This way, your search for accommodation is guided by the stay you actually want to plan, rather than by a general idea of what accommodation should offer.

Discover more destinations:

Rusnė, Priekulė, Juodkrantė, Liaunai, Kretingalė, Švėkšna, Gargždai, Vilimiškė

For the broader travel overview: Klaipėda County.