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Memel Area

 

Contents

About Memel Area

Flags

Meaning/Origin of the Flag

Coat of Arms

Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms

Numbers and Facts

History

Origin of the Country's Name



About Memel Area

The Memel Area is a narrow stripe of territory northern of the river Memel with a whole area of 933 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.

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Flags

Flagge Fahne flag Dienstflagge Provinz Ostpreußen East Prussia
to 1920,
Official flag of the Province of East Prussia,
ratio = 3:5




Flagge Fahne flag Memelgebiet Memel Area
1920–1939,
Official flag of the Memel Area,
ratio = 3:5,
Source, by: 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. The colours green, white and red, which are sometimes associated with the Memel Area, are the colours of the Lithuanian minority in the country.

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: 933 square miles

Inhabitants: 141 645 (ca. 1930), thereof 42% Germans, 27% Memel, 27% Lithuanians

Density of Population: 152 Ew./km²

Capital: Memel (Lithuanian: Klaipeda) 36.600 inh. (ca. 1930)

official Languages: German, Lithuanian

Source: www.gonschior.de

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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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