The “Baltija” cinema

Baltija (Lith. the Baltic) used to be the most beautiful and the most modern cinema in Klaipėda. The history of the building starts in 1854, when the brick warehouse was rebuilt after the great Klaipėda fire on Žvėjų st. The cinema hall, then called Weltkino, fell in 1912 because of the wave of new cinemas.

In 1920, the building was acquired by a Klaipėda merchant, who reconstructed it, decorated the façade and opened a new cinema, called the Kammer Lichtspiele (Germ. the Chamber of Films) The cinema, being the most beautiful and the most modern building in the port city as well as in its surrounding areas, primarily featured German films.

During World War II, the building was badly damaged, but was very soon restored. Renamed Tėvynė (Lith. the Homeland), it continued to function as a cinema. In 1958, it was yet again renamed to Baltija and continued to attract film lovers until Lithuania was granted independence. At that moment, the cinema was transformed into a place of trade.

Around the year 2000, the company Finasta acquired the building. In 2001, a fire broke out and ruined the building. The cinema thus became a ghost house – a dreadful scene to both the citizens and the guests of Klaipėda. There are plans to restore the building in the future and to transform it into a 4 floor guest house with a garret.