Editing Klaipėda (section)

==Education==
===Primary and secondary education===
[[File:Vytautas the Great Gymnasium in Klaipėda, Lithuania in 2013.jpg|thumb|Klaipėda Vytautas the Great Gymnasium, the first Lithuanian gymnasium in the city, est. in 1922]]
Since the 14th century, Klaipėda has been a center for education in [[Lithuania Minor]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Klaipėdos miesto savivaldybės administracija – Education |url=https://www.klaipeda.lt/eng/Education/193861 |website=Klaipeda.lt |access-date=11 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111152316/https://www.klaipeda.lt/eng/Education/193861 |archive-date=11 November 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> During the period of Teutonic Knights there were so-called Latin schools near the city churches in Pilsotas, the northern part of the Klaipėda Region inhabited by the [[Curonians]], however most of the schools were established in [[Sambia Peninsula]].<ref name="MLietuvaMle">{{cite web |last1=Matulevičius |first1=Algirdas |title=Mažoji Lietuva |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/mazoji-lietuva |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Zigmas |first1=Zinkevičius |title=Pilsotas |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/pilsotas |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref>

During the period of the Duchy of Prussia schools in Lithuania Minor were created based on the regulations of the church authorities.<ref name="MLietuvaMle"/> In the 16th century a dozen Lithuanian parochial schools operated in the Duchy of Prussia.<ref name="MLietuvaMle"/> The earliest documented fact about teachers in Klaipėda dates to 1540 when a tax payer was described as "living with the teacher".<ref name="KlaipedosMokyklos">{{cite web |last1=Juška |first1=Albertas |title=Klaipėdos mokyklos |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/klaipedos-mokyklos |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref> Around 1590, the Lithuanian community became independent, and then in ~1620 a separate Klaipėdian Parochial School was opened in a house built on a plot belonging to a priest of the Lithuanian Church, located between the extension of John's Street and Market's Street, but the church and school were demolished in 1627.<ref name="KLPM">{{cite web |last1=Juška |first1=Albertas |title=Klaipėdos lietuvininkų parapinė mokykla |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/klaipedos-lietuvininku-parapine-mokykla |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref><ref name="KlaipedosMokyklos"/> In 1687, a new [[Church of St. Jacob, Klaipėda|Lithuanian Church]] was built in the Friedrich's suburb and the Lithuanian Parochial School was also established next to it.<ref name="KLPM"/> At the beginning of the 19th century, the significance of the Lithuanian Parochial School in Klaipėda decreased and in 1817 the Magistrate of Klaipėda occupied the building and the school ceased its activity after operating for nearly 300 years.<ref name="KLPM"/>

[[File:Ewangeliszkas Malonės Dawadas (in Lithuanian language) by David Holaz, published in Königsberg in 1768.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''Ewangeliszkas Malonės Dawadas'', a popular 18th century educational book in Lithuanian<ref name="KLPM"/>]]
In the first half of the 18th century King [[Frederick William I of Prussia|Frederick William I]] carried out a reform of the [[Prussian education system]] and was one of the first in Europe to try to implement universal primary education.<ref name="MLietuvaMle"/> Out of 1160 new primary schools 275 were established in Lithuanian Province which included Klaipėda.<ref name="MLietuvaMle"/> Moreover, [[Lutheranism]] provisions encouraged the use of the language of the local people in public life, including in church schools, and in the 18th century the number of primary schools in Lithuanian counties eventually risen to 449 (in 340 of them pupils were taught only in Lithuanian or in German).<ref name="MLietuvaMle"/> Nevertheless, a big obstacle for Lithuanian children to study was [[serfdom]] which was [[Land reform in Germany|abolished]] in Prussia only in 1763.<ref name="MLietuvaMle"/> In the 19th century, mixed schools resulted in [[Germanisation]] of Lithuanian pupils as bilingual schools eventually became monolingual German.<ref name="MLietuvaMle"/> In the [[interwar period]] Klaipėda became part of Lithuania since 1923, however in this period out of 102 schools only four were Lithuanian and seven were mixed German–Lithuanian in the entire Klaipėda Region.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tarpukario Klaipėda: maištas prieš lietuvišką sistemą, Kudirkos šuolis, svastikos ir medaliais apdovanota tekstilė |url=https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/kultura/12/1266465/tarpukario-klaipeda-maistas-pries-lietuviska-sistema-kudirkos-suolis-svastikos-ir-medaliais-apdovanota-tekstile |website=[[Lrt.lt]] |date=November 2020 |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref>

[[File:Stasio Šimkaus Conservatory in Klaipėda, Lithuania (2022).jpg|thumb|Stasio Šimkaus Conservatory]]
At the end of the 17th century, the Great School (or the Latin School) was established which was the first upper school in Klaipėda, and in ~1850 the school was granted [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasium]] status, while in 1891 it was named after Queen [[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Louise]].<ref name="KlaipedosMokyklos"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Juška |first1=Albertas |title=Klaipėdos Luizės gimnazija |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/klaipedos-luizes-gimnazija |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1829, the Klaipėda Navigation School was established due to the demand to train [[navigator]]s and [[sea captain]]s.<ref name="KlaipedosMokyklos"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Adomavičius |first1=Romaldas |title=Klaipėdos navigacijos mokykla |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/navigacijos-mokykla |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1902, the Klaipėda Teachers' Seminary was established with an objective to prepare teachers who know [[Lithuanian language]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Juška |first1=Albertas |title=Klaipėdos mokytojų seminarija |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/klaipedos-mokytoju-seminarija |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1923, the Klaipėda [[Music school|Conservatory]] was established on the initiative of composer [[Stasys Šimkus]] to educate professional musicians which is still active.<ref>{{cite web |title=Istorija |url=https://klaipedoskonservatorija.lt/apie-mokykla/istorija |website=Klaipedoskonservatorija.lt |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref><ref name="KlaipedosMokyklos"/> In 1925, the Klaipėda Accelerated School was established alongside its German counterpart which after 2 years studies provided an opportunity to its graduates to continues studies in the gymnasium.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Juška |first1=Albertas |title=Klaipėdos spartesnioji mokykla |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/klaipedos-spartesnioji-mokykla |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref>

Currently, Klaipėda has 12 gymnasiums, 3 primary schools, 17 [[progymnasium]]s, and 4 elementary schools.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mokyklų žemėlapis |url=https://svietimas.klaipeda.lt/mokyklu-zemelapis/7 |website=Klaipeda.lt |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref> Additionally, there is Eduardo Balsio Gymnasium of Arts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vizija, misija, veiklos sritis ir ugdymo programos |url=https://www.balsiogimnazija.lt/vizija-misija |website=Balsiogimnazija.lt |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref> Most of pupils in Klaipėda later studies in the universities or colleges as Lithuania is one of the world's leading countries in [[OECD]]'s statistics of population with tertiary education (58.15% of 25–34-year-olds in 2022).<ref>{{cite web |title=Population with tertiary education |url=https://data.oecd.org/eduatt/population-with-tertiary-education.htm |website=OECD |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref>

===Tertiary education===
[[File:Academic campus of Klaipėda University in Klaipėda, Lithuania in 2022.jpg|thumb|Academic campus of [[Klaipėda University]]]]
[[File:Main campus of LCC International University in Klaipėda, Lithuania.jpg|thumb|LCC International University]]
Initially, Klaipėda had no university, therefore many Klaipėdians and prominent Lithuanians from Lithuania Minor and [[Lithuania proper]] studied and lectured at the [[University of Königsberg]] which was established in 1544 with a permission of [[Sigismund I the Old]] and had equal status to the [[Jagiellonian University|University of Kraków]].<ref name="MLietuvaMle"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Matulevičius |first1=Algirdas |last2=Vitkevičius |first2=Povilas |title=Karaliaučiaus universitetas |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/karaliauciaus-universitetas |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref> Since 1718 the University of Königsberg had the Lithuanian language seminar which was the first independent discipline of Lithuanian language in higher education.<ref>{{cite web |title=Karaliaučiaus universiteto Lietuvių kalbos seminaras |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/karaliauciaus-universiteto-lietuviu-kalbos-seminaras/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref>

In the interwar period three high schools were established in Klaipėda.<ref name="KlaipedosMokyklos"/> The Klaipėda Trade Institute (est. in 1934) which had three departments: banking, commercial, and consular (since 1937: banking–commercial and consular).<ref>{{cite web |title=Prekybos institutas |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/prekybos-institutas/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |language=lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref> The Klaipėda Pedagogical Institute (est. in 1935) which prepared higher qualification teachers for primary schools.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Juška |first1=Albertas |last2=Pupšys |first2=Vladas |title=Klaipėdos pedagoginis institutas |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/klaipedos-pedagoginis-institutas |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |language=lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref> The Klaipėda Regional Pedagogical Institute (est. in 1935) which prepared higher qualification teachers for regional German schools.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Juška |first1=Albertas |title=Klaipėdos krašto pedagoginis institutas |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/klaipedos-krasto-pedagoginis-institutas |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |language=lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref> There also were proposals to establish a university in Klaipėda, however [[1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania|German annexation of the Klaipėda Region in 1939]] and subsequently occurred [[Sovietization of the Baltic states|sovietization of Lithuania]] prevented it from being realized.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jokubauskas |first1=Vytautas |title=Klaipėdos universitetas geopolitiniame kontekste |url=https://sc.bns.lt/view/item/237597 |website=[[Baltic News Service]] |access-date=30 June 2023 |language=lt}}</ref><ref name="KUMle">{{cite web |last1=Žalys |first1=Aleksandras |title=Klaipėdos universitetas |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/klaipedos-universitetas |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |language=lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref>

In the [[Lithuanian SSR|Soviet period]] branches of the [[Kaunas Polytechnic Institute]] (1959) and [[Šiauliai Pedagogical Institute]] (1971), as well as Faculty of Preschool Education of the Šiauliai Pedagogical Institute (1975), and the Klaipėda Ecology Centre of the [[Lithuanian Academy of Sciences]] were established in Klaipėda.<ref name="KUMle"/> In 1990, following the [[Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania|re-establishment of the State of Lithuania]], they were merged to establish [[Klaipėda University]].<ref name="KUMle"/> The Klaipėda University has three faculties (Marine Technology and Natural Sciences, of Social Sciences and Humanities, and of Health Sciences) and two institutes (Marine Research Institute and Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology).<ref>{{cite web |title=Departments |url=https://www.ku.lt/en/university/structure-1-1 |website=Klaipėda University |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref> In 2019, Klaipėda University joined the EU-CONEXUS which is an international alliance of coastal cities universities aiming to enhance cooperation between them.<ref name="AboutKU">{{cite web |title=About University |url=https://www.ku.lt/en/university/about-university-1 |website=Klaipėda University |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref> Every year over 3,000 students study at Klaipėda University, while nearly 40,000 are [[alumni]].<ref name="AboutKU"/>

Another university operating in Klaipėda is the [[LCC International University]] which is an [[Ecumenism|ecumenical]] Christian university providing [[liberal arts education]] of social sciences and humanities.<ref name="LCC">{{cite web |title=About LCC |url=https://lcc.lt/about-lcc |website=LCC.lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref> The majority of its students are internationals from tens of countries worldwide.<ref name="LCC"/>

Four colleges operate in Klaipėda: [[Klaipėda University of Applied Sciences]], [[Lithuania Business College]], SMK High School, and Lithuanian Maritime Academy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Klaipėda University of Applied Sciences|url=https://www.kvk.lt/en/ |website=Kvk.lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania Business College |url=https://ltvk.lt/en/home-page/ |website=Ltvk.lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SMK High School |url=https://www.smk.lt/en/study-here/ |website=Smk.lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Short LMA History |url=https://www.lajm.lt/en/about-lajm/hist.html |website=Lajm.lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref> Moreover, [[Vilnius Academy of Arts]] and [[Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre]] also has [[Faculty (division)|faculties]] in Klaipėda.<ref>{{cite web |title=Faculty of Klaipėda |url=https://www.vda.lt/en/faculty-of-klaipeda |website=Vda.lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Klaipėda Faculty |url=https://lmta.lt/en/fakultetas/klaipedos-fakultetas/ |website=LMTA.lt |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref>
[[File:KnihovnaISimonaitytėsHMantoKlp.JPG|thumb|right|[[Ieva Simonaitytė]] Public Library]]

===Libraries===
A number of libraries are located in Klaipėda, with the most notable being Klaipėda University Library (est. in 1991, has hundreds of thousands of publications copies),<ref>{{cite web |title=About the Library |url=https://biblioteka.ku.lt/en/about-library |website=Biblioteka.KU.lt |access-date=2 July 2023}}</ref> Klaipėda City Municipality Imanuel Kant Public Library (est. in 1920, has 20 departments),<ref>{{cite web |title=Apie mus |url=https://biblioteka.lt/apie-biblioteka/bendra-informacija/apie-mus/219 |website=Biblioteka.lt |access-date=2 July 2023 |language=lt}}</ref> Klaipėda County Ieva Simonaitytė Public Library (est. in 1950, has over 900,000 documents of which nearly 600,000 are books),<ref>{{cite web |title=Klaipėdos apskrities Ievos Simonaitytės viešoji biblioteka |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/klaipedos-apskrities-ievos-simonaitytes-viesoji-biblioteka/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=2 July 2023 |language=lt}}</ref> etc.