Skirsnemunė

Skirsnemunė is a village on the Neman River in Tauragė County, Lithuania. It is located 9 km from Jurbarkas in the Jurbarkas district municipality.

History

In 1313 the Teutonic Knights constructed an Ordensburg fortress with the German name Christmemel (Latin: Christi Memela, Kyrsmemel, Kirsmomela) six miles from their castle at Ragnit. Grand Master Karl von Trier ordered the construction of a frontier castle made of logs and earth which would be a base for attacks against Samogitia. Because much of the surrounding wilderness was swampy terrain, the fort was manned and replenished by ships which could be used as pontoon bridges across the Neman. Vytenis of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania unsuccessfully attacked the castle in the Siege of Christmemel in autumn 1315. The castle of Christmemel was later abandoned by the German crusaders, although they constructed the castle of Bayerburg opposite the ruins of the fortress in 1337.

Skirsnemunė, a settlement which developed near the ruins of Christmemel, received Magdeburg rights in 1792.