Memel

Memel, a fortified port, in the district of Konigsberg, Prussia, Germany, stands at the mouth of the Dange, just where the Kiirische Haff opens into the Baltic Sea, and is the chief centre of the corn, timber, and seed trade of the neighbouring provinces. It was founded in 1252 by the Teutonic Knights, and soon became prosperous, joining the Hanseatic League, and subsequently being annexed by Prussia after a brief possession by Sweden. It has suffered much from war and fire, and was practically rebuilt in 1854. Ship-building, distilling, iron-founding, brewing, and the manufacture of chemicals are chief industries. The Peace of Tilsit was signed on an island in the Niemen close by.