- Place
- Klaipėda City Municipality
- Region
- Klaipėda
- Type
- active cultural and meeting centre of the Klaipėda German Community
- Address
- 7 Jūros Street, Klaipėda
- Coordinates
- 55.71055, 21.12643
- Visit duration
- 30-90 minutes for a public event; longer for a tour or concert
- Best time
- during a pre-announced exhibition, concert, educational session, or tour
Simon-Dach-Haus Klaipėda, Simono Dacho namai
The Klaipėda German Community's house
Simon Dach House is neither the poet's birthplace nor a memorial museum. It is the active meeting and cultural centre of the Klaipėda German Community. The association brings together Germans from the historic Klaipėda Region and maintains links with Hermann Sudermann Gymnasium and partners in Lithuania and Germany.
The programme includes German courses, exhibitions, concerts, conferences, literary evenings, film screenings, and youth activities. Event rooms and five guest apartments are also available, so a visitor's experience depends on a specific programme or pre-arranged service.
From the 1989 association to the 1996 opening
On 23 April 1989, historic residents of the region founded the Klaipėda German-Lithuanian Cultural Association. It adopted the name Klaipėda German Community in 1993. In 1992, the association received a deteriorating former residence on Jūros Street.
The building was restored over four years with support from the German government and ceremonially opened as Simon Dach House in 1996. German cultural heritage has since been presented here through living language, music, community encounters, and international projects.
Why the house bears Simon Dach's name
Simon Dach was born in Klaipėda in 1605 and became one of the leading poets of seventeenth-century East Prussia. The city most often links him with Ännchen of Tharau, but the community also presents his wider Latin and German legacy and his connection to the first Lithuanian grammar.
The restrained pink two-storey building has a central gable and paired arched upper windows. Flags above the doorway immediately signal Lithuanian and German connections; inside, the halls, meeting rooms, and current programme matter more than any permanent display.
Planning a visit
The house does not advertise a permanent museum exhibition or an all-day tourist schedule. Choose a specific public event from the official calendar or contact the community office in advance. Some events are free, while tours, rooms, halls, and other services are arranged separately.
The façade can be viewed from the Jūros Street pavement. Inside, remember that the community office, rehearsals, and meetings are active. Always ask organisers before photographing an event or interior.
