Germany – Memel – 1923 ☀Lithuanian Official Stamps Overprinted MH /Used lot
Memel, also known as Klaipėda, is a city and seaport in Lithuania, situated at the mouth of the Curonian Lagoon where it flows into the Baltic Sea. However, historically, Memel was a significant city in the region of East Prussia, which was part of the German Empire until the end of World War I.
After World War I, as per the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Memel and its surrounding region (known as the Klaipėda Region) were placed under the administration of the Allies and was intended to become part of Lithuania. However, it was only in 1923, after a period of French administration, that the region became an autonomous territory under the supervision of the League of Nations, with Lithuania having the right to station a limited number of troops there.
In 1939, as part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Memel was returned to Germany without any military conflict. However, during World War II, the area was occupied by Soviet forces, and after the war, it was annexed by the Soviet Union as part of the Lithuanian SSR.
