The Port of Šventoji

Information about the Port of Šventoji can be found as far back as the 17th century, when English merchants led by Richard Borin, wishing to settle in Šventoji, approached the ruler of the Republic, Jon Sobieski. The ruler agreed and gave his permission.
The ruler’s goal was clear: to allow large foreign merchant ships to enter the previously inaccessible port and trade there. R. Borinius and his companions were allowed to settle in Palanga, build houses, trade, and, most importantly, build a port on the Šventoji River. The prospects for the port were already being discussed at that time: the natural conditions were not suitable for the development of a port: the shallows off the mouth of the Šventoji River, sand carried by storms would fill the fairway, and even breakwaters would be of no help. However, English merchants had been looking around since 1679,
explored the possibilities for trade and port development, and took concrete steps. Declaring that a port city could not exist without inhabitants, and that the inhabitants could not exist without self-government, the English were allowed to establish a city, Janmarienburg, which was granted Magdeburg rights, i.e., self-government. The goods imported were salt, gelumbė, silk, wine, tobacco, and the most important export commodity was grain. Wax, honey, leather, and forest products could also be transported through the port. The English transported the goods in their own ships, not chartered ones. In addition, they began to build their own sea-going ships in Šventoji Janmarienburg. However, the English merchant company, as a competitor, caused concern to the governments of the Baltic Sea ports and the countries where these ports were located, so efforts were made to destroy the port. After disagreements with the ruler of the Republic, by 1698, there was no longer any mention of English merchants in Janmarienburg.
In 1701, at the beginning of the Northern War, the Swedes filled the port of Šventoji with stones and sand.
In 1705, the Treaty of Warsaw between Sweden and its puppet in the Republic, Stanisław Leszczyński, included an article
completely closing the port near Palanga. After the English left, the residents of Šventoji lost their jobs. In the 18th century, Šventoji was called a village.
The hope of rebuilding the port of Šventoji always remained. As early as the 18th century, various projects for the reconstruction of the port were submitted. In 1891, the first maritime school in Lithuania was established.
In 1923-1925, work began on rebuilding the port, mainly for fishermen.
In 1939-1940, the southern and northern piers were repaired.
However, ships with large drafts could not enter the port because sand would block the port gates.
Šventoji never became a major port.
After the war, the port area belonged to the Pajūris fishing farm. On June 11, 2011, the port of Šventoji was opened and transferred to the Palanga City Municipality in 2018.