Former Courthouse and 200-Cell Prison

In 1848, on land that once belonged to the village of Žibai, the district courthouse and prison buildings were constructed. The prison could accommodate 200 inmates and housed offenders from surrounding villages who had been sentenced to up to 3 years.
In 1909, the courthouse was expanded – a third floor was added and a third building was connected. The complex continued to function as a prison after the Klaipėda Region was annexed to Independent Lithuania and during the Nazi occupation. After 1944, it became a Stalinist regime prison that held political prisoners. The prison was closed after Stalin’s death.
Since 1954, the complex has been repurposed for education: it currently houses the Šilutė Tourism and Business School. The former courthouse now contains classrooms, while the old prison has been turned into a student dormitory.
In 2011, a museum was opened in the solitary confinement cell of the nearly century-old prison.