Rusnė Evangelical Lutheran Church

The first written record of this church dates back to 1544 in a letter by Duke Albert of Prussia, mentioning services held in both Lithuanian and German. After the Treaty of Melno, the Rusnė area belonged to the Teutonic Order. A weather vane on the church tower indicates the year 1419 as the start of construction. Until 1541, the church was Catholic; only later, with the spread of the Reformation, did all inhabitants adopt Lutheran teachings.
By 1583, a parish school was operating next to the church – one of the first in the Klaipėda region.
The 18th-century church was damaged by three fires (in 1739, 1774, and 1789). A new brick church was consecrated in 1809.
The current masonry structure dates from the 19th century. During the Soviet era, the church was closed for a long time, its property destroyed, and the building handed over to Rusnė’s auxiliary boarding school. It housed a gymnasium and a boiler room.
Restoration of the old church began in 1991, and services were resumed by deacon Gintaras Pareigis.