The village began as a travel point between Memel
(present-day Klaipėda) and Königsberg (present-day Kaliningrad). Travelers
would stay to rest or wait for better weather to cross the strait. Smiltynė is
first mentioned in 1429. An inn and tavern were built in 1525. It largely
depends on travelers for revenue, and thus was hurt during the wars of the 19th
and 20th century. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the village was just
an inn with a handful of fishermen houses, but later turned into a popular
resort among wealthy residents of Klaipėda.
