The Curonian Spit is a 98-km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. It stretches from the Sambian Peninsula to the south. The width of the spit varies from a minimum of 400 m in Russia to a maximum of 3,8 km in Lithuania. Covering the area of 18 thousand hectares, the Kuršių Nerija (Curonian spit) National Park was designated to protect the unique scenic beauty of the Kuršių Nerija, a narrow peninsula separating the Kuršių Marios Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. The peninsula, a sandy stretch of land extending 98 km, with a width varying from 400 meters to 3.8 km, was formed some five to six thousand years ago. The sea winds shifted the sand, creating a range of large sand dunes stretching for about 70 km from Smiltynė to Šarkuva. The largest of the dunes are up to 100 meters high and provide a charming view of the sea, the lagoon and the green forests.
After the 15th century large portions of forests were felled and this led to severe sand shifting. Fourteen villages were swallowed up by the moving sands. The early 19th century brought about the first reforestation project to try to stop the sand. Today, approximately seven thousand hectares of forests protect the spit. The settlements situated on the spit boast of original architecture typical to this region. Nida is the largest and most beautiful of the Lithuanian settlements on the spit. The Kuršių Nerija National Park stands out among the other parks of Lithuania. Ecological concerns have restricted access to the spit. Visitors can obtain information and book a guided tour of the park in Klaipėda. The Coronian Spit is a 100 km long and 1-4 km wide sand dune peninsula in the south-east of the Baltic Sea, shared between Lithuania and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. On the western side of the peninsula you face the Baltic Sea and on the east side - the “inside” – there is a large lagoon. Just where the tip of the spit forms a narrow sound against the land, Klaipeda, Lithuanias major port is located. Or “Memel” as the town was known up until the end of WWII when then the population was predominantly German. Today it is 100% Lithuanian. I arrived to Klaipeda on a bright summer day, after having crossed the Baltic Sea from Sweden on a pleasant overnight cruise. Klaipeda was badly damaged during WWII but still have enough old buildings and charm to be a major tourist destination. Later jumping across the sound between Klaipeda to the Spit takes about 10 minutes with a small ferry that runs back and forth all day. On the Spit, buses are running up and down and 45 minutes later I found myself in the small village of Nida, close to the Russian border. It is in Nida you will find the famous Paradise Dunes, massive sand dunes which equals you probably have to go to Sahara to find. Walking on the sea side of the Coronian Spit was a peculiar experience. The sun was shining from a hot, clear blue summer sky and yet there was not a person in sight on this never-ending sandy beach. It was quite an amazing feeling to be completely alone in a place where - in our overpopulated world – you would normally find hundreds of people, lazing in the sun.
In the southeastern corner of the Baltic Sea lies a skinny stretch of land. Known as the Curonian (or Courland) Spit, it separates the Curonian Lagoon (also known as the Courland Lagoon) from the Baltic Sea. Just 3,800 meters (about 12,460 feet) at its widest point, the spit encloses a lagoon of some 1,620 square kilometers (625 square miles). On July 25, 2006, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), flying on NASA’s Terra satellite, captured this image of the spit, the lagoon it encloses, and part of the Baltic Sea. In this image, dark blue indicates deep water, and lighter blue indicates shallow and/or sediment-laden water. Different shades of blue distinguish the deeper Baltic Sea and the shallower Curonian Lagoon. Vegetation appears in varying shades of green, paved surfaces and bare ground appear in shades of beige and gray, and sandy areas appear off-white. Obvious sandy areas appear along the length of the spit. On the Baltic Sea side, a thin off-white band of beach runs the length of the spit; on the Curonian Lagoon side, intermittent beaches carve their way into the narrow strip of land. Both the spit and the lagoon fall within the borders of Lithuania in the north and Kaliningrad Oblast (a possession of the Russian Federation) in the south. The lagoon is fed primarily by the Nemunas (or Neman) River, and the river delta appears on the right side of this image, near the top. Between its sandy beaches, pine forests, and attractive views, the area is a popular tourist destination. Yet the area is fragile. Natural forces of winds and tides constantly threaten the spit, and human efforts of stabilization and reforestation are needed to preserve it. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designated the Curonian Spit as a World Heritage site in 2000, after receiving a joint nomination from Lithuania and the Russian Federation. Wind direction names in the fishers’ lexicon is divided into eight planes. It is interesting to note that there are no Germanic names for the winds, though much of fisher terminology is of Germanic origin. Some maintain that the wind names are Finno-Ugric in origin. Weathervanes decorated the masts of kurenai sailing in the Curonian Lagoon. Their purpose was not so much to show the direction of the wind, but to identify the vessel. Each weathervane had to have the symbol of the village in which the owner of the vessel lived. The weathervane is a unique cultural phenomenon. Nothing similar is found in the fishing traditions of other European lands. They appeared only around the mid 19th century. The weathervanes later changed, became more precise, were added upon.
The Curonian Spit is an ideal Summer Holiday destination. I remember my time there with nothing but fondness. I greatly enjoyed walking in the peaceful pine forests and catching glimpses of Elk and Wild Boar, and hiking to the top of colossal sand dunes which were more reminiscent of the Sahara than of Northern Europe. The sandy beach stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. The four villages along the Lithuanian part of the spit are charming, and full of traditional wooden houses. There are none of the high-rises and crazed parties of the Costa Brava, instead the whole place has a relaxed and genteel air. According to Baltic mythology, the Curonian Spit was formed by a giantess, Neringa, who was playing on the seashore. This child also appears in other myths (in some of which she is shown as a young strong woman, similar to a female version of the Greek Heracles). The Curonian Spit was formed about 5,000 years ago. From ca. 800 to 1016, it was the location of Kaup, a major pagan trading centre which has not been excavated yet. The Teutonic Knights occupied the area in the 13th century, building their castles at Memel (1252), Neuhausen (1283), and at Rossitten (1372). In the 16th century, a new period of dune formation began. Deforestation of the spit due to overgrazing, timber harvesting, and building of boats for the siege of Königsberg in 1757 led to the dunes taking over the spit and burying entire villages. Alarmed by these problems, the Prussian government sponsored large-scale revegetation and reforestation efforts, which started in 1825. Owing to these efforts, much of the spit is now covered with forests. In the 19th century the Curonian Spit was inhabited primarily by Curonians (Kursenieki) with a significant German minority in the south and a Lithuanian minority in the north. The population of Curonians eventually dwindled due to assimilation and other reasons; it is close to non-existent these days and even before 1945, when the spit had become totally ethnic German.[citation needed] Until the 20th century, most people in the area made their living by fishing. The German population was expelled after World War II. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, tourism flourished; many Germans, mostly the descendants of the inhabitants of the area, choose the Curonian Spit (especially Nida, as no visas are needed for Germans in Lithuania) as their holiday destination.
