Curonian Spit is a 97-kilometer strip of land between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. More than 5,000 years ago, it was formed by sea waves and currents, sand and wind. Today it is a unique natural monument. A light strip of land, the unique relief of which is formed by the sea and wind, the highest sand dunes in northern Europe. Humans have a lot to do with true uniqueness. In the XV-XVII centuries. Forests were cut down, and the sand dunes that covered the villages began to move. After the ruthless destruction of forests on the Curonian Spit, man himself began restoration work. Two hundred years ago they began to form a protective dune embankment and plant forests. Only deliberate human activity could protect against natural disasters. The restoration process was long and difficult, so the real vegetation, rare plants characteristic only of this region, require special care and great and constant attention.
The flora of the Curonian Spit National Park includes about 900 species of plants (of which 31 are listed in the Red Book of Lithuania), about 40 species of mammals and about 300 species of birds are found. In 2000 The Curonian Spit National Park was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape object in the system of natural and cultural heritage values. Currently, the Curonian Spit is equal to such national parks as Iguazu (Argentina), Kakadu (Australia), Kaziranga (India), Tongariro (New Zealand).
The northern and largest part of the Curonian Spit belongs to the Republic of Lithuania. The rest belongs to the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation. In 1923, the northern part of the Curonian Spit (an area 52 km long) went to the Republic of Lithuania. In 1939-1945, all of Neringa belonged to Germany. The summer of 1944 was decisive for the Curonian Spit. As the front approached, all local residents were forced to retreat into the depths of Germany and many of them never returned. The centuries-old cultural tradition of the Curonian Spit, where the German, Lithuanian languages, the language of the Kurshininki tribe, and their customs were intertwined, was cut short. The natives of Neringa, who for several centuries created a unique ethnic society of fishermen, disappeared. All that remained were dunes, forests and deserted fishermen's villages. In the post-war period, the territory was inhabited by newcomers from Greater Lithuania and other republics that belonged to the then Soviet Union.
After World War II, the northern part of the peninsula again passed to Lithuania. The part of Neringa currently belonging to the Republic of Lithuania (0.8 thousand hectares) is administered by the municipality of the city of Klaipeda, and the rest (about 25.6 thousand hectares) by the municipality of Neringa. The southern part of the spit belongs to the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation.
Basic facts about the Curonian Spit:
area - 180 km 2
length - about 98 km
beach width - from 10 to 50 meters
the widest point is at Cape Bulvikis (4 km northwest of Nida) - 3.8 km
the narrowest place is near the village of Sharkuva, in the Karaliauchus region - 380 m.
in Neringa there are only about 2 km 3 sand
forests occupy 6852 hectares (70% of the land)
arable land - 5 hectares, pastures, meadows - 17 hectares, inland waters - 1 hectares, roads - 232 hectares, sands - 2485 hectares, buildings - 152 hectares, swamps - 28 hectares, gardens - 2 hectares.
USEFUL INFORMATION about Neringa
- Lithuanian Maritime Museum
Interesting. Not everyone knows that Lithuanian dunes are the highest in Eastern Europe. Another local attraction is wild beggar boars. They are so used to people that they come out of the forest onto the road and stop cars in the hope of getting food.
Lithuania, Curonian Spit: part 1 - Nida February 16th, 2015
After the next three days of our trip around the Baltics, we were going to spend the Curonian Spit. In 2005, we were already in the Russian part of the Curonian Spit and, going to the Baltic states 9 years later, we definitely planned to visit the Lithuanian part of this reserve at least briefly. These days, in the end, turned out to be a real pearl of our trip, becoming for us one of the most special and memorable in beauty.
Hitch-hiking.
From Kaunas to Klaipeda it was 200 km. Coming out onto the track after a long break, as often happens, we immediately got stuck a little, after which we also got caught in the rain, which we had to wait out at a gas station. 
Fortunately, after the first car, the hitchhiking god seemed to remember us, and the rest of the way the drivers stopped very quickly. One might say, we were also lucky with the weather: we passed all the rains alternating with the sun (I counted 5) by car.
On both sides of the road there were often pastures, farms and windmills, and the drivers, as usual, complemented this ethnographic picture with their stories from the series “who can live well in Lithuania”. 
We got to Klaipeda, it seems, in three cars. Since we started late and were quite delayed on the way out, our exploration of the port city was limited to a half-hour walk to the ferry crossing. 
The Curonian Spit is separated from mainland Lithuania by a strait 500 meters wide. Having crossed, we continued our way and immediately stopped, it seems, the first woman in my memory. By the way, she was very nice and told us a lot of interesting things along the way. 
The Curonian Spit is a national park and reserve, included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the most beautiful and unique landscapes in Europe. The Lithuanian part of the spit is a strip of land 50 by 2-3 km. For convenience, four separate villages scattered along the entire length of the spit are legally united into one city with the beautiful name Neringa and a total population of about 3.5 thousand people. He once lived here, but after the war he was evacuated to Germany and today the Kurseniek people have practically disappeared. But even now, separated by a water barrier, local residents, as opposed to the “spit,” call the continental part of the country “Lithuania,” although many of them go to Klaipeda every day to work or shop.
Nida.
The most attractive location for us in every sense looked like the largest and most distant of all the villages - Nida. We reached the place on another local resident late in the evening.
In resort towns, we decided not to look for an overnight stay on couchsurfing, and booked the cheapest hostel from Kaunas on the Internet. It turned out to be a former camp site, transformed by the new young owners into a kind of hostel, which had everything we needed: a soft bed, clean bed linen, a kitchen and the Internet. 
The housing was even more worth the money because it was located not only right on the embankment near the pier and pier, but also a stone's throw from the bus station and the only supermarket in the city, which we enjoyed visiting every day.
The first thing we saw when we went out after dinner for a walk to the bay on the pier was a stork, treating itself to a fish caught by the fishermen. 
The next day, when we went to explore the village, we were convinced that a wonderful new embankment had been built along the entire city, simply created for the promenade or cycling. 
Literally at every step there are numerous bicycle rentals - and you can return your bike in any locality on the spit! Very comfortably. And in the square with the information center there is free WiFi.
The hallmark of Neringa and a distinctive feature of the landscape are the fishing weather vanes rising on high pillars, which can be found almost everywhere in Nida. 
They appeared in the mid-19th century as a designation of the territorial affiliation of fishing boats (black and white patterns are flags of villages) and, therefore, the areas available to them for fishing. But through the efforts of fishermen, who decorated the signs with carved patterns and stylized symbols, they gradually turned into family coats of arms with their own canons and special designations. The motives could tell about the owner’s family, his financial situation, and his achievements in fishing. 
Currently, weather vanes perform exclusively souvenir and decorative functions, floating beautifully in the clouds in the blue sky.
Nida turned out to be beautiful also because almost all the houses in it have retained their historical appearance - traditional colors, carved wooden frames with tiled or thatched roofs. 
Not only tourist sites such as souvenir shops, boarding houses and museums, but also simple residential buildings look the same as they did at the beginning of the 20th century. 
The atmosphere for life is created simply fabulous - I want to open a family boarding house in one of these houses, settle in it and never leave anywhere else. 
The large house in the background is the Thomas Mann Museum. 
You can learn about the main local industry - fishing - in the small fishing museum. 
Amber craft is widely represented in jewelry galleries. 
On the hill we found another architectural landmark - a new Catholic church located on a hill - a rare example of a successful modern design of a religious building. 
Unlike the one I talked about in my Istanbul notes, the design of the church in Nida uses traditional natural materials as a basis. Wood is actively used in the interior and exterior of the building, and the roof of the church is made of reeds. 
In addition to the unusual bell tower and the shape of the building, an interesting solution is the rear wall, which is completely retractable, adding a summer amphitheater to the hall. 
There was a service going on inside, so we didn’t take pictures of the interior.
Another noteworthy object in Nida turned out to be a truly unique ethnographic cemetery of the 19th - 20th centuries. 
There are still unique wooden tombstones of the original form - tombstone crosses, characteristic only of the Curonian Spit. 
In the crosses of men, horse heads, motifs of plants and birds were carved, and in women's tombstones, next to the motifs of birds, motifs of plants and hearts were carved. 
Each of them is unique. 
Everything has been restored and very well maintained. The cemetery is open to the public. 
Lithuania, Curonian Spit: part 1 - Nida
Lithuania, Siauliai, Hill of Crosses
Latvia, Riga
Latvia, Jurmala
Estonia, Tallinn, part 1
Estonia, Tallinn, part 2
Estonia, Lahemaa, Viru
Estonia, Tartu
If interested, here are recent photos of the Curonian Spit from the Lithuanian side (for comparison).
1. By ferry from Klaipeda (the spit is not adjacent to “mainland” Lithuania). The plans are to ride around Neringa and return to Palanga the same day. Ferries run approximately every 20 minutes.
2. This is the Lithuanian road on the spit. It feels like a “4” plus. For the ferry in both directions we paid 40 litas (€ 11.6) + 2.6 litas (€ 0.75) per person + 20 litas (€ 5.8) environmental fee when entering the spit. (No receipt, maybe I made a slight mistake.) 
3. Town "Juodkrante". Small and cute. We had breakfast at a cafe near the road. 
4.
5. Sculpture on the bay embankment in Juodkrante. 
6. Village of Pervalka. Cute little houses. 
7.
8. Lighthouse in Pervalka. We stopped by for him, but he was far away. We didn't swim. 
9. City of Nida. The main flow of vacationers on Neringa is directed here. The main problem in Nida is parking.
Embankment. 
10. View of the Curonian Lagoon (Nida). 
11. Traditional fishing weather vanes in Lithuania. 
12. Parnidžio dune - observation deck with views of the dunes, bay and Russia. 
13.
14.
15. Let's return. Docks of Klaipeda. 
I’m not sure if you got the impression of Neringa from 15 photos, but we liked it there. Civilized, beautiful and cozy. We hope to write about Lithuania soon on
We'll board a ferry that will take us across the Curonian Lagoon to Neringa. Neringa is the name of the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit.
The cars are placed close to each other, like herrings in a barrel. There was only one car from Belarus (ours) not only on the ferry, but in the whole of Neringa.
Neringa includes several resort villages: Smiltene, Juodkrante, Preila, Pervalka and Nida. The length of Neringa is about 45 km. The width of the spit in these places ranges from 500m to 4km.
We then moved by ferry to Neringa and began to think about where to base ourselves... We did not have any accommodation booked - we thought that in the cold months there would be a meager number of tourists and vacationers in the villages of Neringa, which means we would be in great demand among those renting out housing. Those. According to our calculations, the supply of housing will be tens of times higher than the demand and we will choose housing on the spot without any problems. Looking ahead, I’ll say that we were right about one thing - there are really very few tourists on holiday there in November (and there are simply none :)), but about another we were wrong :)
We reached Juodkrante. We looked around... Juodkrante stands completely extinct. The Ažuolinas boarding house is not working either, the private sector has died out. There are no tourists, but all houses are closed until spring! :) All homeowners, it turns out, usually have apartments on the mainland (for example, in Klaipeda), and these houses on the spit are not their only home (and we thought that they live on the spit all year round!).
We arrive in Nida. And then a miracle - there is life in Nida! There is one cafe open, the Jurate Hotel is open, and people sometimes meet on the streets! To celebrate, we immediately went to the Yurate Hotel - yes, please, there are rooms, choose any one! Almost the entire hotel is free.
Hotel Jurate
We looked at a couple of hotel rooms and decided that we were keeping the Jurate Hotel as a backup option, and while we were still walking around the village, we might find an apartment with a kitchen in the private sector. We walked around, but found nothing - again, as a rule, everything is closed until spring. But we also had a printout from Minsk from the Internet with several phone numbers of people renting out housing in Nida. We started calling, and on the fifth call we were lucky - a man renting out housing in Nida responded and gave us the address. We rushed to him and settled in with him (half a house, separate entrance, very cozy and half the price than in Jurate). Here in this house:
Having left our things, we went to look and study Nida:
It’s low season now (it’s November after all), we were practically alone on the streets of Nida:
It was a little unexpected to see a Moskvich here... Ladas and Volgas have not been seen on the roads in Lithuania for a long time. Probably the last Moskvich in Lithuania:
The only working cafe (the others work only during the holiday season). It turned out to be very cozy and with very tasty cuisine:
Having bypassed Nida, we went to the dunes. One of them, the highest with a height of 60m, is where we will climb:
We go up the wooden stairs and the same path:
With such wicker fences, the dunes are protected from destruction (so that the wind does not drive the sand from place to place, and so that the dune does not cover the village with sand):
Destroyed sundial on top of a dune:
On the observation deck:
The weather was very cloudy and still foggy. View from the dune:
Somewhere down there, in the distance, after 2-3 km there is the border with the Kaliningrad region:
But the most fun is sliding down on your heels or rolling head over heels from a dune :) :
Having gone down the other road from the dune, we went through the forest to look for and see the lighthouse. Under the influence of constant winds from the sea, the forest grows at an angle:
Boys storm fallen trees:
Here is the lighthouse. Installed on a hill, it gives signals to ships both at sea and in the Curonian Lagoon. A powerful spotlight describes a circle every 5-10 seconds. Off during the day:
A tall lighthouse that doesn’t fit into the frame:
Shore of the Curonian Lagoon:
There are a lot of birds - mainly seagulls and ducks. Only one family of swans. We fed them bread:
The second parent also swam up, and now the two of them make sure that the children eat first:
And now the seashore. The Baltic Sea has cleared up:
And on another day the sea was very calm:
Shore and sea in thick fog
The main entertainment on the shore is throwing stones with a pancake:
There is a bus stop at the exit from Nida. Passengers waiting for the bus are carved from stone:
Juodkrantė, Witch Mountain:
Somehow my conscience does not allow me to sit on such a bench:
And in Juodkrante we bought smoked fish in this shop:
We drive along the spit back towards the ferry crossing to the mainland - to Klaipeda. There is only one road through the entire 98 km of the spit:
Practical information
Where to stay on the Curonian Spit? Renting housing on the Curonian Spit (in Neringa).
As always, I will describe three or four options.
Nida, hotel Jurate.
Anyone who carefully looked at this report saw a photo of the hotel. The building has a two-hundred-year history and was reconstructed after World War II. The hotel was named after the sea goddess. Located in the center of Nida, a stone's throw from the shore of the Curonian Lagoon. Today it consists of two buildings in three-story (+ attic) buildings, a total of 200 people can be accommodated at the same time. It seems to be open all year round (which is rare - the vast majority of hotels on the spit are open only during the holiday season). Everything in the rooms is spartan and simple, there is only the most necessary things - a bed, a wardrobe, a table, a chair, a TV, a toilet with a bathroom. There are a couple of suites consisting of two rooms, but the stay there is the same - a former Soviet hotel. Prices per room range from 40 to 105 euros per day, in principle this is inexpensive for a spit. At first we wanted to move into it, but we went looking for other options, and as a result we found a better option - with our own kitchen in a private apartment. What we didn’t like about Jurata was that the rooms were very cold and the heating didn’t work (the administration offered us a heater and two blankets each as compensation!).
There is Wi-Fi, parking and a cafe.
Address: Nida, Pamario , 3
Nida, hotel Neria.
This is already a three star hotel. About 60 rooms, the rooms have a refrigerator, air conditioning, satellite TV. There is a safe and Wi-Fi (for a fee), parking and a restaurant. Comfortable, beautiful and stylish overall. Location - in the center of Nida. Prices per room - from 50 to 120 euros per day
Address: Nida, Pamario gatve, 13
The best option (subjectively, for us) is a private apartment or apartment in a wooden house in the center of Nida. Having a kitchen with a refrigerator, stove and microwave was a significant plus for us. Many residents of Nida rent out their apartments (what is it - 95% of residents live only by renting out housing in the summer), so renting an apartment will not be a problem for you. You don’t have to bother with booking in advance; you’ll arrive, look at several options, evaluate and choose the best one, there won’t be any problems. The report contains a photo of our apartment from the outside (above). We stopped. The apartment was a one-room apartment in a one-story building, specially designed for rent, with a veranda, kitchen, bathroom, lawn and barbecue. We liked the ambience and accommodation, and the hosts were nice too, we can recommend it. Considering that we arrived in the off-season, the price was lower than usual - $45 per day. Owner's phone number + 370 698 81720, Mieczyslaw, Address G.D. Kuverto g. 5-2
Juodkrante, hotel or boarding house Ažuolinas.
Located on the shore of the Curonian Lagoon, next to the highway (there is only one highway on the spit). When we went to the spit, we considered it as an option for accommodation, but it turned out to be closed. And it’s good that it happened this way. Economy category in terms of furnishings, but you can’t tell from the price tag. The only bells and whistles in the rooms are cable TV, a bathroom, a desk and a chair. A former Soviet boarding house, but room prices start from 80 euros per day. It does not work in the autumn-winter period (this is understandable - in the autumn-winter there are practically zero tourists in Juodkrante, life there comes to a standstill, only crazy people like us can come :)). Those. The boarding house is open only during the holiday season, keep in mind.
Address: Juodkrantė, L. Rezos, g. 54
Where to eat in Nida? Cafes and restaurants in Nida
And here I will describe three eating places.
Kavine Kursis.
The impression we were left with was delicious, warm and cozy. This is the best place for leisurely breakfasts, especially in autumn and winter. There is a bay outside, cool or cold, but inside it is warm and cozy. Local residents and fishermen are sitting at a table nearby, slowly drinking coffee, reading a newspaper or a smartphone, with one eye watching the VH1 music on a plasma TV hung from the ceiling... The menu has many types of pancakes, there are potato pancakes, various omelettes, zeppelins and others hot goodies. They cook beautifully, that's for sure. I want to come there and come again. Although, I don’t know what’s going on there in the summer during the holiday season - maybe then there’s simply no way to enter this cafe due to the influx of vacationers and the waiters won’t be so attentive and polite, and the dishes won’t be so tasty. But these are just assumptions... And so - the highest rating. The cafe is featured in this report (see above). During non-resort times, this is almost the only constantly working cafe.
Address: Nida, Nagliu str
In Vino.
Here you can have a delicious lunch or dinner. Good selection of wines and hot dishes. The establishment is located in an old Soviet building, it is quite difficult to find, and if you are allergic to Soviet style, you will not like it there. But, I repeat, the cooks cook decently, the waiters try, and the check amount is not high.
Address: Taikos 32, Nida
Kitchen.
Very noisy. If you're looking for a quiet, romantic dinner, look elsewhere. The service is slow, the waitresses forget who ordered what, the prices are inflated. I don't recommend it.
Address: Pamario g.1, Naglio g.31, Nida
All about Lithuania:
Lithuania
Several years ago I visited the Curonian Spit from the Russian side. And since then I really wanted to drive it completely - comparisons for. True, this time it didn’t work out completely anyway - we had a one-time entry into the Schengen zone and big plans for Europe ahead. But we were able to see what the Lithuanian part of the braid looks like and the post is just about that. True, there are no highly artistic photographs under the cut, but you can get a general idea. In case anyone needs...
Unlike “our” part, you can only get to the spit from this side by ferry. It’s easy to find: drive into Klaipeda and follow the signs. The ferry runs frequently, I can’t say for sure, it seems like once every 20 minutes. 
There are several villages on this part of the Curonian Spit, the most popular of which are Nida and Juodkrante. They are built up with approximately the same houses, although there are prettier and taller ones. Typically hotels. 
And there are also such... Several “streets” of garage houses. In some, the lower part has also been converted into a living room. 
In Juodkrante there is one of the popular places on the Curonian Spit -. 
The name appeared a long time ago: at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, Jonines was celebrated on this hill (the holiday of Ivan Kupala in our opinion) and they looked for fern flowers in the night. Wooden sculptures began to appear here in 1979 - this year the first gathering of woodcarvers and blacksmiths took place. Now they come here almost every year. All figures are related to folklore - fairy tale heroes, devils, witches. 
Juodkrante also has a museum of weather vanes, a park of stone sculptures on the embankment and Amber Bay. In 1861, in Juodkrante, our amber treasure was discovered, in which jewelry and amulets from the Stone Age were discovered. 
The Curonian Spit is a unique place. On one side is the salty Baltic Sea, and on the other is the fresh Curonian Lagoon. Its total length is 98 kilometers, now it is divided almost in half between countries: Lithuania accounts for 50 kilometers. The narrowest point of the spit is 400 meters (it is on the Russian side), and the widest is 3.8 kilometers in the Nida area. 
The highest point is Mount Vetsekrugo with a height of 67.2 meters. The spit consists almost entirely of sand. The soil layer to which the plant’s roots manage to cling is only a few centimeters. At the same time, at the moment, 70% of the spit has managed to be overgrown with forest. The Curonian Spit began to be landscaped artificially in the 19th century. 
The flora is quite diverse - about 960 different species. The fauna is not so diverse, but not everything is bad either. At the end of the 19th century, moose began to be bred here and a cult of this animal was created. Now, they say, the livestock is no longer the same, but there are a lot of wild boars. By the way, there are no wolves on the spit. 
Not far from Nida (its roofs turn red there) there is an observation deck at an altitude of 52 meters. In the center there is something symbolizing a sundial. The height of this stone column is almost 14 meters, which allowed it to collapse safely during a hurricane. Later, the “tip” was built on and now this structure pleases with its colorful colors. 
Unfortunately, we don’t have any photographs of Nida: it was already getting dark and time was running out - we had to catch the ferry. Therefore, you will have to take my word for it that Nida is a very nice and cozy place. Or check it yourself...
