There are many different interesting places on the globe. We are not talking here about hard-to-reach beauties, but only about those where anyone can get without any problems. A truly unique corner of our planet is the Curonian Spit, which separates the freshwater Curonian Lagoon and the s alty B altic Sea with a narrow strip. In 1987, it was in these places that the National Park of the same name was formed the very first in Russia. We will talk about him today, but let's start with history.
History of the Curonian Spit
This landscape object was created by nature about five thousand years ago thanks to the sand driven by the waves of the B altic Sea and the wind. And about three hundred years ago, the Curonian Spit was transformed by human hands, moreover, concretely. It is for this reason that the peninsula (as a common Lithuanian-Russian international site) was included as a cultural landscape and notnatural site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Where did this name come from? Before the colonization of Prussia by the Germans, the Curonians lived here - ancient tribes, that's where the name came from. In the tenth century, the Vikings lived in these places, which was confirmed by excavations in 2008, although the first traces were discovered as early as 1893.
What is this object now
What is the Curonian Spit like today? Photos of local beauties and landscapes will help us a little to answer this question. Only here in one day you can see completely different, sometimes completely opposite landscapes: sandy deserts and meadows covered with lichen and moss, dry pine forests and damp alder forests, undersized thickets of mountain pine and tall pines, southern taiga and broad-leaved forest, flat fields and sandy mountains, lowland and raised bogs.
Sandy beaches in these places stretch for tens of kilometers like lake and bay shores, several scientific stations and fishing villages. On the spit, human activity and natural processes are very closely intertwined, which have significantly transformed local reliefs over the past thousand years. The same continues today, which is why the natural system of the spit is very vulnerable and fragile.
Description of the Curonian Spit
What is the Curonian Spit geographically? The map explains this quite clearly. The sandy peninsula has a total length of 98 km, including the Russian part - 48 km. The width varies from fourkilometers to four hundred meters. The area of the park is 7890 hectares. Rybachy, Lesnoye and Morskoye are three villages located on this territory.
The top of the peninsula near the city of Klaipeda (in the north) is separated by a narrow strait from the mainland, and the base rests on the Sambia Peninsula near the city of Zelenogradsk. Similar objects can be found, but with such a length, dimensions, dunes, richness of fauna and flora, beauties of landscapes, there are no analogues of the Curonian Spit not only in Europe, but throughout the world.
Climate and local infrastructure
The weather here changes very often, and the seasons have the following characteristics: winter is mild, summer is moderately warm, autumn is warm, spring is cool. What else can the Curonian Spit boast of? The photo of the area invites us to look at the magnificent beach near the bay, near the village of Morskoye. Due to the shallow depth of the bay, up to a maximum of four meters, the water temperature in summer reaches 26 degrees.
The spit is a bird migration route that connects Karelia, Finland and the B altic states with Africa and southern Europe. In autumn and spring, a very high density of migration flow is observed here. All this creates very favorable conditions for their ringing. Therefore, back in 1901, Professor Thienemann organized one of the world's first ornithological stations in these places. Not so long ago, since 1957, this is the biostation of the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation.
How to get here
With transportthere is no problem with the message. But, of course, these places are not pilgrimage sites, so buses do not run every five minutes. But the Kaliningrad-Kosa Curonian bus runs regularly from both Klaipeda and Svetlogorsk. They run approximately once an hour. By the way, tourists who come here do not have to stock up on food for the future, each village has a grocery store. And you need to remember about the need for a visa when visiting Lithuania.
Information for those who come by private transport: prepare 300 rubles for entry by car, even if you have a vacation ticket. The fee for the ecology of the region is not charged only for those who arrive by public transport. Rest on the Curonian Spit also includes walking along the tourist routes developed by the park management. So, if you are tired of the bustle of the city and want peace, silence, clean air and the sea, come to these places - you will not regret it. Solitude with nature will refresh you well before returning home to ordinary life.
Tourist routes and bans
What should travelers who decide to come here by bus Kaliningrad-"Curonian Spit" know? Only the zone of settlements and the territory reserved for educational tourism can be freely visited here. All other places need constant protection and care, as they are very vulnerable, entrance and entry to them is paid.
You also need to know about the six hiking trails available in the Curonian Spit park. Route mapposted on information boards. They are called: “Muller's Height”, “Fringilla”, “Ef's Height”, “Dancing Forest”, “King's Forest”, “Swan Lake”. There is a protected area, which is located between 46 and 49 kilometers of the spit, people are forbidden to be there.
Also not allowed on its territory:
- Use open fire and set up tents, except in places specially designated for this.
- Park vehicles and drive off paved roads except in designated areas.
- Collect medicinal plants and walk the dunes.
- Walking dogs off-leash and riding ATVs.
- Chop bushes and trees.
When on the tourist trail, stick to the route and stay on the track.
Curonian Spit National Park and its famous “Dancing Forest”
“The Dancing Forest” is a unique place in the Curonian Spit. Why is it so striking to our attention? All its pines are twisted into a ring, branched or intricately curved. In addition, there are no other trees in this section of the forest. According to environmentalists, this forest is the most fragile place in this area and tourists only harm it, cause irreparable damage. They touch trees, climb on them, trample the soil. Therefore, a special ecological path has been laid through the territory of the forest, and vacationers are asked not to leave it, to move only along the flooring.
Very surprising behavior of pines hosting such amazingforms. After all, they usually grow perfectly even. The reasons for the phenomenon have not yet been established. Experts spread their hands and allow a variety of versions - from the intervention of aliens to the effects of electromagnetic fields.
Dangers awaiting tourists on the Curonian Spit
The entire Curonian Spit was examined, excursions to famous places were held. What to do next? You can swim and have a good rest on the sea beaches located near the villages of Morskoe, Rybachy, Lesnoye, at the Museum of the National Park, at the tourist base "Dunes", not far from the parking lots of the routes "Efa Height" and "Korolevskiy Bor". But, traveling through the forest, walking along the routes, you must always remember the dangers that lie in wait almost at every step. In these places, ticks are common, which are carriers of Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis.
Before entering the forest, tuck in your clothes, do everything to prevent the possibility of a tick getting on your body as much as possible. Returning home, carefully examine the body and clothing. In a number of forest places in July-August, there is a marching silkworm, a caterpillar that causes a rather strong allergic reaction with its hairs.
Rest at the recreation center "B altika"
We are considering options for spending holidays by Russian, and not only, tourists, but have not asked why many of them want to spend their holidays on the Curonian Spit? And the answer is quite simple. Let's take only one category of people - those who want to spend time at sea, but cannot standthe heat of countries such as the Mediterranean. These travelers are attracted by the cozy and beautiful places of the Kaliningrad seaside. Probably, the Curonian Spit is one of the most famous and popular places here. Fans of organized recreation choose one of the places specialized for this, the B altika base, which is located in a very convenient place - the village of Lesnoy, which is directly on the spit itself. Here you will appreciate not only the quality of service, but also low prices and a homely atmosphere.
This recreation center with 24 rooms is located just 200 meters from the sea with a sandy beach, next to beautiful pine forests. It is intended mainly for a quiet family vacation, which will be not only pleasant, but also very useful. Especially for those who suffer from diseases of the nervous and respiratory systems, or have reduced immunity. Here they will feed you well and tasty, organize excursions along the spit, beach holidays. You can get here and back without any problems, besides, there is a transfer order.
Excursions in the Curonian Spit
Travel companies organize a number of different, interesting excursions around the peninsula. Not only in Russian, but also in other languages. What can the Curonian Spit park offer tourists? Several excursions of your choice:
- Introductory tour during which you will visit: the dead dunes in Pervalka, the Witches Mountain in Juodkrante, the sundial, the coast of the B altic Sea, the gothic evangelical church and much more.
- Study tour of Nida, along the following route: Parnigio dune, Gothic church, Tom Mann's house, etc.
- Trip to the National Park.
- A canoe trip where you can observe the unique changes of the spit.
- Catamaran trip, approx. eight hours, with a picnic in Venta and a visit to the lighthouse.
We have considered only a few, but there are many other equally interesting routes. Enjoy your holiday!
