Tuši's blog: 15449

Lithuania: Road Trip - Lithuania, Day 8: Curonian Spit / Kuršių nerija / Ку́ршская коса́

Lithuania and neighbouring Kaliningrad Oblast are home to one of the largest moving sand dunes in Europe. The Curonian Spit is a unique, vulnerable, sandy cultural landscape, that was formed and shaped by the sea, wind and some human activity. The Spit is located on a seashore, and also features small Curonian lagoon settlements.

After the morning walk by the Baltic Sea and the mushroom breakfast, we moved our asses into Dizlca and soon we were on the Klaipėda - Smiltynė ferry. After 5 minutes we landed on the northern tip of the Curonian Spit. After a while we also paid the 30€ entrance fee (per van) and then we were ready for adventures, that began on the far South. We wanted to take a closer look at the Kaliningrad Oblast, but the army guy soon started shouting at us and turned us around. So we began acting like a normal tourists and we visited the Nida, some dunes and for the end we took our girls to Hill of Witches.

Previous day of our road trip to Lithuania: Day 7, Day 6, Day 5, Day 4, Day 3, Day 2, Day 1.

Our previous road trips: Romania 2017, Ukraine 2018, Bulgaria 2019.

Morning at the Baltic Sea, where the temperature of the sea was around 18 °C.

In June 1939, the naval command from Berlin issued an order to begin construction of artillery batteries. Nordmole battery was one of them.

Morning rainbow.

Empty beach.

On the Melnrage pier. In Lithuanian Melnrage means Black Horn or Black Cape.

"Walking with a Fish" by the sculptors Svajūnas Jurkus and Sergejus Plotnikovas and an architect Vytautas Paulionis.

Meanwhile back at the apartment drone went out for a walk. View to the North.

Sandy beaches with green trees behind it.

Look to the houses of the Melnragė district. We were situated in one of them.

On the ferry.

According to some "verified" tip, we moved the sign and continued to the border Lithuania - Kaliningrad Oblast.

Last meters, before we were escorted by the Lithuanian army guy far back to the place, where we moved the sign. Obviously our information wasn't quite accurate, since the army guy was pissed off. After that, we also tested the off road capabilities of our van. No issues found.

Exploring Nida, the westernmost point of Lithuania and the Baltic states.

Port in Nida overlooking to Curonian Lagoon.

The Curonian Lagoon is a freshwater lagoon separated from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit. Its surface area is 1619 square kilometres. The Neman River supplies about 90% of its inflows.

Continuously threatened by sand drifts, the Nida village was moved away from the approaching dune to today's position in the 1730s.

Like in an old fisherman’s house - The Ethnographic Fisherman’s Homestead.

Something serious is happening here.

Maja was swinging in the rhythm of birds singing.

2nd attempt to visit the Kaliningrad Oblas the westernmost federal subject of Russia.

View to the South, where Curonian Spit continues in Russia.

Nida and view to the North. Curonian Spit is 98-kilometre long, thin, curved sand-dune spit.

Towards the Parnidis dune, rising up to 52 metres.

Scientists estimated that each person climbing or descending on the steep dune slopes moves several tons of sand, so hikers are allowed to climb only in designated paths.

A granite sundial was built on the dune in 1995 and it was rebuilt in 2011 following storm damage. The sundial, a 13.8 meters high stone pillar, accurately shows the time. It consists of small steps covered with granite slabs, carved with hour and half-hour notches, as well as one notch for each month, and four additional notches for solstices and equinoxes. From the astronomical point of view Parnidis Dune is an ideal place for the sundial in Lithuania.

Maja and Ana.

Scientists estimate that due to the prevailing westerly winds, these traveling dunes move from 0.5 to 10 m per year to the east.

After a climb to 52 meters, we needed a refreshment drinks.

Parnidis dune is one of the highest sand dunes in Europe and in the past it had a height of more than 60 meters.

Sculpture called Prieš vėją - Against the Wind.

Geocaching on our way.

In front of the museum you can see the Curonian pennant.

Before we left Nida, we had to scare some birds.

Our next hike was to Preilos (Menininkų) kopa or Preila (Artists) dune.

During the Soviet era, several painters liked to paint on Preila dune, therefore its second name, Artists dune, grew among the Preili people. We were there just to admire the view.

One more dune? Nada decided to visit The Gray Dunes, while the others decided to rest and have a beer.

Second name for the Gray Dunes is the Dead Dunes.

The Dead Dunes still obscure four villages and two cemeteries that were swallowed by the shifting sands between 1675 and 1854, when the dunes were travelling 0.5 to 15 meters per year.

As a protected area within a protected area, the Dead Dunes are one of the most dramatic and botanically significant features of this unique geological formation.

The last attraction, that we visited on Curonian Spit, was Raganų kalnas - Hill of Witches.

Ana, Nada and Maja felt quite comfortable in the area.

Begun in 1979, it has been expanded several times, and now contains about 80 wooden sculptures along with a series of trails. The artists drew on a long tradition of woodcarving in Samogitia, and on the equally long tradition of Joninės celebrations on the hill. The pieces depict characters from Lithuanian folklore and pagan traditions.

A visit to the Hill of Witches tells, through beautiful carvings, the story of beautiful Neringa and evil Naglis. Neringa, was a friendly female giant who lived on Lithuania's coast. A dragon named Naglis wanted to marry her, but when she refused, he threatened disasters. To save local Lithuanians from the dragon’s wrath, Neringa made a great barrier of sand, now called the Curonian Spit. This barrier of sand and the calm Curonian Lagoon protected coastal Lithuanians from violent storms on the Baltic Sea.