Curonian Spit

As everybody described Lithuanian part of Curonian Spit I will focus on Russian part of this cultural heritage site. Visited in July, 2019, while it was possible to visit Kaliningrad Oblast (Królewiec Area) without Russian visa.

Access from Polish side - border crossing at Grzechotki / Mamonovo - 2 by own car, and then normal transit via Zelenogradsk towards Curonian Spit National Park (Национальный Парк Куршская Коса). Entrance to the park from Russian side is paid - 150 rubles per person and 300 rubles per vehicle. The point where they collect money is located here 54°58'33.0"N 20°31'13.7"E (Kontrol'no-Propusknoy Punkt Natsional'nogo Parka Kurshskaya Kosa, контрольно-пропускной пункт национального парка Куршская коса). The booth is located some 30 meters from the main road, so if you want to buy the ticket to enter the park, you just stop the car on the road (there is no parking space) blocking the passage. There is always a huge traffic jam before the ticket booth in the morning (the queue usually starts at Zelenogradsk - 2-3 km from the booth).

Russian part is pretty similar to Lithuanian one but for me the villages are far less preserved. First on a way, Lesnoy looks like any other Russian village - many new houses built of white bricks. Rybaczij (Rossiten) is a little bit more similar to German towns (some old buildings are still preserved) but overall impression is somehow disappointing. As far as I remember Lithuanian villages are far more better preserved and maintained.

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August 2017 - after visiting Latvia, unfortunately just the Western part with Riga. We stayed overnight in a nationalpark Not far from Klaipeda. Next morning we parked our car in Klaipeda, grabbed our folding bikes, took the ferry over and the bus to Nida. The bus took a while and all you could see lot of forests.

Finally we arrived in Nida and had early lunch in one of the cute fishermans houses. Also in Nida we visited the house of Thomas Mann situated on a hill. From there a bikepath back to the ferry would Lead us 50 km north. What an adventure! To allow some stopovers, we had to Pedal quite fast. We drove through wonderful smelling pine forests. Had 2 longer breaks to take a swim in the baltic and took the hike on top of a dune, which is among europes largests. I can recommend to everybody taking the bike. It is a wonderful dayfilling bikeride and the best way to get the essence of this whs.

Before World War 2 the Baltics had a substantial German population. Germany proper extended all the way to East Prussia with its capital Königsberg. But many Germans also settled further North in the Baltic states. Indeed, most places in the Baltics also have historic German names (e.g. Reval for Tallinn). And plenty of historic figures were of German ancestry. Take our beloved Struve Arcs. Struve was German and taught at was then a German university in Tartu/Dorpat.

As such, travelling the area you will meet plenty of Germans trying to connect to their ancestors. The Curonian Split features quite heavily in these itineraries as it was a prime travel destination of the locals; and still is.

The Split itself is arguably man made. The Prussians intervened to stabilize the dunes and protect it against the sea. It is this engineering feat for which the site was inscribed. Personally, I enjoyed hiking the woods, the beeches and the dunes, but felt a bit hard pressed to pin point the OUV.

Apart from the beeches Nida nowadays boasts two main attractions:

• The old wooden tourist houses in the city center. The most prominent one used to belong to Thomas Mann.
• The big Parnidis dune South of the city.

Getting There and Around

Thanks to Air Baltic plenty of locations in the Baltics are within reach and budget. Only caveat is that you will have to transfer at Riga. I flew via …

I visited this WHS in August 2016. I based myself in Nida for 2 nights just opposite the Horn of Bulvikis, the widest point of the spit (3.8km). Just next to my timber guesthouse serving delicious savoury blinis for breakfast, there was a pyramid marble structure with the UNESCO inscription plaque engraved on it. From there I followed the 1.7km Parnidis self-guided path in the Neringa National Park. The highest point of this path is the 52m Parnidis Dune and sundial. The panoramic view of Nida and the rest of the Curonian Spit from there is beautiful especially at sunset and sunrise (when no tour buses are around). Since I had more time to spend, I decided to hike towards the protected nature reserve with several shrubs, flowers, plants and trees growing on the sand dunes. The landscape is quite surreal there and the peace and quiet priceless. Small passerine birds and sea birds thrive on this undisturbed stretch of the spit. There are fenced off areas towards the forests to prevent direct access to the Russian border, however if you carry enough water and keep on walking along the dunes closest to the lagoon there is a clear path which will actually lead you to the Russian part of the Curonian Spit. I walked at least 10km as the sundial and viewpoint were not visible any longer and I could clearly see the Baltic sea on the Russian side. Suddenly, as I caught sight of a Russian watchtower, I …

The Curonian Spit always has been a bit of an enigma to me. Who were these Curonians? And what is a Spit anyway? The Dutch translation (‘Schoorwal’) did not really help me as it is also a very uncommon word, used primarily to address the Curonian Spit. So I was happy that we decided to have our WH meeting in Vilnius this year: with a few extra days I could check out this WHS too. I stayed for two nights in Klaipéda, the easiest access point to the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit.

Besides its name, another part of the site’s mystery is why it was designated a WHS. It was put forward under 7 natural and cultural criteria. But in the end, it was only recognized for one: the efforts, started by the Prussians in the 19th century and continued by the Lithuanian and Russian authorities after WWII, to save this sand dune peninsula from erosion. Constantly moving sand dunes even had made whole villages disappear. Large-scale (re)afforestation was started to keep the sand in place.

Forest still is one of its main features: my first impression of the peninsula was driving by bus from Smitylne to Nida. Especially the first half-hour or so goes on a narrow road through a dense forest. The Lithuanian road ends after 50km in the town of Nida, close to the Russian border which unfortunately cannot be crossed easily (one needs a Russian visa and a mode of transport). Nida …

I am married to a Lithuanian lady ,we go there regually to visit her family. On one such visit we holidayed in Nida on the Curonian Spit.As an Englishman I have never seen the like in England.You sit down for breakfast in a modernish restaurant then take a walk for about a mile and you have gone back 200 years in time. For me the most peaceful and tranquil place on earth.

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 …