Curonian Spit National Park

Curonian Spit National Park (also know as Kuršių Nerijos Nacionalinis Parkas in Lithuanian) is a 264 km² park, located in the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit and the Curonian Lagoon, the northern ones.  It's widely protected by the network Natura 2000 and it's placed in the UNESCO World Heritage list. This National Park hosts some beautiful villages and towns like Smiltynė, Juodkrantė and Nida. In the Russian border it's continued by the Kurshskaya Kosa National Park.

How do I arrive to Curonian Spit National Park?

 The only way to reach this National Park  from Lithuania (it can be reached from the Russian part as well) is arriving to Smiltynė on a ferry from Klaipėda (0.80 €/ free  passenger/ bikes) which lasts 5 minutes, with a 30 minutes or 1 hour frequency between 6:30 and 23.

• Bus: there are regular buses to Juodkrantė from Smiltynė (aprox. 15 minutes) for 1.60 € (one way). There are also buses from Smiltynė to Nida (aprox. 45 minutes) for 3.60 € (one way).

 Once in the Park, a good choice to move along it is renting a bike (the bike can be rented in Klaipėda and take it in the ferry for free) and cycling along it. A very nice trip goes from Smiltynė to Nida (50 km).

History

According to Baltic mythology, the Curonian Spit was formed by Neringa (a giantess) who was playing on the seashore. From the 9th and the 11th,in the Russian location of Kaup, there was a major pagan trading centre (which hasn't been excavated yet). The Curonian Spit was occupied by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century (the Spit is said to have been the home of the last living speaker of the extint Old Prussian). From the 16th century onwards, the humans increased their impact in the spit (deforestation) and that led to the dunes taking over the spit and burying entire villages, making the Prussian government start a reforestation. In the 19th century the Curonian Spit was inhabited primarily by Kursenieki (Baltic ethnic group related to Latvians) with a significant German minority in the south and a Lithuanian minority in the north. Kursenieki almost disappeared due to assimilation and other reasons. In the late 19th century around Nida became popular for painters from the Kunstakademie Königsberg arts school. After World War I, Nida and the northern half of the Curonian Spit became part of the Klaipėda Region in the Treaty of Versailles and was annexed by Lithuania in 1923. After being annexed to Germany in 1939, after WW2 the German population was expelled and a ethnic clean took place. After the colapse of the Soviet Union, tourism flourished, specially from Germans visiting the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit. 
 

What can I visit in Curonian Spit National Park?

Visiting Curonian Spit National Park (1€/ 10€  5 days/ 1 month) is an awesome experience but it's a fragile environment, so we must reduce our impact on it. The National Park has some rules that have to be obeyed: it's forbidden fishing or touching the flora and fauna, sleeping on a camp van or a tent, making campfire isn't allowed and running in the dunes or going out of the pointed path is unlawful. These are many things to do in this National Park, explained now according to the town where they are or the nearest one:

• Smiltynė (Sandkrug in German): small part of Klaipeda municipality in the Curonian Spit. It's the Lithuanian entrance to the National Park and is popular as resort for Klaipeda citizens.
  • Lithuanian Sea Museum (10:30-16:30 from Oct to Jan; 10:30-17 from Feb to May and Sep; 10:30-18:30 from Jun to Aug; 10€/ 5€  adults/ retiree, students and kids): 19th century fort which hosts an important exhibition of stuffed sea animals, aquariums and sea animals shows.
  • Curonian Spit National Park Center Exposition (11-18 Wed-Sun from May to Sep; 1.16 €/ 0.58 €  adults/ kids): this exposition shows a bit of Curonian Spit flora and fauna and how important dunes are for the park and how they are being protected.
  • Ethnographic Fisherman’s Farmstead (from May to Sep; free): small museum that shows all types of farm buildings and houses found in seaside farmsteads and how their life was.
  • There are three beaches: Antrasis Smiltynės Beach (mixed), Smiltynė vyrų Beach (just for men) and Smiltynė Moterų Beach (just for woman). It's common that the not mixed beaches are nudist.
• Juodkrantė: (Šatnūrte in Kursenieki, Schwarzort in German): small and long village with 720 inhabitants in the Curonian lagoon side with a relaxed atmosphere and smoked fish smell.
  
  • Amber Bay: bay where in the 19th a lot of amber was found.
  • Cognitive Dendrologic Path (1.6 km): path that starts near Amber Bay and has Juodkrantė old forest trees and bushes, considered one of the most beautiful parts of forest in the National Park.
  • Hill of Witches: creative camp located on a dune was held in 1979, where folk masters built more than 80 oak sculptures related to Lithuanian folklore. Here there's also the Juodkrantė lighthouse.
  • Museum of Mineature Arts (11-18 Wed-Sun from May to Sep; 1 €/ 0.50 €/ free  adults/ students/ kids): museum has more than 300 works in display, like miniature portraits, medallions or copper carvings, located in a traditional Curonian wooden house from the 19th century.
  • St. Pranciškaus Asyžiečio Lutheran Church: 1885 Gothic style red-bricked building, which was used as a storage room during Soviet times, now regained its previous status.
  • Weather-vane Gallery (9-19 from May to Sep; 10-17 Apr and Oct): small museum sells amber jewery and Curonian wather-vane is nice.
  • The area has an important Heron and Cormorant Colony, acknowledged by the humans since the 19th century and the biggest in Lithuania, being populated since February till autumn. Next to the road there's an observation point to watch and hear them.
  • There are two beaches: Juodkrantė Beach and Juodkrantė South Beach.
• In the way from Judokrantė to Nida there are some natural attractions like Nagliai strict Nature Reserve (fulled of grey dunes, between Judokrantė and Preila) where it can be done the Nagliai strict Nature Reserve Cognitive path (1.1 km) or Dune Vecekrug, the highest in the Curonian Spit.
  
• Nida: (Nīde in Kursenieki, Nidden in German): small and long town with 2,385 inhabitants in the Curonian lagoon side with a relaxed atmosphere and smoked fish smell. In the 19th century it became an inspiration for artists and in 1930 the German writer Thomas Mann built a house here.
  • Neringa Museum of History (10-18 from Jun to Aug; 10-17 Tue-Sat from Sep to May; 3.80 €/ 1.50 €  adults/ students and kids): this museum shows the history of Nida, from the Stone Age to the beginning of WW2, with objects and white and black pictures (specially surprising the picture of hunters killing crows from a bite in the neck). There's a ticket for Nida Fisherman’s Ethnographic Homestead, Nerigna Museum of History and Thomas Mann Museum (1 € /0.50 €  adults/students and kids).
    
  • Thomas Mann Museum (10-18 from Jun to Sep; Tue-Sat 10-17 from Oct to May; 2.50€/ 1 €  adults/ students and kids): former summer house of the Nobel prize awarded Thomas Mann is now a museum about him that shows his life here and its influence on his work.
  • Museum of Hermann Blode Hotel (8-20 from May to Sept; free): this hotel, known as Artists’ House, hosted most of the artists during Nida's brightness days, like Thomas Mann, Ludwig Passarge, Ernst Bischoff-Culm, Hans Beppo Borschke or the poet Walter Heymann.
  • V. and K. Mizgiriai Amber Gallery-Museum (9-20 from Jun to Aug; 10-19 from Apr-May and Sep-Oct; 1.25 €/ 0.60 €  adults/ kids): museum where the visitor can not only see the history of the use of amber but also buy amber jewery, discover the manufacturing techniques and even see artist create.
  • Nida Lutheran Church (10-18): 1888 Gothic red-bricked building, whose cementery is fulled of krikstai (crosses that helps deceased go to heaven).
  • Nida Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead (10-18 from Jun to Aug; Tue-Sat 10-17 from Sep to May; 1 € /0.50 €  adults/students and kids): this places shows the life of fishermen in the Curonian Spit during the 19th century and it's kurėnas (traditional boat).
  • Dune Urbas: one of the highest dunes in Nida where it's located an old lighthouse, Nida Lighthouse. Not far from here is located Nida Beach, nudist.
  • Dune Parnidis: this dune can be walked over some steps, having an awesome view of virgin dunes, even watching the Russian side of the Curonian Spit. It can be reached following Parnidis Cognitive Path (1.8 km).

Curonian Dune

Thomas Mann Museum in Nida

Where can I eat in Curonian Spit National Park?

Smoked karšis

The best choice in this National Park is eating local food. The main one is smoked with, with many kinds like ungurys (European eel), starkis (zander), stinta (smelt), ešerys (perch) and karšis (bream). Wild stawberries, blueberries and more berries just picked from the forest are delicious. In Juodkrantė you can eat smoked food in many places in Liudviko Rėzos gatvė or buying food. Some of the best restaurants are Vila Flora pension one (Kalno gatvė 7a) and Pamaro Takas (L. Rėzos gatvė 42), both serving Lithuanian food. In all the National Park there are supermarket where you can buy other food, but be aware that it's an spit and all will be more expensive (specially things which aren't local). Nida is bigger so there's more offer of things to eat. Some good places to taste smoked fish are Tik Pas Jona (Nagių gatvė 6-1), Užeiga Sena Sodyba (Nagių gatvė 6) or Ešerinė (Nagių gatvė 2), the former with low prize and the two latter with medium prize. Other choices are Nidos seklyčia (Lotmiškio gatvė 1) and the bar Kolibris (Nagių gatvė 14) and its šaltibarščiai (cold beet soup). If you loved smoked fish, a good idea could be going to Rūkyta žuvis (smoked fish market), at Nagių gatvė 18.

Posted in: Europe,Lithuania,National Park