The
Curonian Spit (, , , , ) is a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-
dune spit that separates the
Curonian Lagoon from the
Baltic Sea.
Geography
The Curonian Spit stretches from the
Sambian Peninsula on the south to its northern tip next to a narrow
strait, across which is the port city of
Klaipėda on the mainland of
Lithuania. The northern 52 km long stretch of the Curonian Spit peninsula belongs to Lithuania, while the rest is part of the
Kaliningrad Oblast,
Russia (see the map). The width of the spit varies from a minimum of 400m in Russia (near the village of
Lesnoye) to a maximum of 3,800 m in Lithuania (just north of
Nida).
History
Curonian Spit and Lagoon
According to
Baltic mythology, the Curonian Spit was formed by a
giantess,
Neringa, who was playing on the seashore. This child also appears in other myths (in some of which she is shown as a young strong woman, similar to a female version of the Greek
Heracles).
The Curonian Spit was formed about
5,000 years ago. From ca. 800 to 1016, it was the location of
Kaup, a major
pagan trading centre which has not been
excavated yet. The
Teutonic Knights occupied the area in the 13th century, building their castles at
Memel (1252),
Neuhausen (1283), and at
Rossitten (1372).
In the 16th century, a new period of
dune formation began.
Deforestation of the spit due to
overgrazing,
timber harvesting, and building of boats for the siege of
Königsberg in 1757 led to the dunes taking over the spit and burying entire villages. Alarmed by these problems, the
Prussian government sponsored large-scale revegetation and
reforestation efforts, which started in 1825. Owing to these efforts, much of the spit is now covered with forests. In the 19th century the Curonian Spit was inhabited primarily by
Curonians (
Kursenieki) with a significant German minority in the south and a Lithuanian minority in the north. The population of Curonians eventually dwindled due to assimilation and other reasons; it is close to non-existent these days and even before 1945, when the spit had become totally ethnic German. Until the 20th century, most people in the area made their living by fishing. The German population was expelled after
World War II.
After the breakup of the
Soviet Union, tourism flourished; many
Germans, mostly the descendants of the inhabitants of the area, choose the Curonian Spit (especially Nida, as no visas are needed for Germans in Lithuania) as their holiday destination.
From 2002-2005 local environmentalists in both Kaliningrad Oblast and Lithuania protested against
Lukoil's plans to exploit the
D6 oilfield, which is in the territorial waters of Russia 22.5 km from the Curonian Spit, due to the possible great damage to the environment and tourism (a vital source of income in the area) in case of
oil leakage. These concerns did not engender support in the government of Russia. They were, however, supported by the government of Lithuania, as the oilfield is just about four km from the boundary of Lithuanian territorial waters and the prevailing northward
currents means that the Lithuanian coastlines would receive a large part of potential damage in case of leakage. However, the opposition to the exploitation of D6 oilfield met little international support and the oil platform was opened in 2005.
Reforestation may have been 'sponsored' at some point by the Prussian government, but most reports state in the late 1800's George David Kuwert, the owner of a post station in Nida, began the spit’s reforestation.
Current state
Landsat photo
The Curonian Spit is home to the highest moving (drifting) sand dunes in
Europe. Their average height is 35 m, but some attain the height of 60 m.
The largest town on the spit is
Nida in Lithuania, a popular
holiday resort, mostly frequented by Lithuanian and German tourists. The northern shoreline of Curonian Spit is the site of
beaches for tourists. Both Russian and Lithuanian parts of the spit are
national parks.
The settlements of the Curonian Spit (from north to south) are:
The first six are on the Lithuanian side, while the last three are on the Russian side. The Russian side of the Curonian Spit belongs to
Zelenogradsk district of the
Kaliningrad Oblast, while the Lithuanian side is partitioned among
Klaipėda city municipality and
Neringa municipality.
There is a single road that traverses the whole length of the Curonian Spit. In the Russian side it goes to
Zelenogradsk, while on the Lithuanian side it goes to
Smiltynė. The spit is not connected to mainland Lithuania. Car
ferries provide a transportation link between
Smiltynė, located on the spit, and the port town of Klaipėda.
Since 2000, the Curonian Spit has been on
UNESCO's
World Heritage List under cultural criteria "V" (
an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture [...], or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change).
Environmental concerns
The Curonian Spit is known for its fine sandy beaches.
There are various environmental concerns related to the Curonian Spit, which is often promoted as a refuge of clean nature.
Due to the importance of tourism and fishing for the regional economy, pollution of sea and coastlines may have disastrous effects for the area as both the unique nature and the economy would be damaged. The construction of the oil platform at the
D6 oilfield (in the territorial waters of Russia, 22.5 kilometres from the coastline of the Curonian Spit ()) in 2005 has raised concerns over possible oil spills.
Another concern is that increased tourism destroys the very nature that attracts it. For this reason, various measures have been taken, such as banning tourists from hiking in certain areas of the spit.
Natural hazards are also more dangerous in the Curonian Spit than elsewhere in
Lithuania or the
Kaliningrad Oblast. For example, storms tend to be stronger here. Due to the importance of trees in preventing soil erosion, forest fires that happen in summer are more dangerous to the ecology.
See also
