Along the coast of the Baltic Sea, partly in Russia and partly in Lithuania, there is a 98-kilometer-long, saber-shaped strip of land: the Curonian Spit.
Its name, like the name of the bay it separates from the sea, is associated with the ancient Curonian tribes who lived here before the colonization of Prussia by the Germans. For its amazing relief and biodiversity, the Curonian Spit was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000 as an outstanding cultural landscape.
The width of this sandy strip varies from 400 to 3800 meters. The Russian-Lithuanian border is located at the 49th kilometer, if you count from the city of Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region. On both the Russian and Lithuanian sides, the Curonian Spit is officially a nature reserve with the status of a national park. 72% of the territory is occupied by forests, in which more than 600 species of trees, bushes and plants grow.
Elk, roe deer, wild boar, fox and other animals live here: a total of 296 species. But there are even more birds on the Curonian Spit: an ancient migration route of 160 species of birds from the northern regions of Europe to the south of the continent and to North Africa passes through it.
During migration days, up to a million birds fly over the spit daily, and another 102 species nest there permanently. This gave the Curonian Spit the unofficial name of "bird bridge", and these representatives of the fauna are studied by scientists working at the oldest ornithological station in Europe, the foundation of which was laid by the German ornithologist I. Thienemann back in 1901.
Along the entire length of the spit there are sandy beaches, allowing you to swim both in the freshwater bay and in the salty Baltic Sea. The resort season itself is short, but you can enjoy the natural attractions of the Curonian Spit from May to November. Many interesting tourist routes have been created here, which can be seen in our panoramas.
Unfortunately, the Curonian Spit is a very vulnerable natural area. By the beginning of the 17th century, deforestation had already brought this land area to the brink of an ecological disaster: roads, trees and buildings were gradually blocked by wandering dunes.
Only after the drifting sands had caused the shallowing of the coastal part of the bay and began to threaten the existence of shipping, the local authorities (at that time, the rulers of East Prussia) began to take decisive measures to combat desertification and erosion. And in order to cut off the direct flow of sand from the sea beaches, a protective dune wall was built - an avandune, stretching along the entire hundred-kilometer sea coast.
Efforts to preserve this natural monument continue to this day, but the elements are always one step ahead.
Due to the frequent raging Baltic storms, accompanied by strong winds, sandy beaches are washed away, and dunes slide into the water. Our panoramas allow us to preserve the picturesque landscapes of the Curonian Spit, at least in a virtual format.
We would like to express our gratitude for assistance in filming. Kursiu Nerija National Park.
Virtual tour
Spherical 360 video
Source: travel.ru
