Curonian Spit National Park

Name: Restaurant Usadba
Address: 8A Zarechnaya Street, Orlovka, Kaliningrad Region, RU
Telephone: +74012384850

1.5 hours from Usadba

2 hours from central Kaliningrad

2 hours by car from Fishing Village

About the Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit is a strip of land between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea, covered in sand dunes and pine forests. It stretches for 98 km, with a width ranging from 400 metres near Lesnoy to 3.8 km at Bulvikis Cape, north of Nida.

History

9TH CENTURY

The spit takes its name from the Curonians, a pagan West Baltic people who settled here in the 9th century. They regarded the forest as sacred and worshipped their gods there.

13TH CENTURY

The Teutonic Order conquered the Curonian Spit. Its territory was divided, with one part coming under Church authority and the other belonging to the Order.

1871

The Curonian Spit became part of the German Empire. Fifty years later, the Klaipeda Revolt led to the northern part of the spit joining Lithuania.

1939

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Curonian Spit and the Klaipeda Region became part of Germany. After the Soviet victory, part of the spit joined the Lithuanian SSR, while its southern section became part of the Kaliningrad Region of the Russian SFSR.

1991

After the dissolution of the USSR, Lithuania became independent and the northern Curonian Spit once again formed part of the Republic of Lithuania. The southern section remained in the Kaliningrad Region.

How the Curonian Spit formed

Scientific explanations

One theory places the spit's origins in the earliest period of the Stone Age, following a disaster in the Atlantic Ocean. An island or even a continent is thought to have sunk, causing a tsunami that reshaped the shores of what are now the British Isles and surrounding areas. Long waves reached the Baltic and formed the two spits now known as the Curonian and Baltic spits.

Another explanation suggests that Baltic Sea currents gradually deposited the sand that formed the spit.

The legend of Neringa

Long ago, a Curonian tribe lived beside the lagoon. Their leader, King Karwait, had a kind-hearted giantess daughter named Neringa. A sea dragon asked to marry her, bringing fabulous riches from sunken ships. Neringa refused. Enraged, the dragon struck the water with its huge tail, raising a storm that threatened to drown the village. To protect her people, Neringa filled her apron with sand and poured it over the dragon until it disappeared. The sea grew calm, and a sandy road emerged. Later generations turned it into a green, majestic spit. The dragon beneath the sand still wakes from time to time, causing the spit's sandy hills, or dunes, to move.

What to see

Six dedicated walking routes take visitors to the spit's main natural and cultural landmarks.

For easier navigation, download the Curonian Spit mobile app. This personal guide offers an engaging tour of the national park's highlights. Its navigation feature works without an internet connection.

Royal Forest

Dancing Forest.

Fringilla Field Station

Muller Height

Efa Dune

Swan Lake

Threats to the Curonian Spit

Wind, water and human activity constantly threaten the spit's survival. Adverse weather, irresponsible human actions, fires, development and tourism are among the factors that can damage this natural treasure.

The territory is carefully protected to prevent erosion and destruction. On both sides of the border, the spit lies within national parks whose status provides oversight and protection.

Despite restrictions, some visitors continue to walk or drive on the dunes, leave designated nature trails, climb trees in the famous Dancing Forest or strip bark as a souvenir.

Penalties apply: individual visitors can be fined RUB 15,000–30,000, while legal entities can be fined RUB 100,000–400,000.

How to get here

Getting here

Scheduled buses serve the spit, with more frequent services in summer than in the off-season. Check departure times on the bus station website for your starting city. Hiring a car is the most convenient way to visit the spit.

1.5 hours from Usadba

45 minutes from central Kaliningrad

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