Curonian Spit -
Lithuania Travel,
Tours, Vacations HD
World Travel https://www.youtube.com/user/World1Tube
The Curonian Spit is a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the
Curonian Lagoon from the
Baltic Sea coast. Its southern portion lies within
Kaliningrad Oblast,
Russia and its northern within southwestern Lithuania. It is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site shared by the two countries.
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
400 m in Russia (near the village of Lesnoy) to a maximum of 3,
800 m in Lithuania (just north of
Nida).
Geologic history
The Curonian Spit was formed about
3rd millennium BC.[1] A glacial moraine served as its foundation; winds and sea currents later contributed enough sand to raise and keep the formation above sea level.
The existence of this narrow shoal is inherently threatened by the natural processes that govern coastal shoreline features.[2] It depends on a dynamic balance between sand transport and deposition. If (hypothetically) the source area to the south-west were cut off, say, by a large port construction with a pier, the
Spit would erode and eventually disappear. It is thus a geologically speaking ephemeral coast element. The most likely development, however, is that the shallow bay inside the Spit will eventually fill up with sediment, thus creating new land.
Current state
The Curonian Spit is home to the highest moving (drifting) sand dunes in
Europe. Their average height is 35 meters, but some attain the height of 60 meters. Several ecological communities are present on and near the Spit, from its outer beaches to dune ridges, wetlands, meadows, and forests.[4] Its location on the
East Atlantic Flyway means it is frequently visited by migratory waterfowl. Between 10 and 20 million birds fly over the feature during spring and fall migrations, and many pause to rest or breed there.
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 the
Russian and Lithuanian parts of the spit are national parks. The settlements of the Curonian Spit (from north to south) are:
Smiltynė
Alksnynė
Juodkrantė
Pervalka
Preila
Nida
Morskoe
Rybachy
Lesnoy
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
Zelenogradsky 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.
Human history
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).
From ca. 800 to 1016, the Spit 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). The Spit may have been the home of the last living speaker of a now-extinct
Baltic language,
Old Prussian.
===================
Curonian spit national park, curonian spit reviews, curonian spit travel guide, curonian spit photos, curonian spit accommodation, neringa lithuania, Curonian Spit - Lithuania Curonian Spit
Travel, Curonian Spit Tours, Curonian Spit Vacations, Curonian Spit - Lithuania Travel, Lithuania Tours, Lithuania Vacations HD
- published: 29 Jan 2014
- views: 2566