Lithuanian summer paradise - Nida

Summer in Lithuania has something different than in other countries - it has strong wild strawberries and a grassland smell. During the night, the smell is so strong, that you can feel it everywhere. But for the best experience, you have to be somewhere outside the city. That’s why Lithuanians love Nida and the Baltic Sea. There, the blue sea water and golden sandy dunes are all around you, you feel the refreshing sea breeze and enjoyable long nights, while walking along the sea and collecting small pieces of amber. So today, let's talk about a lovely and picturesque Lithuanian summer paradise - Nida.

Benas, let’s sail to Nida

Nida is a perfect place for all people who love the sea, jazz music and relaxed holidays. This small Lithuanian paradise is a resort town, located on the Curonian Spit, between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea. The Curonian Spit is a part of UNESCO World Heritage list. It is a unique sandy and wooded landscape, formed by the sea, humans, and the wind. We have an expression “Benai, plaukiam į Nidą / Benas, let’s sail to Nida” made by our famous singer and bard, Vytautas Kernagis, also named as a pioneer of the Lithuanian sung poetry. This expression became so popular among all Lithuanians, that we even have a festival with this name started to happen annually in Nida. This festival gathers thousands of Lithuanians and the guests, but besides that, there are more events happening almost every week - from concerts, old handcrafts festivals to exhibitions and seminars.

Joseph and His Brothers

The most lovely part of Nida, except that it is a unique and vulnerable site, is that Nida* **has an interesting and rich history. During the 19th century, Nida was loved by the landscape and animal painters from the Kunstakademie Königsberg art’s school. And in 1929, a Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann visited Nida, felt in love with this gem, and built a cottage together with his wife. Thomas Mann spent few summers there and wrote some parts of the epic novel “Joseph and His Brothers*”. Nowadays, this cottage houses the Thomas Mann Museum - one of the most visited places in Nida.

Lighthouse and fisherman

In Lithuania, we have an old tale and a legend about Jūratė and Kastytis, and their tragic love story that was happening in Nida. There is also a saying that, if you find the small pieces of amber, it will be Jūratė’s tears, and the amber will be pure as their love has been. For sailors to see the shore and their loved ones, in Nida there is a 27-meter heigh lighthouse built from the red bricks. It has 200 steps, and it was constructed at the end of the 19th century by Germans. Also, Jūratė and Kastytis were from the fishermen families, as all Lithuanians long time ago in Nida, thus, to learn more about their lifestyle the best is to visit the Ethnographic Fishermen's Museum.

The Lithuanian summer paradise - Nida, surrounded by dunes, the sea and love stories, together with colorful fishermen houses and jazz music, is a perfect place to spend holidays and to enjoy Lithuanian traditions and culture.