Mysterious and vulnerable Curonian Spit in Lithuania

I already told you a story about Lithuanian summer paradise - Nida, as well as Jūratės and Kastytis love. This time, I will share with you a legend about a very strong girl named Neringa, about death dunes and Lithuanian Sahara, shortly - about mysterious and vulnerable Curonian Spit in Lithuania.

Romantic Curonian Spit

Around 98 kilometers long, the Curonian Spit, also known as the Neringa, separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. The biggest and the northernmost part of the Curonian Spit belongs to Lithuania, another one - to Russia. In the Curonian Spit,* **one can find resort towns like Nida and Juodkrantė. Neringa is a nature reserve and the UNESCO World Heritage Site.*

A legend about Neringa

Once, at the seaside of Lithuania, the daughter of the Karvaitis grew up so big and so strong like never else before. She had a big heart and always helped the sailors to find their shore. But once, the sea became so heavy that Neringa did not know how to help the people, so she poured the sand into the sea until the spit peninsula was poured. Later on, grateful people named the peninsula after Neringa name. In the municipality of Neringa, there are more towns and villages like Nida, Juodkrantė, Preila and Pervalka. Neringa has its typical traditional house decoration style. Nowadays it is refurbished and preserved.

Lithuanian Sahara

The dunes in Neringa were formed about 5 000 years ago, and they still exist thanks to the human efforts to protect them from the erosion. Also, those are the tallest migrating dunes in whole Europe, and they are called the Dead Dunes. Between the 17th-18th centuries, the dunes were traveling 0,5 to 15 meters per year. The Dead Dunes comprise the Nagliai nature reserve and is a protected area with very sensitive ecosystems. Because of the dunes migration and the white color, the Dead Dunes are also called as Lithuanian Sahara, so if you always wanted to visit this desert, keep in mind that you have something similar in the north of Europe.

Tips and Tricks

The Curonian Spit is a preserved and ecologically vulnerable territory, so for that, there is an ecologic fee for the cars, if you are going to Neringa that way. Keep in mind that till June 20th the fee for one car is 5 € and for the other summer months - 20 €. The cheaper way to get there is to leave a car in Klaipėda city and take a ferry (with a car you also need a ferry). The best way to explore the peninsula, and to reach towns like Nida or Juodkrantė, is to take a bike because the roads between the towns are very nice and the views are spectacular.

For sure, the Curonian Spit, or the Neringa, is a very preserved and very loved part of Lithuania. From the sandy dunes and amazing views of the “Lithuanian Sahara” to the blue and fresh Baltic Sea and small fisherman’s villages - it is the mysterious and vulnerable Curonian Spit in Lithuania.