!!!Curonian Spit

by Sergey Shandin,
Stas Sedov, and Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

28 January 2016

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

The Curonian Spit is stretching along the coast of the Baltic Sea: lying
partly in Russia, partly in Lithuania, it has the total length of 98
kilometres. The name of this sand-dune spit, which separates the
Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea, is connected to the ancient tribe
called Curonians who had been inhabiting these lands long before the
colonization of Prussia by Germans. In 2000 the Spit was listed as a
World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO for its unique relief and
biodiversity.

[{Image src='01_Curonian Spit.jpg' caption='Curonian Spit' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='312'}]

The width of this sandy stripe varies from 400 to 3800 meters. The
border between Russia and Lithuania is on the 49th kilometre, if counted
from Zelenograd (Kaliningrad region). Both countries consider the Spit
to be the area of nature conservation with the National Park status. The
main part of its territory (72%) is occupied by forest: more than 600
species of trees, bushes and plants grow here. As for the animals, this
area is home for the moose, the roe, the wild boar, the fox — 296
species in total. But in the first place the Curonian Spit is famous for
the number of birds. This place is a part of the ancient migration route
that 160 species of birds use when leaving the northern regions of
Europe for warmer places. During the migration period around 1 million
birds fly over the Spit, and 102 species permanently have their nests
there. That's why the Curonian Spit got an unofficial name "the Bird's
Bridge". There is also the oldest ornithologist station that was founded
back in 1901 and still study the
birds.

[{Image src='02_Curonian Spit.jpg' caption='Curonian Spit' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='513'}]

Both sides of the Spit possess sandy beaches allowing you to swim in
both the freshwaters of lagoon and the salty Baltic Sea at your choice.
Though the holiday season itself is rather short, you can enjoy the
natural landmarks of the Spit between May and November. A lot of very
interesting touristic routes have been created here, some of them can be
seen in our panoramas. One of them is Müller's Height (44.6 meters) —
the highest point of Bruchberg Dune located next to the Rybachy
(Fisherman) settlement. The height was named after the former ranger
working at Koenigsberg Division of Forestry: his work and systematic
research on forest soils helped to preserve the unique dunes, prevent
the movement of drifting sands and save the village.

[{Image src='03_Curonian Spit.jpg' caption='Curonian Spit' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='594'}]

The Bruchberg Dune is a point which reveals picturesque views of the
sea, the waters of the Curonian Lagoon, Lake Chaika and several
settlements. But there are even higher points on the Spit: near Lake
Lebed there is a ridge raising up to 54 meters (the Olenya buda Dune).
Another elevated point is Efa's Height, located at the top of the
Orekhovaya Dune and having the altitude of 61 meters; it was named after
another German eco-scientist.

[{Image src='04_Curonian Spit.jpg' caption='Curonian Spit' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='462'}]

One more unique landmark of the Spit is the Dancing Forest (also known
as the Drunken Forest) planted near Rybachy settlement on the Kruglaya
Dune in the beginning of the 50s. The pine trunks curved in spirals and
circles create an impression of a strange dance. The exact cause of the
trees' distortion is unknown. According to the most popular version, the
distortion is caused by the activity of caterpillars at an early growth
stage.

[{Image src='05_Dancing Forest.jpg' caption='Dancing Forest' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='595'}]

The Lithuanian part of the Spit is not of the less interest. The
Parnidis Dune located near the village of Nida possesses an interesting
viewpoint, as well as many historical monuments: an ancient fisherman
estate and the fortress of Kopgalis where the Lithuanian Sea Museum is
located.

[{Image src='06_Curonian Spit.jpg' caption='Curonian Spit' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='515'}]

Unfortunately, the Curonian Spit is a rather vulnerable territory. In
the beginning of the 17th century deforestation had brought this land to
the brink of catastrophe: drifting dunes were about to block roads, bury
the buildings and settlements. Only after the drifting sands had caused
problems for shipping, the Prussian government (which was in power at
that time) took measures to prevent desertification and erosion. In
order to prevent the formation of new endangering dunes, an artificial
swell stretching along the entire coast was created.

[{Image src='07_Curonian Spit.jpg' caption='Curonian Spit' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='847'}]

Even nowadays certain measures concerning the conservation of this place
are being taken today. But the nature is always one step ahead: the
storms of the Baltic Sea coming with strong gusts of winds often erode
the sandy beaches and make the dunes slip into the sea. Our panoramas
make it possible to preserve the picturesque landscapes of the Curonian
Spit at least in the virtual format.

This virtual tour was made with the financial support the Russian
Geographical Society.

\\ \\
[18 Panoramas of Curonian_Spit|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Curonian_Spit]










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