View source for Curonian Spit

{{Short description|Sand dune spit on the Baltic}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS         = Curonian Spit
| Image       = Mirties slėnis nuo Parnidžio kopos.JPG
| caption     = The Valley of Death looking from the [[Parnidis Dune]] in [[Neringa Municipality]], [[Lithuania]], in October 2022.
| Location    = [[Klaipėda County]], [[Lithuania]] [[Zelenogradsky District]], [[Kaliningrad Oblast]], [[Russia]]
| Criteria    = Cultural: v
| ID          = 994
| Year        = 2000
| Area        = 33,021 ha
| locmapin    = Baltic Sea#Russia Kaliningrad Oblast#Lithuania
| relief      = 1
| coordinates = {{coord|55|16|28|N|20|58|15|E|region:LT_type:landmark_dim:80000|display=inline,title}}
| map_caption = Location of the Curonian Spit on the Baltic Sea coast of Northern Europe
}}
The '''Curonian Spit''', sometimes called '''Courish Split''' ({{langx|lt|Kuršių nerija}}; {{langx|ru|Ку́ршская коса́ / Kurshskaya kosa}}, {{langx|de|Kurische Nehrung}}), is a {{Convert|98|km||adj=on}} long, thin, curved sand-[[dune]] [[Spit (landform)|spit]] that separates the [[Curonian Lagoon]] from the [[Baltic Sea]]. It is a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] shared by Lithuania and Russia. Its southern portion lies within [[Kaliningrad Oblast]] of Russia, and its northern within southwestern [[Klaipėda County]] of [[Lithuania]].

== Geography ==
[[File:Curonian Spit and Lagoon.png|thumb|left|Curonian Spit and Lagoon]]
The Curonian Spit stretches from the [[Sambia Peninsula]] on the south to its northern tip next to a narrow [[strait]], across which is the port city of [[Klaipėda]] on the [[Lithuania|Lithuanian]] mainland. The northern {{Convert|52|km||abbr=on|adj=on}} long stretch of the Curonian Spit peninsula lies in [[Klaipėda County]], Lithuania, while the rest is part of [[Kaliningrad Oblast]], Russia. The width of the spit varies from a minimum of {{Convert|400|m||abbr=on}} in Russia (near the village of [[Lesnoy, Kaliningrad Oblast|Lesnoy]]) to a maximum of {{Convert|3800|m|ft mi|abbr=on}} in Lithuania (just north of [[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]]).

== Geologic history ==
The Curonian Spit was formed about 3rd millennium BC.<ref name="nationalpark">{{cite web|title=LANDSCAPE|url=http://www.nerija.lt/en/landscape|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-28|publisher=[[Kuršių Nerija National Park]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530232622/http://www.nerija.lt:80/en/landscape |archive-date=2012-05-30 }}</ref> A glacial [[moraine]] served as its foundation; winds and sea currents later contributed enough [[sand]] to raise and keep the formation above sea level.<ref name=nationalpark />

The existence of this narrow [[shoal]] is inherently threatened by the natural processes that govern shoreline features.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web|title=Curonian Spit|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/994|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|access-date=2010-06-15}}</ref> It depends on a dynamic balance between sand transport and deposition. Geologically it is an ephemeral coast element. The most likely development is that the shallow bay inside the Curonian Spit will eventually fill up with [[sediment]], thus creating new land.

== Human history ==
=== Mythology ===

According to [[folk etymology]] for the name of [[Neringa Municipality]], there was a giantess girl named {{anchor|Neringa}}Neringa, who formed the Curonian Spit and helped fishermen.<ref>Gitana Kazimieraitienė, ''Legendos pasakoja. Lietuvos geografiniai objektai'',  Kaunas, „Šviesa“, 2008, {{ISBN|5430047694}} ([https://b-ok.cc/book/935347/12e7bb online])</ref>

=== Medieval period ===
From c. 800 to 1016, the Spit was the location of [[Kaup (emporium)|Kaup]], a major [[paganism|pagan]] trading centre which has not yet{{when?|date=April 2025}} been [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavated]]. The [[Teutonic Knights]] occupied the area in the 13th century, building their castles at [[Klaipėda|Memel]] (1252), [[Guryevsk, Kaliningrad Oblast|Neuhausen]] (1283), and at [[Rybachy, Kaliningrad Oblast|Rossitten]] (1372). In 1454, King [[Casimir IV Jagiellon]] incorporated the region to the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]] upon the request of the anti-Teutonic [[Prussian Confederation]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Górski|first=Karol|title=Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych|year=1949|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|location=Poznań|language=pl|page=54}}</ref> After the subsequent [[Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466)]], the spit became a part of Poland as a [[fief]] held by the Teutonic Knights,<ref>Górski, pp. 96–97, 214–215</ref> and thus located within the [[Polish–Lithuanian union]], later elevated to the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. The spit may have been the home of the last living speakers of now-extinct [[Old Prussian language|Old Prussian]], one of the [[Baltic languages]].<ref name="Krickus-2002">{{cite book |title=The Kaliningrad question |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sDOUZEEnHFUC&q=curonian+spit+existence&pg=PA17
|first=Richard J. |last=Krickus |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7425-1705-9 |page=17 | access-date=2019-08-20
}}
</ref>

=== Kursenieki habitation ===
[[File:Curonians kursenieki in 1649.png|thumb|right|[[Kursenieki]] populated area in 1649]]
Significant human impacts on the area began in the 16th century.<ref name=nationalpark /> From the 18th century, it was part of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. [[Deforestation]] of the spit due to [[overgrazing]], [[timber]] harvesting, and building of boats for the [[Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf]] in 1757 led to the dunes taking over the spit and burying entire villages. Alarmed by these problems, the [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] government sponsored large-scale revegetation and [[reforestation]] efforts, which started in 1825.  {{citation needed|date=November 2013}} Owing to these efforts, much of the spit is now covered with forests.

In the 19th century the Curonian Spit was inhabited primarily by [[Kursenieki]], with a significant [[Germans|German]] minority in the south and a [[Lithuanians|Lithuanian]] minority in the north. The population of Kursenieki eventually dwindled due to assimilation and other reasons; it is close to non-existent these days.{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}}

=== Artists' colony ===
[[File:Nida ThomasMann cottage.jpg|thumb|[[Thomas Mann]]'s summer home]]
From the late 19th century, the dune landscape around Nidden ([[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]]) became popular with [[landscape art|landscape]] and [[animal painter]]s from the ''[[Kunstakademie Königsberg]]'' arts school. The local inn of Herman Blode was the nucleus of the [[Expressionism|expressionist]] artists' colony (''Künstlerkolonie Nidden''). [[Lovis Corinth]] stayed here in 1890, followed by artists such as [[Max Pechstein]], [[Alfred Lichtwark]], [[Karl Schmidt-Rottluff]], and [[Alfred Partikel]].<ref name="W159">Weise, p. 159</ref> Painters from Königsberg such as [[Julius Freymuth]] visited the area, as did poets like [[Ernst Wiechert]] and [[Carl Zuckmayer]].<ref name="W159" /> Other guests included [[Ernst Kirchner]], and [[Franz Domscheit]].

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Curonian Spit NP 05-2017 img17 aerial view at Epha Dune.jpg|thumb|Curonian Spit in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia]]
From 1901 to 1946 the village of Rossitten, now [[Rybachy, Kaliningrad Oblast|Rybachy]], became the site of the [[Rossitten Bird Observatory]], founded by German [[ornithology|ornithologist]] [[Johannes Thienemann]] there because of the Spit's importance as a [[bird migration]] corridor.

After [[World War I]], [[Nidden]], together with the northern half of the Curonian Spit became part of the [[Klaipėda Region]] according to the 1919 [[Treaty of Versailles]] and was annexed by [[Act of Independence of Lithuania|Lithuania]] in 1923. Officially renamed [[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]], the village nevertheless remained a German-majority settlement – the border with the remaining [[East Prussia]]n half of the Spit lay only a few kilometres to the south.

In 1929 [[Nobel Prize]]-winning writer [[Thomas Mann]] visited Nida while on holiday in nearby [[Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast|Rauschen]] and decided to have a summer house erected on a hill above the Lagoon, mocked as ''[[Uncle Tom's Cabin]]'' (''Onkel Toms Hütte'') by locals. He and his family spent the summers of 1930–1932 in the thatched cottage; parts of the novel ''[[Joseph and His Brothers]]'' (''Joseph und seine Brüder'') were written here. Threatened by the [[Nazi Party|Nazis]], Mann left Germany after Hitler's ''[[Machtergreifung]]'' in 1933 and never returned to Nida. After the Klaipėda Region was again annexed by [[Nazi Germany]] in 1939, his house was seized at the behest of [[Hermann Göring]] and served as a recreation home for ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' officers.

Following [[World War II]], the [[Memelland]] and its part of the spit was restored to Lithuania, while the remainder fell to Russia. The German population was expelled after the war by the occupying Soviet forces in accordance with the [[Potsdam Agreement]]. Like elsewhere in present-day [[Kaliningrad Oblast]], the assimilation of the territory and colonization by Russian settlers was completed by changing the historic German toponyms to Russian ones throughout the Russian-controlled part of the Spit.

=== Today ===
After the breakup of the [[Soviet Union]], tourism flourished; many Germans, mostly the descendants of the inhabitants of the area, choose the Curonian Spit (especially Nida, as no visas are needed for Germans in Lithuania) as their holiday destination.
In 2019 the making of [[Curonian Lagoon Boats’ Weathervanes]] was inscribed into The [[Intangible Cultural Heritage]] Inventory of Lithuania as a form of [[folk art]], traditional craftsmanship or agricultural activities.<ref>{{cite web |title=The making of Curonian Lagoon boats' weathervanes |url=https://savadas.lnkc.lt/en/elements/element-list/delmonai-of-lithuania-minor/ |website=savadas.lnkc.lt |publisher=Lithuanian National Culture Centre |access-date=May 5, 2023}}</ref>

== Kursenieki ==
{{Further|Kursenieki}}
While today the [[Kursenieki]], also known as Kuršininkai, are a nearly extinct [[Balts|Baltic]] ethnic group living along the Curonian Spit, in 1649 Kuršininkai settlement spanned from [[Klaipėda|Memel (Klaipėda)]] to [[Gdańsk]]. The Kuršininkai were eventually assimilated by the [[Germans]], except along the Curonian Spit where some still live. The Kuršininkai were considered [[Latvians]]{{by whom|date=June 2025}} until after World War I, when [[Latvia]] gained independence from the [[Russian Empire]], a consideration based on linguistic arguments. This was the rationale for Latvian claims{{when|date=June 2025}} over the Curonian Spit, [[Klaipėda|Memel]] and other{{quantify|date=June 2025}} territories of [[Prussia (region)|Prussia]], which would be later{{when|date=June 2025}} dropped.

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Kurenwimpel aus Nidden (2004).JPG|[[Kursenieki|Curonian]] pennant, Nida
File:Krikstas.jpg|[[Krikštas]] burial marker
File:Old cemetery in Nida.jpg|Old cemetery in [[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]]
File:Viesbutis, Kavine in Nida.jpg|Small inn and cafe in [[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]]
File:EŠERINĖ, svetainė (9617446912).jpg|Fish restaurant in [[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]]
</gallery>

== Current state ==
[[File:Curonian Lagoon.jpg|thumb|Landsat photo]]
{{multiple image
 | align     = right
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 | header    = 
 | header_align = left/right/center
 | header_background =
 | footer    = Curonian Spit sand dunes in [[Nida, Lithuania]]
 | footer_align = left/right/center
 | footer_background = 
 | width     =
 | image1    = Nidos kopos.jpg
 | width1    = 180
 | caption1  =  
 | image2    = Nida sand dunes (August 6, 2007).jpg
 | width2    = 180
 | caption2  = 
}}

The Curonian Spit is home to the highest moving (drifting) sand dunes in Europe. Their average height is {{Convert|35|m||abbr=}}, but some attain a height of {{Convert|60|m||abbr=}}. Several [[Community (ecology)|ecological communities]] are present on and near the Spit, from its outer beaches to dune ridges, [[wetlands]], meadows, and forests.<ref name="eco">{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.lt/documents/Paveldas/Kursiu%20nerija/curonian%20spit_nomination.pdf|title=Curonian Spit|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|access-date=2010-06-15|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722153454/http://www.unesco.lt/documents/Paveldas/Kursiu%20nerija/curonian%20spit_nomination.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-22}}</ref> 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 autumn migrations, and many pause to rest or breed there.<ref name=eco />

Both the Russian and Lithuanian parts of the spit are [[national park]]s.

The settlements of the Curonian Spit (from north to south) are:

* [[Smiltynė]]
* [[Alksnynė]]
* [[Juodkrantė]]
* [[Pervalka]]
* [[Preila]]
* [[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]]
* [[Morskoe]]
* [[Rybachy, Kaliningrad Oblast|Rybachy]]
* [[Lesnoy, Kaliningrad Oblast|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]] in [[Klaipėda County]].

There is a single road that traverses the whole length of the Curonian Spit. Car [[ferry|ferries]] provide a transportation link between [[Smiltynė]], located on the spit, and the port town of Klaipėda.

Since 2000, the Curonian Spit has been on  [[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|UNESCO]]'s [[World Heritage Site|World Heritage List]] under cultural criterion "V" ("an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture [...], or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change").

As of March 2012, there was a demand to demolish a number of homes on the Curonian Spit.  These homes are owned by people who were given permits to build by corrupt local government{{Specify|reason=Which local government??|date=May 2020}} officials. The demand to demolish the homes is due to the Spit being a UN World Heritage Site,  and the only structures that were to be allowed outside official settlements were fishing huts.<ref name="Controversy">{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/lithuania-the-battle-for-the-curonian-spit/av-16281159|title=Lithuania:The Battle for the Curonian Spit|website=[[Deutsche Welle]]|access-date=2012-10-03}}</ref>

== Tourism ==
[[File:Wald der tanzenden Bäume01.jpg|thumb|The [[Dancing Forest]]]]
The largest town on the spit is [[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]] in Lithuania, a holiday resort, mostly frequented by Lithuanian and German tourists.

=== Parnidis dune and sundial ===
{{main|Parnidis Dune}}
Parnidis sand dune, subjected to drift by harsh winds, is rising up to {{Convert|52|m|ft}} above sea level. Local residents believe that the name ''Parnidis'' comes from the phrase meaning "passed across [[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]]", because this wind-blown dune has several times passed through the village of Nida. Scientists estimated that each person climbing or descending on the steep dune slopes moves several tons of sand, so hikers are allowed to climb only in designated paths.

There is a granite sundial built on Parnidis dune in 1995 that accurately shows the time. The sundial was rebuilt in 2011 following storm damage. The sundial is a stone pillar {{Convert|13.8|m|ft}} high and weighing {{Convert|36|t}}. It consists in small steps covered with granite slabs, carved with hour and half-hour notches, as well as one notch for each month, and four additional notches for solstices and equinoxes. From the astronomical point of view Parnidis dune is an ideal place for the sundial in [[Lithuania]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lithuania.travel/en-gb/attractions/parnidis-dune-with-sun-clock--calendar/17184 |title=Parnidis Dune with Sun Clock – Calendar |publisher=Lithuania.travel |access-date=2016-04-25 |archive-date=2016-03-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324154902/http://www.lithuania.travel/en-gb/attractions/parnidis-dune-with-sun-clock--calendar/17184 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Environmental concerns ==
[[File:Nidos kopos 2008.jpg|thumb|The Curonian Spit is known for its fine sandy beaches ([[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]], Lithuania).]]
There are environmental concerns related to the Curonian Spit, which is often promoted as a refuge of clean nature.

Due to the importance of tourism and fishing for the regional economy, pollution of sea and coastlines may have disastrous effects for the area as the unique nature and the economy would be damaged.
[[File:Nida sand dunes (14573723178).jpg|thumb|left|Sand dunes near [[Nida, Lithuania|Nida]], Lithuania]]
The construction of an offshore drilling facility (the [[Kravtsovskoye (D-6) oilfield]]) in the territorial waters of Russia, {{Convert|22.5|km||abbr=on}} from the coastline of the Curonian Spit raised concerns over possible oil spills. Between 2002 and 2005 local environmentalists in Kaliningrad Oblast<ref>[http://www.ecodefense.ru/pubs_reports_lukoil_eng_3.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009224435/http://www.ecodefense.ru/pubs_reports_lukoil_eng_3.html|date=October 9, 2007}}</ref> and Lithuania<ref>[http://www.zalieji.lt/temos/Lukoil] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060111161258/http://www.zalieji.lt/temos/Lukoil|date=January 11, 2006}}</ref> protested against [[Lukoil]]'s plans to exploit the oilfield, objecting to the possible great damage to the environment and tourism (a vital source of income in the area) in case of [[Oil spill|oil leakage]]. These concerns did not engender support in the government of Russia. They were, however, supported by the government of Lithuania. The oilfield is about {{Convert|4|km||abbr=on}} from the boundary of Lithuanian territorial waters; the prevailing northward [[Ocean current|currents]] means that the Lithuanian coastlines would receive much potential damage in case of leakage. Opposition to the operation of D-6 met little international support, and the oil platform was opened in 2004. During the first decade of the 21st century the two states agreed to a joint [[environmental impact assessment]] of the D-6 project, including plans for oil spill mitigation.<ref name="eia">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1705 |publisher=[[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Committee]]|access-date=2010-06-15|title=32COM 7B.98 – Curonian Spit (Lithuania / Russian Federation) (C 994)}}</ref> The assessment and mitigation project had not been completed as of 2010.<ref name=eia />

Another concern is that increased tourism destroys the very nature that attracts it. For this reason, protective measures have been taken, such as banning tourists from hiking in certain areas of the spit.

Natural hazards are more dangerous in the Curonian Spit than elsewhere in [[Lithuania]] or the [[Kaliningrad Oblast]]. For example, storms tend to be stronger there. Due to the importance of trees in preventing soil erosion, forest fires that happen in summer are more dangerous to the ecology.

== See also ==
* [[Kuršių Nerija National Park]]
* [[Curonian Spit National Park (Russia)]]
* [[Vecekrugas dune]]
* [[Vistula Spit]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category|Curonian Spit}}
* [https://whc.unesco.org/sites/994.htm UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Curonian Spit'']
* [http://www.nerija.lt/en Kursiu Nerija National Park (in Lithuania)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514164118/http://www.nerija.lt/en |date=2015-05-14 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050817075837/http://www.kurshskayakosa.ru/ National Park Kurshskaya Kosa (in Russia)]
* [http://www.zin.ru/rybachy/ Rybachy Biological Station, Russian Academy of Sciences]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080625025441/http://www.nhpfund.org/nominations/curonian_spit.html Curonian Spit] at [http://www.nhpfund.org/ Natural Heritage Protection Fund]
{{World Heritage Sites in Lithuania}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Russia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Spits of the Baltic Sea]]
[[Category:Landforms of Lithuania]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Lithuania]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Lithuania]]
[[Category:Deserts of Europe by country]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Russia]]
[[Category:Spits of Russia]]
[[Category:Landforms of Kaliningrad Oblast]]
[[Category:Borders of Russia]]
[[Category:Beaches of Russia]]
[[Category:Dunes of Russia]]