Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit is one of the largest accumulative landforms in the Baltic Sea. The site is inscribed onto the World Heritage List as an international Russian - Lithuanian cultural complex. Its geographical position and relief conditions the uniqueness and peculiarity of the Spit. The main terrain elements are comprised of dune complexes, which are among the highest in Europe (up to 68 m in height), stretching along the peninsula for over 70 km.

Due to its geographical position and northeast to southwest orientation, the Spit is a "directing line" for many migrating bird species. It connects migrating birds flying from northwestern Russia, Finland and the Eastern Baltic countries to Middle and Southern Europe. Every spring and fall 10 to 20 million migrating birds pass over the Curonian Spit and a considerable number of them stop over for feeding and rest. Due to the fact that migrating birds are so higly concentrated in the Spit, it is a very important link in the chain of natural protected areas situated along the White Sea - Baltic flyway. Among these migrating bird populations are many rare and endangered species listed in the Red Books of Russia, Europe and worldwide.

The Curonian Spit landscapes were not created purely as a result of natural processes, but also due to human activity, and are an example

of harmonious interaction between nature and human beings. The tribe of Kursiai, which inhabited the Curonian Spit for a long time in the past, disappeared, but its ethnographic heritage is still visible. The landscape of a fishing village buried under sand dunes in the 18th - 19th centuries can be found here. The Spit is rich in cultural heritage items. Protective engineering structures unique in their scale are very important from the standpoint of history, science and art. Fishing settlements, archaeological sites and religious architectural structures are perfectly integrated into the landscape. The Curonian Spit is a wonderful natural phenomenon, hardly comparable in its beauty and scenery to any other site in the Baltic region. The diverse and strongly differentiated dune relief of the Curonian Spit combined with the green of the forests, bright whiteness of sandy beaches and unlimited stretches of the Baltic Sea, all represent important aesthetic values.