Nida and the Curonian Spit

The town of Nida is located on the Curonian Spit in the Kursiu Nerija National Park. The Curonian Spit is a 98 km long and only up to 4 km wide, curved sand-dune peninsula, seperating the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. In 2000, the Curonian Spit cultural landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The northern 52 km long stretch belongs to Lithuania, the southern part is Russian territory. The Lithuanian harbour city of Klaipeda is located at the narrow exit of the lagoon to the Baltic Sea. Hundreds of bird species live on the spit and millions of birds cross it every spring and autumn on their migration routes and many stop to rest or breed here. About 900 plant species are found in the Park area as well. The popular summer resort of Nida is home to the highest drifting sand dunes in Europe and famous for its rich historical and cultural heritage, among others the cottage of Nobel-prize winning author Thomas Mann.