A narrow, 98 kilometers long, stripe of land between the Baltic Sea and waters of the by – this is the Curonian Spit. There is an isolated microclimate here, similar neither to maritime nor to cost-continental climate. The Curonian Spit puts together genius of land and spirits of water of freshwater bay and the salty Baltic Sea, that is why it possesses a completely special energy.

Such a combination of elements had a wholesome influence on nature, as if it specially did its utmost to vary forms af life as much as possible. In close neighborhood, you may meet corners of subtropics and deserts, a piece of mid-European zone and forest-grassland. More than 600 species of plants, 296 species of vertebrates (elk, roe, wild boar, fox and so on) form flora and fauna of the spit.

Sand dunes – a unique natural formation on the Curonian Spit, — stretch along the seacoast and attract by their special magical majesty. They appeared under the influence of western winds dominating on the coast. There existed times when moving sands buried the whole settlements, that is why forests (mostly piny) remain on the Spit as the only protection against destructive forces of nature.

Curonian Spit is now a desirable place for rest for many people, so the tourist routes of the region surely pass across it. Nature of the spit is very delicate and easily vulnerable. It is only a narrow stripe of life preserved by a man on the surface of the sand driven by winds. Therefore, the most acceptable kind of tourism here is the ecological one, based on especially careful attitude to nature.

See also: Zelenogradsk (Cranz), Svetlogorsk (Raushen)