Classics of the seaside

Classics of the seaside. Klaipėda – Neringa – Palanga

Lithuania’s seaside resorts are like the most beautiful pieces of amber, each with its particular shining. Klaipėda is the gate of the country, the oldest city of Lithuania. Livonian Order built the first wooden castle at the mouth of the Danė River in 1252. This fact is considered the foundation of Klaipėda. Later a brick castle was built called Memelburg. Memel is German for the Nemunas River. Later the city was named Klaipėda. The city and its region were ruled by Germans for 500 years. Settlement around the castle developed into town. However, fate for it was not favourable. It burnt many times, was plundered by wars, rulers changed. Until WWI Klsipėda belonged to Germany. On January 9, 1923, there was an uprising, and Klaipėda with its region were joined to Lithuania again. On March 22, 1939, Hitler came to Klaipėda by ship and declared from the theatre balcony that Klaipėda region would belong to Germany forever.

Klaipėda suffered a lot during WWII. The Old Town is the part of the city on the left bank of the Danė River. Many structures here are fachverk type, when a wooden frame filled with bricks and stones supports all the building and roof. The Old Town is small and cozy, decorated by a number of merry sculptures.

Theatre square is the heart of Klaipėda city, where city events and festivals take place. It was rebuilt after the great fire of 1854. The main element of the square is sculpture of Annie of Tarau and a fountain surrounding it. It is a monument to Klaipėda-born poet, professor of Konigsberg University Simon Dach, who became famous in Germany, Austria, Switzerland by a love song “Annie of Tarau”, and the bells of Munich Town Hall still play the melody.

Neo Gothic Klaipėda Post Office and Carillon. Central post office was built in 1893. The complex consists of three buildings, and central two-story building with attics is post office. In 1987, concert bells (48 in total) were installed in Post Office tower. Carillon music is performed every Saturday and Sunday.

Taking a ferry across the Curonian Lagoon to Smiltynė, one can visit Lithuanian Sea Museum in Kopgalis. A fortification used to stand there, which after reconstruction in 1979 was transformed into museum complex. Sea Museum presents an attractive picture marine nature and shipping history. Dolphins and Californian sea lions give an attractive performance in the Dolphinarium.

Curonian spit is a narrow band 97 km long between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon formed by sea waves and streams, sand and wind some 5000 years ago. 52 km of it belong to Lithuania, the rest is the territory of Russia. A nice legend says that a kind-hearted giant Neringa made the Curonian spit, creating a safe shelter for local fishermen from angry sea Gods. The old inhabitants Curonians went fishing to the Lagoon by a flat-bottomed boat Kurėnas. Their staple food was fish. The aroma of smoked fish is felt in to date Neringa settlements, and guests are treated to Curonian chowder, smoked eel and breams, dried smelt and vimba fried on fire.

Neringa town was founded in 1961, consisting of four settlements: Nida, Preila, Pervalka and Juodkrantė. Juodkrantė is one of the oldest Curonian settlements. It was first mentioned in historical sources in 1429. Amber was industrially mined in the Curonian Lagoon bay by Juodkrantė in the 2dn half of the 19^th century. In 30 years, the Stantien&Becker company mined 2250 tons of amber.

One of the most beautiful old parabolic dunes in Juodkrantė called Raganų kalnu is a special place. Therefore, an idea was developed for folk masters to carve from wood characters of fairy tales and legends to enliven the hill. Currently there are over 80 oak tree sculptures. The authors of the exposition are sculptor S. Šarapovas and architect A. Nasvytis. The road leads through accumulations of witches and devils, fairy tale creatures. By the Lagoon shore there is a nice embankment made for walking and cycling. It is decorated by stone sculptures, which are the result of 1997 symposium “Land and Water”.

Nida is the largest and perhaps the oldest settlement of Neringa. Here live about 2300 inhabitants. There is a bicycle route connecting Nida to Klaipėda (Smiltynė). It was first mentioned in historical sources in 1366. The settlement moved to the present location in 1730. The atmosphere of the old Nida could be felt in the ethnic zone by the pier: rectangular network of streets, fishermen’s houses dating back to the 1^st half of the 20^th century, their end facing the Lagoon, roofs covered by tiles and painted brown. Artists were the first to notice the beauty of Nida. At the end of the 19^th century, they established the so-called artists’ colony in Hermann Blode’s hotel. Artists were lured to Nida by the image of Prussian Sahara, peculiarity of fishermen’s village and most of all, by one of the most frequently visited sites of Neringa Parnidis dune with observation platform (the height of the dune is 52 m). Sundial was erected on the platform in 1995: 13.8 m high stone pole weighing 36 tons. Absolute mathematical horizon opens from the site. The structure was badly damaged by hurricane Anatoly in 1999. The sundial was rebuilt in 2011.

Museum of writer Thomas Mann. In 1929-1930 a house reminding a fisherman’s cottage according to architect H. Reisman’s design was built on the Uošvės hill in Nida. The Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann spent 3 summers there with his family (1930-1932). Here he followed routine regime, continued writing novel “Joseph and his brothers”. Now the house serves as Thomas Mann’s memorial museum.

Palanga was established in 1253. The Order was pushed out of Samogitia  after Grunewald battle, and in 1453 Palanga was finally given to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. For many years, it was the most important port of Lithuania. In 1824, count M. J. Tyszkewicz, tsarist army colonel, acquired Palanga. In 1991, many sanatoria, guesthouses were privatized. Now Palanga is the most popular seacoast resort of Lithuania undoubtedly having its symbols.

One of them is the Jūros tiltas. From it a wonderful view to the dunes and the sea opens.  In the 19the century, count Tyszkewicz constructed a pier for ships, however storms used to cover it by sand. Later the pier became a favourite site for walks. In 1998, a new pier was built put on concrete poles (length 470 m).

One more symbol of the resort is Kurhaus. In 1875-1876, count Tyszkewicz built a service centre, which then was called Kurhaus. It contained resort hotel with a restaurant, a casino, chess and billiard halls, a library.

Palanga Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary is a Neo Gothic church with a tower of 76 m. An impressive pulpit and three altars decorated by bas-relieves made of French marble (sculptor Mona). Count Felix Tyszkewicz financed the construction. Palanga Botanical Park (Birutės Park) is one of the most beautiful parks in Eastern Europe of English style with classicism elements of planning. The park was laid out in 1837 by count Felix Tyszkewicz in Birutės forest considered sacred. The author of the design is a famous French landscape architect E. F. Andre. It is thought that about 500 sorts of trees and bushes brought from Berlin, Koningsberg as well as from other European botanical gardens were planted. The dominating species is pine, black alders, firs and other trees grow there. In 1897, in the central part of the park Neo Renaissance Palace (arch. F. Švechtenas) was built, residence of counts Felix and Antonina Tyszkewicz. They lived here until 1941. Amber museum is established in it in 1963. Now it contains over 30 000 exhibits.