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46-621: 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 Lithuanian mainland. The northern 52 km (32 mi) 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

92-573: A 1937 exhibition of Degenerate art and the removal of his works from German museums. In 1938 he began signing his pictures using the Lithuanian version of his name (he had taken Lithuanian citizenship in 1920). He spent the war painting "harmless" still lifes . In 1949 the University of Cape Town in South Africa offered his wife, the singer Adelheid Armhold , a position as a senior lecturer. He spent

138-521: A minimum of 400 m (1,300 ft) in Russia (near the village of Lesnoy ) to a maximum of 3,800 m (12,500 ft; 2.4 mi) in Lithuania (just north of Nida ). The Curonian Spit was formed about 3rd millennium BC. A glacial moraine served as its foundation; winds and sea currents later contributed enough sand to raise and keep the formation above sea level. The existence of this narrow shoal

184-560: A recreation home for Luftwaffe officers. Following World War II , the German-occupied Lithuanian 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

230-486: A significant German minority in the south and a 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. From the late 19th century, the dune landscape around Nidden ( Nida ) became popular with landscape and animal painters from the Kunstakademie Königsberg arts school. The local inn of Herman Blode

276-440: 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 officials. The demand to demolish

322-736: Is a peninsula in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia , on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea . The peninsula is bounded by the Curonian Lagoon to the north-east, the Vistula Lagoon in the southwest, the Pregolya River in the south, and the Deyma River in the east. As Sambia is surrounded on all sides by water, it is technically an island. Historically it formed an important part of

368-566: Is an ideal place for the sundial in 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. The construction of an offshore drilling facility (the Kravtsovskoye (D-6) oilfield ) in

414-573: Is hilly in the west, with coastal bluffs and beaches, while in the east it is low-lying and flat. The sections of coast adjacent to the Curonian and Vistula Lagoons are often swampy. Due to the moderating influence of the Baltic Sea, the climate is more mild than regions of comparable latitude further east. The highest point at 111 meters, Galtgarben , is found two kilometers southeast of Kumachyovo ( German : Kumehnen ). Gvardeysk ( German : Tapiau )

460-601: Is home to the highest moving (drifting) sand dunes in Europe. Their average height is 35 metres (115 ft), but some attain a height of 60 metres (200 ft). Several ecological communities are present on and near the Spit, from its outer beaches to dune ridges, wetlands , meadows, and forests. Its location on the East Atlantic Flyway means it is frequently visited by migratory waterfowl. Between 10 and 20 million birds fly over

506-419: Is inherently threatened by the natural processes that govern shoreline features. 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. According to folk etymology for the name of Neringa Municipality , there

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552-916: Is located at the southeastern end of the peninsula where the Deyma branches off from the Pregolya, while Polessk ( German : Labiau ) is found at the northeastern end, nearby where that river enters the Curonian Lagoon. The peninsula is connected to the Curonian Spit to the north, while it is separated from the Vistula Spit by the Strait of Baltiysk next to the port city of Baltiysk ( German : Pillau ). Sambia also includes two famous seaside resorts on its northern coast, Zelenogradsk ( German : Kranz ) and Svetlogorsk ( German : Rauschen ). Amber has been found in

598-503: The Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf in 1757 led to the dunes taking over the spit and burying entire villages. Alarmed by these problems, the Prussian government sponsored large-scale revegetation and reforestation efforts, which started in 1825. 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

644-818: The Duchy of Prussia , a vassal duchy of the Kingdom of Poland, founded when Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach , the 37th Grand Master , secularized the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights in 1525. The Margraviate of Brandenburg inherited the duchy in 1618 under Polish overlordship. Because the Duchy of Prussia failed to fulfill its feudal obligations as a vassal of Poland during the Polish–Swedish wars , George William's rule in Prussia

690-790: The German Empire in the course of the unification of Germany . After World War I Sambia formed part of the East Prussian province of Weimar Germany . During World War II , the Germans operated two subcamps of the Stutthof concentration camp , and the AGSSt Samland assembly center for Allied POWs in the region. The Polish resistance movement was active in the region, with its activities including espionage of German activity and distribution of Polish underground press . In 1945 after World War II,

736-509: The Germans , except along the Curonian Spit where some still live. The Kuršininkai were considered Latvians 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 over the Curonian Spit, Memel and other territories of Prussia , which would be later dropped. The Curonian Spit

782-612: The Hohenzollern dynasty , and visitors to Sambia's beaches were forbidden to pick up any fragments they found. Beginning in the 19th century, amber was mined on an industrial scale by the Germans before 1945 and by the Soviets / Russians thereafter at Yantarny (former German name: Palmnicken ). Reference to the Sambia Peninsula begins with Greek traveller Pytheas , referring to an amber island called "Abalus". The name probably described

828-544: The Soviet Union annexed northern East Prussia, including Sambia, while the southern part of the province became again part of Poland . Sambia became part of the Soviet Kaliningrad Oblast , named after the nearby city of Kaliningrad (historically German : Königsberg ), and the new authorities expelled its German inhabitants in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement . The Soviet Union gradually repopulated

874-573: The Kaliningrad Oblast, including Sambia, with Russians and Belarusians . Until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, much of the district was a closed military area. While today the Kursenieki , also known as Kuršininkai are a nearly extinct Baltic ethnic group living along the Curonian Spit , in 1649 Kuršininkai settlement spanned from Memel (Klaipėda) to Gdańsk , Poland, including

920-447: 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 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 UNESCO 's World Heritage List under cultural criteria "V" ("an outstanding example of

966-646: The area as early as 6,000 years ago,according to archeology. Sambia was originally sparsely populated by the Sambians . The German Teutonic Knights conquered the region in the 13th century. The church administration was placed under the Bishopric of Samland , established in 1243. Settlers from the Holy Roman Empire began colonizing the region, and the Sambian Prussians gradually became assimilated. The peninsula

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1012-653: The area for over two thousand years, especially on the coast near Kaliningrad . History and legends tell of the ancient trade routes known as the Amber Road leading from the Old Prussian settlements of Kaup (in Sambia) and Truso (near Elbląg , near the mouth of the Vistula ) southwards to the Black and Adriatic seas. In Imperial Germany , the right to collect amber was restricted to

1058-770: The coastline of the Sambian Peninsula. The Kuršininkai were eventually assimilated by the Germans , except along the Curonian Spit where some still live. The Kuršininkai were considered Latvians 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 over the Curonian Spit, Memel , and other territories of East Prussia which would be later dropped. 54°49′58″N 20°16′09″E  /  54.83278°N 20.26917°E  / 54.83278; 20.26917 Franz Domscheit Pranas Domšaitis (born Franz Karl Wilhelm Domscheit , 15 August 1880 – 14 November 1965)

1104-476: The feature during spring and autumn migrations, and many pause to rest or breed there. Both the Russian and Lithuanian parts of the spit are national parks . The settlements of the Curonian Spit (from north to south) are: 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

1150-404: The government of Russia. They were, however, supported by the government of Lithuania. The oilfield is about 4 km (2.5 mi) from the boundary of Lithuanian territorial waters; the prevailing northward 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

1196-494: The historic region of Prussia . Sambia is named after the Sambians , an extinct tribe of Old Prussians . Samland is the name for the peninsula in the Germanic languages . Polish and Latin speakers call the area Sambia , while the Lithuanian name is Semba . Baedeker describes Sambia as "a fertile and partly-wooded district, with several lakes, lying to the north of Königsberg " (since 1946 Kaliningrad ). The landscape

1242-431: The homes down 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. The largest town on the spit is Nida in Lithuania, a holiday resort, mostly frequented by Lithuanian and German tourists. Parnidis sand dune, subjected to drift by harsh winds, is rising up to 52 metres (171 ft) above sea level. Local residents believe that

1288-409: The name Parnidis comes from the phrase meaning "passed across 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

1334-400: The rest of his life there. His youthful style has been described as romantic realism or as spiritual impressionism, his later as a melding of "... Chagall 's enchanting visions, the guileless piety of Rouault , the resonant colour of the expressionists , and the intuitive wisdom of the peasant." Landscapes and village life were frequent themes, along with Christian narratives, particularly

1380-515: The spit became part of a Polish fief held by the Teutonic Knights. The spit may have been the home of the last living speaker of now-extinct Old Prussian , one of the Baltic languages . Significant human impacts on the area began in the 16th century. 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

1426-735: 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. Sambia Peninsula Sambia ( Russian : Самбийский полуостров , romanized :  Sambiysky poluostrov , lit.   'Sambian Peninsula') or Samland ( Russian : Земландский полуостров , romanized :  Zemlandsky poluostrov , lit.   'Zemlandic Peninsula') or Kaliningrad Peninsula (official name, Russian : Калининградский полуостров , Kaliningradsky poluostrov )

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1472-504: 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 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

1518-463: The territorial waters of Russia, 22.5 km (14.0 mi) from the coastline of the Curonian Spit raised concerns over possible oil spills. Between 2002 and 2005 local environmentalists in Kaliningrad Oblast and Lithuania 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 leakage . These concerns did not engender support in

1564-418: The time. The sundial was rebuilt in 2011 following storm damage. The sundial is a stone pillar 13.8 metres (45 ft) high and weighing 36 tonnes (35 long tons; 40 short tons). 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

1610-479: The village nevertheless remained a German-majority settlement – the border with the remaining East Prussian 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 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

1656-580: The village of Rossitten, now Rybachy , became the site of the Rossitten Bird Observatory , founded by German 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 Lithuania in 1923. Officially renamed Nida ,

1702-596: The whole lagoon area known in Finnic as AVA (open expanse = lagoon) and -LA (place of) Historic scholars could not find the mysterious amber island because the Sambia Peninsula did not look like an island since the whole Baltic area that was depressed by the Ice Age glaciers has been rising many meters in the last thousands of years and was no longer looking like an island by the 10th century. Based on finds of prehistoric amber carvings, nomadic boat using hunter gatherers were attracted to

1748-700: Was a Prussian Lithuanian painter. Born in Cropiens (now in Guryevsky District ), a village in the East Prussia near Königsberg , Domšaitis spent his first 27 years as a farmer. Under the sponsorship of Max Liebermann he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Königsberg in 1907, graduating in 1910; this was his first formal schooling. He then travelled to, and studied at, various European capitals; he

1794-465: Was a giantess girl named Neringa, who formed the Curonian Spit and helped fishermen. From c. 800 to 1016, the Spit was the location of Kaup , a major pagan trading centre which has not yet been excavated . The Teutonic Knights occupied the area in the 13th century, building their castles at Memel (1252), Neuhausen (1283), and at Rossitten (1372). After the Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) ,

1840-548: Was completed by changing the historic German toponyms to Russian ones throughout the Russian-controlled part of the Spit. 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

1886-412: Was inscribed into The Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of Lithuania as a form of folk art , traditional craftsmanship or agricultural activities. While today the Kursenieki , also known as Kuršininkai, are a nearly extinct Baltic ethnic group living along the Curonian Spit, in 1649 Kuršininkai settlement spanned from Memel (Klaipėda) to Gdańsk . The Kuršininkai were eventually assimilated by

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1932-509: 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. The assessment and mitigation project had not been completed as of 2010. 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

1978-488: Was strongly influenced by a meeting with Edvard Munch . He befriended and travelled with the artist Fritz Ascher from Berlin , who drew a portrait of him in 1919/20. He spent World War I partially on his parents' farm and partially in military service, and then resumed his travels and artistic career. His successful exhibitions in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, and Turkey were disastrously followed by his inclusion in

2024-545: Was suspended in 1635 and he was replaced by the Polish king by a viceroy, Jerzy Ossoliński . However, under the Treaty of Sztumska Wieś the Duchy (and so the Sambia peninsula) was given back to George William . In 1701 Hohenzollern ruler proclaimed the Kingdom of Prussia and Sambia became part of the newly formed Province of East Prussia in 1773. In 1871, the peninsula became part of

2070-497: Was the last area in which the Old Prussian language was spoken before becoming extinct at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1454, the region was incorporated by King Casimir IV Jagiellon to the Kingdom of Poland upon the request of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation . After the subsequent Thirteen Years' War , since 1466, it formed part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Order. The peninsula became part of

2116-439: Was the nucleus of the 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 . Painters from Königsberg such as Julius Freymuth visited the area, as did poets like Ernst Wiechert and Carl Zuckmayer . Other guests included Ernst Kirchner , and Franz Domscheit . From 1901 to 1946

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