Neringa

This narrow strip of land just outside of Klaipeda is for some technical reason regarded as a city, in spite of only consisting of a small string of communities that can barely qualify as villages. Nevertheless, Neringa still deserves to be recognized by travelers as one of the more desirable places to visit in Lithuania.



A normal day at the beach in Neringa. Compared to the nearby beach of Palanga, the difference is striking.

With sand dunes in one end, the Lithuanian sea museum in the other end, and plenty of beaches and villages in between, the relaxed traveler can easily fill a week in this place. Starting from the south, the main villages are Nida, Preila, Pervalka, Juodkrantė. Although they are all worth a visit, Nida and Juodkrantė are the most significant ones.




Neringa has a lot to offer. There is even a nudist beach, for those who have a need to show the world how liberated they are. Why the People on the sign are dressed remains a mystery. It`s probably from soviet times.



 

My recommendation is the village of Joudkrante. It has good accommodations, and there is a bit of activity in the evenings. Nida has a more active nightlife and more activities going on, but I have never understood why people who seek such fuzz even bother to go to Neringa. I guess it is some sort of a more exclusive alternative to Palanga for people with a bit more money.

 



Nida harbour. Not exacly Curonian traditional architecture, but still the most popular place on the penninsula.

Since this is a bit of an exclusive area, it is also rather safe. It is an expensive area to live in, so common criminals can`t afford to do so, and the price to enter the peninsula is so outrageous that most of them probably stay out. In Neringa it is instead the state that is robbing you, but in turn it robs everyone. Access to the peninsula is by ferry, unless of course you come from the Russian side through Kaliningrad, there is only one road and it has a checkpoint - so they will get you.



One of the two ferries taking people to Neringa. Remember to feed the (by Norwegian standards) ridiculously small seagulls on the short trip across the sound.

Originally a fishing community, Neringa used to be a quiet place that attracted few visitors. More or less impoverished fishermen would trap eels or trawl for other fish in the Curonian lagoon, or try their luck on the more open waters of the Baltic. The population consisted of mostly migrated Germans and the native Kuršininkai, both of which were evicted from the area following WW2.





There is still some Professional Fishing taking Place in Neringa, but todays vessels are largely older soviet motorized vessels. In many ways a far cry from traditional fishing in the area. 

After that, the area became a place of recreation for official from the communist party, and this tradition was continued after the Lithuanian return to independence. The place is still a holiday destination for the more privileged, but those are now people with money rather than party officials. And luckily for us, foreigner are now welcome.  Even Germans in fact, and many take the opportunity to visit the home of their ancestral lands. And since Germans are known to have I bit of money, I guess there are good reasons for the propertyprices being outrageous in this area.




A restaurant in Juodkrantė. If it was for sale, the asking price would surprise even the most optimistic property developers.

 

Russians also seem to love spending time in Neringa, or perhaps they just like the fact that people who go there have a bit of money. There are at least quite a few of them around, even among locals. Despite the fact that there are no long traditions for Russian settlements in the area. The traditional way of life which is celebrated here, in form of for instance smoked eel, Curonian boats, weathervanes and such, all relates to the ethnic Germans or the Kuršininkai.

 

A modern boat, made to look like the traditional Curonian boats

The Germans were all evicted, and from the entire group of ethnic Kuršininkai there is said to be only nine people left alive. This raises a few questions about the celebration of Neringas old traditions – who owns them, and who does the territory of Neringa rightfully belong to? The nine  Kuršininkai? The descendants of the now largely diseased German population, who have hardly even set foot in the place? My best answers would be that the land technically belongs to Lithuania. Any other solutions does not seem practically possible. The traditions however belong to the world, as indeed has been recognized by the granting of UNESCO status to the entire area some years back.  

UNESCO monument in Juodkrantė

 Recommended related post: Palanga