Curonian Spit

 spit/sandspit, peninsula, nature conservation park / area, interesting place, UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Curonian Spit is a narrow sand peninsula 98 km long and 0.4-4 km wide, which divides the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. Human habitation of this elongated sand dune peninsula, dates back to prehistoric times. Throughout this period it has been threatened by the natural forces of wind and waves. Its survival to the present day has been made possible only as a result of ceaseless human efforts to combat the erosion of the Spit, dramatically illustrated by continuing stabilization and reforestation projects.

The Curonian Spit is an outstanding example of a landscape of sand dunes that is under constant threat from natural forces (wind and tide). After disastrous human interventions that menaced its survival the Spit was reclaimed by massive protection and stabilization works begun in the 19th century and still continuing to the present day.

According to the origin and composition the Spit is comprised of natural and human-made complex sections of protective dune-ridge. These various forms were created by waves, wind and the human, which were also helped by the sand grains of various sizes, flora and its distribution, angles and height of dune-ridge‘s slopes, and position of the ridge according to the coastline and its inner composition.