- Eco-trails of the Curonian Spit: top-5 routes
- The westernmost lighthouse in Russia
- Military fortifications of Kaliningrad
- On a note
The Kaliningrad region on the Baltic coast offers tremendous opportunities for hiking. First of all, these are unique natural landscapes. The Curonian Bulge is a national reserve under the protection of UNESCO. This is almost a hundred-kilometer zone of sand dunes and protected forests, along the banks of which beaches and resort villages are located. In addition to the Kursk Bulge, there is one more arc - the Baltic one, with the same landscapes and nature.
And in addition to natural attractions, in the Kaliningrad region there are also the ruins of old castles and forts, which can only be reached on foot.
Eco-trails of the Curonian Spit: top-5 routes
Several eco-paths have been laid along the Curonian Spit. The length of the spit is 98 kilometers, so you can organize a multi-day hike along the entire coast. But if you just want to take a leisurely walk without backpacks and tents, with a camera, and you have a small child, then there are several very interesting and short routes, ranging from one and a half to three kilometers:
- Dancing forest. On the 37th kilometer of the Curonian Spit, there is its most popular natural attraction - the Dancing Forest. This is a whole grove of bizarrely twisted pine trees - an absolutely fabulous sight, around which many legends and superstitions have developed in recent years. Indeed, no one knows what happened to these trees - whether it is in the properties of the soil or pests, or in the unique energy of these places and some mystical factors. The length of the route is about 1 km.
- Ef's height. The path to the top of the Walnut Dune, one of the most picturesque on the entire coast. Once this dune began to move towards the coast and threatened to fill up the coastal villages, then under the leadership of the French forester Franz Efe, it was planted with forest, and its highest point was named "Efa Height". On the way to this height, you can see a unique interweaving of forest and desert landscapes - for example, some episodes of the "White Sun of the Desert" were filmed in these forests. The length of the route is 2.9 km.
- Royal Bor. Not far from the village. Fishing. This place is unique even for the Curonian Spit. Basically, the forest plantations on the spit are new, but here is a piece of old pine forest that originally grows on the dune. Deer and wild boars are still found in the forest - they were once hunted by the Prussian nobility. Only here do giant thujas grow. Part of this route is the remains of the Prussian forestry Grenz, which existed here in the 17th century, and where the famous Prussian hunting falcons were bred. And from the dark century-old forest, the route goes to the sandy coast with an observation deck-gazebo over the coast. The length of the route is 2, 8 km.
- Müller's height. The height on the sand dune Bolotnaya (formerly Bruchberg), named after the forester who was engaged in planting on the dune. At the end of the 19th century, she threatened to swallow the village. Rossitten (now Rybachy). Trees were planted here in 1882 and successfully fixed the sands. The forest at the foot of the dune is spruce, above it consists of mountain pine. The trail climbs up the dune quite steeply. And at the top of the dune there is a fire tower and an observation deck, from which the sea opens up. The length of the route is 2 km.
- Lake Swan. The lake, which was formed from a small sea bay, now serves as a haven for many birds. The Curonian Spit, over which the paths of migratory birds run, is one of the main Russian centers of ornithology. Swans and other waterfowl live here. This route has a smoother ascent than the previous one - it goes along the ridge of sand dunes, through a walnut forest, to a viewing platform above the lake. The length of the route is 3 km.
All these eco-trails are neat wooden paths laid along the sand - here you can neither stumble, nor get bogged down, nor get lost, the opportunity to meet a tick, if you do not move away from the paths, is minimal, in summer they are treated to keep insects away. Information posters hang along the paths, you can use an audio guide or download a mobile application.
Some trails pass in the immediate vicinity of the reserve and you should not leave them, because in the protected zones you can meet not only roe deer, but also wild boars.
The westernmost lighthouse in Russia
The hiking trip from Svetlogorsk to the westernmost lighthouse in Russia at Cape Taran (the old German name is Brewsterort) is designed for lovers of sea walks.
The length of such a route is about thirty kilometers, so it will take a whole day, taking into account the time for rest and snacks. Part of the road runs along the railway tracks - from the Svetlogorsk railway station you need to get to the coast, and then along the sea and sandy beaches. Part of the road will have to go along a stone ridge, so you should take care of sturdy and non-slippery shoes. The path will run through several seaside villages: Otradnoye, Primorye and end at the village of Donskoye or Sinyavino.
From the sea side, a colorful view of the lighthouse on a high cliff opens up - its ensemble is considered a national treasure of the Kaliningrad region. A stone reef extends 4 kilometers into the sea from the cape, so signal lights have been lit here since the 17th century, and in 1846 a real lighthouse appeared - a thirty-meter tower. Since then, its equipment has been modernized, but the building itself is the same. You can see the lighthouse lit up either at night or in very bad foggy weather.
This route is not difficult and runs from village to village, where you can always have a snack and relax. But be careful - the transitions between the villages themselves are quite "wild", the path is not marked - it is difficult to get lost there, but walking on stones or sand can be difficult. The length of the route is 30 km.
Military fortifications of Kaliningrad
Around Kaliningrad there are the remains of a city fortress: gates, towers and bastions, and a distant ring of forts created at the end of the 19th century: 12 large and several small ones. The forts are in a different state. Two of them are museums equipped for tourists, some are inaccessible, some are abandoned.
Extremists can try to walk around the entire city and try to see all the forts in one go - but such a route, which is about 60 kilometers long, will take a couple of days. Several forts - №4, №8 and №9, are picturesque ruins. You can get there only on your own, no excursions are led, the ruins are not guarded, so you should be careful and take care of a first-aid kit, flashlight and cellular communication.
However, there are also short walking routes along the nearest fortifications of the city. For example, in half a day, having mastered only about 4-5 kilometers, you can walk along the Lithuanian shaft past three preserved gates - Royal, Zakheim and Rosgarten, two defensive towers and two bastions - Grolman and Oberteich.
On a note
The fees for a walking trip in the Kaliningrad region are not too different from the usual ones. One has only to take into account that if you go to the seaside, then there may be a strong cool wind in the bright sun, so you should definitely take some sunscreen with you. But if there is no wind, then the heat here can be humid and heavy, because the sea is very close.
There are no more mosquitoes here than in the Moscow region, and on the Kursk and Baltic spits there are usually fewer of them - they are blown away by the sea wind. But there are ticks in the Kaliningrad region, and they carry diseases. So if you go into the forest, you must definitely take care of the means against them.
