Description of the attraction
Sventoji is the name of one of the oldest fishing villages and rivers in Lithuania. It is believed that this is where the city of Palanga develops. As a result of archaeological excavations carried out on the territory of the town, one of the oldest settlements was discovered, as well as household items, whose age reaches approximately 5 thousand years.
The port of Sventoji gained its fame in the 13th century. When the Germans owned Klaipeda (XVI-XVII centuries), the bridge was used especially intensively. A few years later it was rented by the British, but due to competition the bay of the Sventoji port was twice heaped with stones. During the time of tsarist Russia, the port was launched again.
When Lithuania gained independence, the city began to belong to Latvia - the Curonian province. Nowadays, some residents of Sventoji call themselves Kurshininkas and consider themselves Latvians. In 1921, Lithuania regained Sventoji again. The port was covered with sand and attempts to revive it were unsuccessful.
Sventoji was annexed to Palanga in 1973 and became part of the famous resort. Now more than 2,000 people live here, but tens of thousands of people visit it in the summer. This resort has come to the taste of lovers of quiet and family holidays, you can often see couples with children. There is a lot of entertainment in the resort - boating, fishing in the quiet and peaceful corners of the resort. Lovers of swimming in the sea and sandy beaches head to the Baltic Sea. In Sventoji there are many holiday houses and wellness centers, as well as small wooden houses similar to camping. Guests love to have a snack and have fun in the evening in local cafes that are distinguished by originality.
While resting in Sventoji, you should definitely visit the "Path for small and large", it is equipped with a local forestry. It is not difficult to find it, it is located on the road to Liepaja, a couple of kilometers from Sventoji.
After passing the bridge, in front of the Lutheran church, turn right. There are gazebos, benches, tables and places for fires with firewood on the site in the forest. This is a great place for a picnic with the family. Going further, you will see ladders, swings, wood sculptures - this is a play complex. Further, following the signs, you will see a real living encyclopedia - questions, riddles and facts about the forest and those who live there, written on wood planks.
For the smallest, a "Hedgehog Path" is provided, so that you can easily get out of the labyrinth, you need to answer the questions correctly. "Forest for all" is the longest path, on it you will find sayings about the forest of famous people and learn many secrets of the forest.
Not far from the sea in the northern part of the city, you can see the pillars for ceremonies made of wood - the Samogitian sanctuary. It is a paleoastronomic observatory and a Lithuanian pagan temple. Historians believe that this observatory operated in the 15th century. in Palanga on the Birute mountain. In 1998, the Palanga branch of the Cultural Society in Zhumaytiya restored the observatory. Carved wooden pillars, made by folk craftsmen, symbolize the ancient gods of the Balts: Aushrine, Patrimpas, Perkunas, Austaeu, Velinas, Patulas, as well as the Sun and the Moon.
Near the port gate to the city, in the dunes, there is a four-meter sculptural composition, which is the symbol of Sventoji, which is called "The Fisherman's Daughter". The sculpture was created by master Zuzanna Pranaite. The composition depicting girls looking towards the sea in anticipation of their father was created in 1982.
