Dancing Forest (Curonian Spit National Park). Dancing forest in Kaliningrad
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http://www..jpgThe smallest among the national natural parks of Russia is the Curonian Spit in the Kaliningrad region. And it is also one of the most visited. There really is something to see here. One of the most popular tourist sites in the park is “ dancing forest"or as it is also called - Drunken Forest.
Pines that “dance”
In the 1960s, near the village of Rybachy, foresters planted pine trees on the Krugloya dune to stabilize the sand. Years have passed and...
At first you don't notice anything special here. On both sides of the forest path there are pine trees, the bark of which is thickly covered with lichens. But at some point, pine trees with bizarrely curved trunks often begin to catch your eye (see photo).
The trunks are not just tilted, they resemble writhing snakes, loops, spiral turns. On the Curonian Spit this place is called the “drunken forest”.
Once you walk through a section (no more than a kilometer), the forest turns out to be normal again. Here you will inevitably think:
...who organized these “dances”?
There are a dozen or two explanations for the phenomenon, including legends - ancient (about sorcerers) and modern (about aliens). It is difficult to explain with real hypotheses (for example, the influence of winds) the main thing - why in neighboring areas the pine trees look quite decent, but here... they “danced.”
Curonian Spit: drunken forest, photo
Versions of the origin of the Drunken Forest
Version 1. The caterpillar of a butterfly called the pine shoot eats away the apical buds, and the shoots become like a lyre or bayonet on the trunk. Perhaps the forest in this area experienced an outbreak of mass reproduction of the pest? But after it the trunks do not form loops or rings. Yes, and the butterfly lives from Britain to the Kuril Islands, but the “drunken forest” grows only on the Curonian Spit.
Version 2. Perhaps the Kruglaya dune differs from others in its high sand mobility. They covered tiny pines, tilting their fragile trunk first in one direction, and after a few years in the other. The stem always grows strictly vertically. So the pine trees had to adapt to a different angle of inclination each time (see photo). And when it becomes lignified, it retains its previous position. However, it still needs to be proven that the local sands were indeed more mobile than the neighboring ones.
Version 3. Abnormal trees could grow from the seeds of a tree that carried a mutation in the growth gene. It was passed on to descendants. It’s easy to check: you need to sow the seeds of the “dancing trees” and watch how they grow. Mutations are hereditary.
Version 4. Are there substances in the local soil that affect plant growth? In 2006, pine trees were planted in the anomalous square and they are being monitored. So far, nothing else of note has been discovered.
We will not talk here about mystical explanations: biofields, “turbulences of energy” and other interesting, but unproven things. There are people who like to believe it, and there is nothing to be done about it.
Here the tourist is a welcome guest
How to get to the “dancing forest” on the Curonian Spit? The easiest way is to take sightseeing tour. At the 38th kilometer of the road going towards Lithuania, there is a sign to the forest. You can travel by bus from Kaliningrad, Zelenogradsk and Svetlogradsk towards the village of Morskoye. At your request, drivers will stop near the desired turn.
There is a walking route through the forest. At the entrance there is a parking lot, information boards, trays with souvenirs, and a cafe.
The paths diverging from the main route are covered with boardwalks and railings. This protects the soil from compaction and trampling. The most unusual trees protected from tourists who, having heard enough stories, strive to hug the tree tighter, or even crawl through the ring of the trunk in order to “look younger.” In this case, the bark is peeled off and not restored.
The park has carved log benches. You can sit down, look around and admire: how many interesting and amazing things there are in nature!
Among all the attractions of the Curonian Spit, undoubtedly the most mysterious and mystical is the 37th kilometer, where the mysterious " Dancing Forest"The pine forest in this place bends in the most fantastic forms that defy simple logical explanation. Scientists have been struggling to solve this phenomenon for decades. Among the main versions of what caused this anomaly are called: biological, geoanalmal and bioenergetic versions. We'll look at them a little later.
So, Dancing Pine forest, also popularly called “Drunk”, was planted in 1961 on the Kruglaya dune (German. Runderberg), as part of the standard program to strengthen the sands of the Curonian Spit. At first, no one paid attention to the trees from this area, and only years later a strange anomaly was noticed.
A little later, the tourist walking route “Dancing Forest” was laid out at this place, which quickly became very popular both among ordinary tourists and among all kinds of psychics and other hoaxers.
Today, in front of the starting point of the route, there is a fairly extensive parking lot for passenger vehicles and tourist buses. Along its perimeter there are wooden tents with souvenirs made of wood and amber, and there are also dry toilets, mini-cafes and points selling local smoked fish.
At the end of the summer tourist season Many tents are folded, but some remain open, as they say, until the last tourist.
For individual travelers, at the beginning of the walking route there are information boards that briefly tell about the Dancing Forest and the famous German gliding school that existed on the Curonian Spit before World War II.
Today, only fragments of the foundation remain from the school, but once this place was rightfully considered the center of German gliding. The school was founded in 1922 and quickly became famous, and in 1936 it received Imperial status. In total, during the existence of the school, about 30,000 pilots were trained there, among whom were many famous record holders for duration and range of flights. By the way, the first flight to Rossittene(modern village of Rybachy) took place on October 24, 1922, and the last one on January 18, 1945.
The entrance to the forest path leading to the Dancing Forest is marked by two wooden pillars with pagan symbols carved on them.
The fact is that previously there were beautiful beech and oak groves here, which were considered sacred by the local Prussian tribes. In the canopy of foliage, various sacrifices were made to the pagan gods and rituals were performed. This continued until the punitive detachments of the knights of the Teutonic Order entered these lands in the 13th century. The local population was exterminated, and trees began to be actively cut down for the needs of the knights. Naturally, such cutting affected surrounding nature and, gradually, dense forests were replaced by a real desert...
A narrow path, lined with special wooden floorings, goes sideways from the main wide path so as not to harm nature. After all, if you leave the path, the thin layer of soil covered with moss will instantly collapse and damage will be caused to nature. Imagine what will happen if several hundred more tourists follow you, and so on every day?..
And so we enter a relatively small, square section of the forest, and find ourselves, as if through an invisible portal, in an anomalous zone. This area gives off a somewhat eerie feeling... there are no birds singing here, and the trees, twisted in the most incredible way, are covered with thick growths of bark and lichen.
Several dozen pine trees seemed to be twisted from pain, caused by someone’s evil invisible hand or magic...
The most famous trees are now protected by wooden fences, since a few years ago almost every first passerby wanted to take a photo with these trees, sit or stand on them. And someone also started a stupid belief among the people that if you climb through such a tree ring from west to east against the flow of time, you will instantly be cleansed of all diseases or gain an extra year of life. This caused severe damage to the tree bark. Some trees in the neighborhood, alas, have already become bare...
Attempts by scientists and ordinary people Understanding the phenomenon of the Dancing Forest has given rise to a bunch of different theories, the most famous of which I suggest you familiarize yourself with:
1. Bioenergy. All kinds of psychics who have repeatedly visited the Dancing Forest all unanimously insist that this place has strong cosmic energy that makes the trees bend. People here are either charged with additional strength, or, conversely, acquire severe headaches and weakness.
2. Biological. This version even has several sub-options. Everything here is relatively simple... Some scientists claim that strong gusty winds blowing from the sea are to blame for everything, BUT, the question immediately arises, why did the curvatures affect only one small area of the forest on the entire Spit? And the pine trees standing next door, outside this perimeter, are absolutely straight...
Other scientists see the reason in a butterfly from the leaf roller family - Rhyacionia pinicolana(Pine shoot). The butterfly lays eggs in the apical bud of a young pine shoot, which leads to disruption of straight growth and curvature of the pine. But, again, this is all so local that it casts doubt...
The third scientist believes that the movement of sands is to blame for everything. Unlike other dunes of the Curonian Spit, the Kruglaya dune is located, as it were, on a clay cushion, which, perhaps, causes it to be more mobile than other dunes. By changing the angle of the surface, combined with the winds, the dune could cause a change in the growth of shoots. That is, the young pines wanted to grow evenly, but the sand did not allow them to do this, and they had to constantly dodge. Having reached a certain age, the pines firmly established themselves in the sand, which allowed them to continue to grow smoothly and not depend on the sand. By the way, I myself adhere to this version.
3. Mystical. Fans of paranormal phenomena claim that in this place there is a subtle connection of two matters that separate Parallel Worlds. Thus, there is, or was previously, some invisible portal to the world of spirits, the energy rings of which made the trees bend. Then the portal closed or its power weakened, and the distortions stopped.
By the way, one of the legends of the Curonian Spit says that twisted pines are young witches who flocked to the Sabbath and for some reason turned into pines during a witchcraft dance... Perhaps as a result of an incorrect spell...
4. Geomagnetic. The essence of the theory comes down to the fact that there are strong geomagnetic fields in this place... I believe that this theory can be confirmed or refuted with the help of special studies, but whether they were or not, and what their results are, I don’t know...
5. Chemical. Finally, the fifth theory suggests that the soil in this place was poisoned by some kind of chemicals still by the Germans, and this is directly associated with the gliding school located nearby. Yet again… chemical composition soil analysis seems to be as easy as shelling pears...
By the way, in Denmark, in the northern part of the island of Zialand, there is a similar place called " Troll forest"(Danish: Troldeskoven). The trees there are also twisted in the most bizarre forms. The Danes also still have not found an explanation for this phenomenon...
Finally, I would like to note one more thing. In 2006, shoots of young pine trees were planted in the “anomalous square” for the purpose of observation and research. Will they also curl like their older neighbors or not? 7 years have passed, nothing unusual has been noticed, except for one thing - new pine trees are growing very, very slowly, as if something is greatly affecting their growth...
Previous reports from the Curonian Spit.
The “Dancing Forest” or as it is also called “Drunken Forest” is located in the Kaliningrad region in the Curonian Spit national park. The Curonian Spit is a sand spit that is located on the coast of the Curonian Lagoon and Baltic Sea. The Curonian Spit is a narrow and long strip of land shaped like a saber and separatingBaltic Sea from the Curonian Lagoon.
The Curonian Spit extends from the city of Zelenogradsk, which is located in the Kaliningrad region, to the city of Klaipeda, which is located in Lithuania. The spit got its name from the ancient Curonian tribes who lived there before the colonization of Prussia by the Germans.
The “Dancing Forest” is a very amazing and unique natural phenomenon, as the pines in this forest bend in bizarre zigzags, as if they are dancing.
This unique forest was planted in the 1960s. Pine trees throughout the forest have the usual shape and only in a small area, the tree trunks twist and twist in bizarre spirals and even twist into rings.
It is also very interesting that there is a clear boundary between the trees we are used to and the trees twisted into a loop. Why do the trees grow like this in this place? in an interesting way Science doesn’t know for sure, but there are suggestions that the cause of the curvature may be genetic characteristics, various natural factors, the effects of viruses or insect pests, or the special cosmic energy of this piece of earth.
One way or another, the secret of the “Dancing Forest” has not yet been revealed, and the mystery of the amazing forest annually attracts many tourists to the Curonian Spit.
The first hundred meters from the road the forest seems completely ordinary. As they say in the novels, “nothing foreshadowed”...
At first, few people pay attention to the fact that the pines begin to bend:
Lonely strange trees appear, then more and more of them...
Some force begins to twist the trees:
And the deeper you go into the forest, the more this strange property manifests itself:
Psychics, having felt a strong energy field, refuse to go further. They only reach the “epicenter” ordinary people. Some of them get strong headache and fatigue, others - a boost of energy for the whole day.
Any other similar place would have acquired dozens of legends.
They would tell you about a prince and a commoner girl, young witches, or just two lovers.
They would definitely die and turn into dancing trees in the place where the ring was lost, a suicide occurred, an oath of allegiance was taken, or the wrong spell was cast during a witchcraft dance.
These trees were planted to strengthen the sands of the Curonian Spit only in 1961. The legends have not yet been born. At first, no one paid attention to the strange growth of young pines. Years later, the anomaly became obvious...
Something inexplicable is tormenting the trunks, the trees seem to be writhing in pain.
Pine trees curl into spirals, twist into rings and break, changing growth in completely unexpected directions:
Have you ever been to a pine forest? Have you seen how these grow? coniferous trees? In the vast majority of cases, pines tend upward towards the sun. Their trunks pierce the sky like arrows. In the old days, such wood was called mast wood - perfectly straight trunks made excellent ship masts. But the pine forest does not always present such a correct picture. There are exceptions. In Europe, this is the famous Crooked Forest in Poland.
In Russia there is also something similar, but with a more euphonious name. In the westernmost part of our country, in the Kaliningrad region, in the territory national park The Curonian Spit has its own extraordinary Pinery called the Dancing Forest.
The trees here have trunks of unimaginable shapes. They break all the laws of harmony and correctness. The trunks spread along the ground, curl up “like a ram’s horn,” and form bizarre spirals and loops. Some trees have even earned personal names, the most famous of which are “devil’s gate,” “witch’s ring,” and “devil’s horns.” As you can see, the names reflect a certain mysticism.
Even scientists cannot come to a consensus on the formation of such a natural incident. But still, most biologists are inclined to the following theory. Pine shoots in early age were damaged by the caterpillar of the hibernating shootweed butterfly. This type of insect is characterized by the fact that it mainly eats top part shoots with buds, but they try to neglect the side buds. Caterpillars prefer young trees between 5 and 20 years old. As a result of the destruction of the upper bud, the pine uses the lateral buds to continue growth. But this entails changes during the formation of the trunk. Because of this, tree trunks get such unusual shapes.
A pine forest was planted in these places in 1961 to strengthen the soil on the Curonian Spit and protect it from erosion.
Dancing Forest on the map
- geographical coordinates 55.179573, 20.860611
- distance from the capital of Russia Moscow is about 1060 km
- distance from Kaliningrad approximately 60 km
- the nearest airport Khrabrovo is about 40 km
- the attraction is located on the 37th kilometer of the Curonian Spit, 4 kilometers north of the small village of Rybachy
- The Dancing Forest is located on a narrow strip of land separating the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea
The flow of tourists to these places is growing from year to year. On the one hand, this is good: people do not sit at home, but explore the sights of the world and their home country. But on the other hand, the abundance of travelers harms the reserve, because most visitors hug the trees, try to climb them, and break off branches. And the soil around the most noticeable anomalous pines was compacted better than any asphalt paver.
Today, a special path about 800 meters long runs through the Dancing Forest. It has wooden flooring and railings. Tourists are earnestly asked to walk along it. And especially remarkable dancing trees are surrounded by small wooden fences.
- The area of the Dancing Forest is only about 0.5 hectares. While the rest of the pine forest is filled with traditional straight trees
- Since 2000, both the Dancing Forest and the entire Curonian Spit park have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Register
- in 1922 a German gliding school was built here. You can still see the remains of the foundations of its buildings.
How to get to the Dancing Forest
From Kaliningrad you can use regular buses going to Klaipeda. You can also get to Zelenogradsk at the southernmost point of the Curonian Spit by train or bus from Kaliningrad, and from there to the Curonian Spit park on commuter bus or taxi.
The Curonian Spit in Kaliningrad is 98 kilometers long - it is thin, curved and acts as a natural border between the bay and the Baltic coast. Her South part lies on the territory of the Kaliningrad region, and the northern one - in the southwest of Lithuania. This is an object World Heritage UNESCO, protected by the efforts of two countries at the same time.
This page offers photos of the national park. You can also learn about the dancing forest and other attractions. Comprehensive information has been prepared on how to get there, where you can stop for a vacation and what to see first of all in your leisure time.
Holidays on the Curonian Spit in the Kaliningrad region (with photos)
Warm summer days is already in the past, but this is not a reason to forget about traveling. Especially within your own country: statistics show that over the past few years, domestic tourism has begun to become more widespread. One of the reasons is, of course, economic conditions and the new outlook of young people on internal resources of your country. Holidays on the Curonian Spit in the Kaliningrad region deserve special attention from those tourists who appreciate fresh sea air and space to look at.
If you are already bored at work, then it’s time to remember about eco-tourism and travel, which are so popular in Lately. Here you can take a complete break from the hustle and bustle, plunging headlong into the silence of the forest, the smell of orchards, the aroma of field herbs and flowers and the singing of birds. Plunge headlong into village life, with all its joys and difficulties.
The Kaliningrad region attracts tourists who go crazy for fishing and hunting, picking berries, tasting local cuisine and seasonal delicacies. Tourism began to flourish in this area after the collapse Soviet Union- many Germans, especially descendants of the area’s residents, often chose this place as their holiday destination.
The Curonian Spit is an ideal place for observing wildlife, sustainable tourism, leisure and cultural expression. Here you can go cycling, hiking, canoeing, sailing and try traditional fishermen's food. There are many places that attract a huge number of visitors from all over the world every year - these are the maritime museum and the dolphinarium, the National Park and its landscape exhibition, the Neringa Historical Museum, the Fringilla Ornithological Station, Müller Height, the Amber Gallery, memorial museum Tom Mann and the ethnographic fisherman's estate. The most popular among children are the Witches Hill and the nature of the puzzle trail. Look at the photos of the main attractions of the Curonian Spit - they allow you to enjoy beautiful views:
Huge nets for catching birds. Ornithological station © Author Khaev Evgeny
Rybachy village. Memorial to the Soldier-Liberator © Author Anna Pronenko
Throughout Europe, the Curonian Spit is considered one of the most unique places on the entire continent. It is an area of forested dunes that separate the Baltic Sea from fresh water Curonian Lagoon. Scythe and her national park offer unique opportunity see migrating birds, its train station and local museum will tell you all about the history of this region, its formation and the history of its inhabitants. Walking along the sand dunes, some of the highest in Europe, you can hear the “Singing Sands” - believe me, you will not want to leave this place.
The Curonian Spit was formed back in the 3rd millennium BC, and the basis for it was glacial moraines. Subsequently, the winds and sea current contributed to the appearance of a sufficient amount of sand to lift and hold this formation above the sea.
The existence of this narrow shoal is under constant threat natural processes, which regulate the features of the coastline. It depends on the dynamic equilibrium between sand transport and deposition. Suppose if you build a large port with a pier in the southwest, the spits will eventually weaken and probably disappear completely. however, the most likely development is that the shallow bay inside the Curonian Spit will gradually fill with sediment, thereby creating new lands.
Curonian Spit National Park and Gray Dunes
Curonian Spit National Park is one of five national parks in Lithuania. Its area is 26,464 hectares: 9,764 are covered by land and 16,700 hectares by water. The park was founded in 1991 to protect the unique ecosystem of the Curonian Spit and the Curonian Lagoon. This area protected by the state in accordance with Lithuanian legislation on protected areas. Since 1997 it has been a member of the EUROPARK federation.
The national park protects the dead (or gray) dunes - large sand hills built strong winds with ravines and erosions. the reserve is a habitat rare plants, listed in the Red Book, four villages and two old cemeteries, which are hidden under the sand. All four villages were covered with sand during the years 1675-1854. Any human activity in the reserve is prohibited, except for scientific observations. The educational path is the only place, from which you can explore the reserve's facilities.
In 2000, the Curonian Spit cultural landscape was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. These elongated sand dunes date back to prehistoric times, and throughout this time they have been threatened by the natural forces of wind and waves. Its survival to this day has been made possible by ongoing human efforts to combat erosion and reforestation of the spit.
The Curonian National Park is a wonderful place that allows tourists and visitors to better explore and understand nature, culture and traditions in an active and environmentally friendly way.
Dancing forest on the Curonian Spit (with photo)
The Dancing Forest is a pine forest on the territory of the Curonian Spit in the Kaliningrad region. Its special feature is its unusually twisted trees. Unlike the drunken forest, in the dancing forest they twist in a number of shapes, such as rings, hearts and twisting spirals, while bending towards the ground. The exact reason for the distortion of trees is unknown, but according to one version, it is all due to the activity of Rhyacionia buoliana caterpillars. People say that the dancing forest repeats the movements of the sands in the spit.
Trees were first planted in this area in the 60s of the 20th century. Before the outbreak of World War II, there was a Nazi Germany gliding school here.
Look at the photo of the dancing forest of the Curonian Spit - the most outstanding specimens are shown:
How to get there? Map of the Curonian Spit
As we have already said, the Curonian Spit is located on the territory of the Kaliningrad region. The easiest way to get there is to go from the central bus station in Kaliningrad. The Kaliningrad-Klaipeda regular bus will take you to your desired point.
You can also use electric transport. For example, on a suburban line to Zelenogradsk (from the Northern or Southern stations). Regular buses run from the same stations to Zelenogradsk. Having reached your destination, you need to transfer to a regular bus that goes to the Curonian Spit, or simply use a taxi.
Entrance to the territory of the Curonian Park, as in protected area national scale, paid, but prices are not high. Passengers of buses, minibuses and freight transport pay 30 rubles per person. Entry on a motorcycle will cost approximately 130 rubles, and by car and minibus (up to 8 seats) - 250 rubles; on category “C” transport, travel will cost 500 rubles.
Most Big city on the spit is Nida, located on the territory of Lithuania. this resort is very popular among German and Lithuanian tourists. Along the northern coastline of the Curonian Spit there is an area of beaches for tourists and just vacationers. The following is a map of the Curonian Spit; it allows you to get a general idea of this natural monument: 
Weather on the Curonian Spit and where to live
The climate in the reserve is formed under the direct influence of the Baltic Sea and transported from the Atlantic Ocean air masses. As a result, the climate changes from maritime to continental, so the weather in the park is very changeable with moderately warm summers and mild winters. average annual temperature throughout the territory +7 degrees Celsius. Warm and cold days here are not so long, and without frost they live here almost the whole year - 250-260 days a year. The only thing worth knowing and not forgetting is that the weather on the territory of the Curonian Spit is not stable, the wind regularly blows at a speed of 5.5 m/sec, and in winter its speed is even higher. So stocking up on warm clothes will be very helpful.
Now let’s figure out where you can live in this wonderful place while on vacation. The Curonian Spit has several camp sites where tourists and city guests who come here can stay. The most famous of them are the tourist center “Leisure” and “Dune”. Tourists also often stay at the Lesnoy holiday home.
More comfortable conditions await you in local hotels"Altrimo" and "Curonian Spit".
The Curonian Spit Hotel is located approximately 30 kilometers from the airport, 12 km from the center of Zelenogradsk and just 30 meters from the Curonian Lagoon. includes 16 double rooms with different numbers of rooms, as well as with a refrigerator, TV, toilet and shower. For an additional fee, you can eat in the hotel cafe, but there is a bonus for its residents - they receive a 20 percent discount.
Hotel Altrimo is located 40 km from Kaliningrad airport, 30 km from the city center in Zelenogradsk and just 50 meters from the Curonian Lagoon. The rooms are provided with everything you need, from a shower, toilet, microwave oven and refrigerator to a personal safe, minibar and your own kitchen. The hotel has a total of 35 rooms with varying numbers of rooms. The price includes buffet breakfast.
The cost of accommodation starts from 200 rubles per person per day, and the closer the hotel is to the Russian-Lithuanian border, the higher the cost of your room.
The Leisure hotel complex is located 100 meters from the Curonian Spit. In each of its 29 rooms you will find everything you need for life - a refrigerator, TV, shower, electric kettle. Some rooms even come with fireplaces and other extras. Breakfast (continental) is included in the room rate.
