Juodkrantė
Juodkrantė | |
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Juodkrantė (literally: Black Shore,
History
Juodkrantė was first mentioned (as Schwarzort) by the
Major developments took place in 1860s. In the late 1850s the lagoon waterway was deepened and now ferries could arrive. It was the easiest way to travel. In the course of the work, samples of amber were found. In 1860 the Stantien & Becker company was founded to dig amber just north of the village. During 30 years of operations, it dug out about 2,250 tonnes of amber. At its peak, the company employed about 1,000 workers. The company had a positive effect on KAKALAS out was used to reinforce the shore and swampy areas. After the company relocated to Palmnicken (now Yantarny) in 1890, the population of Schwarzort dropped from 851 in 1885 to 423 in 1895.
In 1871, the town became part of the German Empire, within which it was administratively located in the province of East Prussia. In the late 19th century, its population was Kursenieki and Lithuanian, and was mostly living off fishing.[2] Local church services were held in the Lithuanian and German languages.[2] Following World War I and the re-establishment of independent Lithuania, it became part of Lithuania. During World War II, it was occupied by Germany.
The tourist business was started in 1860s by Edward Stellmacher, who turned an old tavern house into a hotel named Kurischer Hof (Lithuanian: Kuršių kiemas, now Gintaras). Because of the amber business, a new Juodkrantė was developed north of the old fishermen town. Many villas and hotels were built there. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 5 hotels, 20 villas, and a
Amber treasure
Stantien & Becker would dig up many pieces of
Genealogy
Most of the genealogical information was recorded in Church books "Kirchenbücher" when the wooden church was built in 1795. Records are stored in Evangelisches Zentralarchiv Berlin and Bundesarchiv. Some families moved to Juodkrantė from Karwaiten (Karvaičiai) when sand buried this site completely in 1797.
Tourist attractions
Hill of Witches
A large collection of wooden sculptures by various artists is displayed on the Hill of Witches (Lithuanian: Raganų kalnas). The sculpture park was started in 1979 and now has more than 70 wooden objects. Most of the figures are based on Lithuanian legends or folk tales. Before the surrounding area was planted with trees, visitors could admire a view of the sea and the lagoon.
Sculpture park "Land and Water"
Another sculpture park was finished in 2002. It houses 31 stone and metal sculptures created during an international symposium "Land and Water." The sculptures are located on the recently built quay, 2.4 km in length, along the lagoon shore.
A
The heron and cormorant colonies
Of interest to nature watchers are the large great cormorant (2000 pairs) and grey heron (500 pairs) colonies west of Juodkrantė. It is believed that the herons have nested near Juodkrantė since 17th century, but the cormorants arrived only at the beginning of 19th century. The cormorants were exterminated at the end of the 19th century due to Prussian administration regulations and started to reappear only in the 1970s. The large cormorant colony has damaged the old and fragile forest because the birds' excrement burns tree roots. During last 15 years about 10 ha (25 acres) of forest has died. Fishermen blame the birds for diminishing fish catches, but unlike in Prussia, the regulations now do not allow killing them as both grey heron and great cormorant are protected species in Lithuania.
Famous people
- Gustav Fenkohl, a sea- and landscape painter, was born in 1872 in nearby Memel and lived for many years in the village.
Sport and sailing
Kitesurfing/Windsurfing
Juodkrantė is one of the best
beaches in Lithuania. It is open to all wind directions. The Curonian lagoon side is also great for snowkiteboarding.Sailing
Juodkrantė is on inland waterway from Nida to Klaipėda. There are two piers in Juodkrantė for yachts and boats. A yacht club is under development. Navigation - Juodkrantė Lighthouse (20m) int.no 0049 (C3334) - White rectangle on black square metal framework tower with viewing platform. From sea visible only top part.
Paragliding
Juodkrantė is a place of choice for eastern winds. Paragliding sand dune site is south-east from town. Western side - beach dunes are hard to fly.
References
- ^ In German, schwarz means "black" and Ort means "place", but an older meaning is "tip, point", preserved in mining jargon and placenames such as Darßer Ort, the northern tip of the Darß peninsula at the German coast of the Baltic. Compare Wiktionary.
- ^ a b Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom X (in Polish). Warszawa. 1889. p. 400.
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- Sources
- (in Lithuanian) Nijolė Strakauskaitė, Klaipėda, Kuršių nerija, Karaliaučius (2005). R. Paknys Publishing. Pages 94–103. ISBN 9986-830-82-6.
- History: Juodkrantė (former Schwarzort or Schattenort), Direction Kuršių Nerija National Park. Accessed August 19, 2006.
- Matas Mizgiris, Treasure of Juodkrantė, Amber Museum-Gallery. Accessed August 19, 2006.
- (in Lithuanian) Asta Aleksėjūnaitė, Prieš kormoranus - balionais, L.T., March 28, 2005. Delfi.lt. Accessed August 19, 2006.