A JOURNEY THROUGH THE LITHUANIAN NATIONAL PARKS
Regional or national parks are equipped in most of the Lithuanian beautiful and historical places. These are protected areas established for the preservation of natural and cultural features. Tiny Lithuania has as many as five national parks: Dzukija, Aukstaitija, Curonian Spit, Samogitia and Trakai historic reserve. You are welcome to visit them all.
The national park, created by nature and people
The Curonian Spit National Park, included in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is the most visited protected area in Lithuania. It seeks to preserve the rare plant and animal species characteristic to the areas, which are particularly significant for the pan-European biodiversity.
The great beauty of the Curonian Spit cultural landscape is a unique creation of nature and man-made efforts. In the 14th to 18th centuries, sliding sand dunes buried more than one fishing village, so people started fighting with the inexorable wind and at the end of the 18th century replanted the deforested area and installed reinforcements in the sands, so the dunes are tamed in the Curonian Spit. Today, the Lithuanian coastal dunes are the highest in Europe, so when visiting the Curonian Spit National Park, do not miss the chance to enjoy them, to climb on the Great dune ridge, or walk around the gray dunes between Juodkrante and Pervalka.
Trakai Historical National Park is unique. It, unlike other parks, is the focus of cultural heritage, history and archaeology, intersecting the history of the old capital city of Lithuania, Trakai, and the entire country. The historic centrepiece of the park consists of the old town of Trakai, the castle complex on the peninsula with its majestic and romantic history and Trakai Castle the only one in Eastern Europe, built on the island. The landscape of this unique cultural and natural heritage of the ensemble, reflecting the country's most important historical periods, leaves a lasting impression on everyone visiting the place.