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{{one source|date=November 2014}}
]]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
'''Nida''' ({{lang-de|Nidden}}) is a ] in ], located on the ]. It has 1,650 residents and is the administrative center of the ]. ] is located in the town. Nida is the westernmost point of Lithuania and the ].
{{Infobox settlement <!--more fields are available for this Infobox--See Template:Infobox Settlement-->
| name = Nida
| nickname =
| settlement_type = Town
| pushpin_map = Lithuania#Baltic states
|pushpin_relief=1
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Nida
| pushpin_label_position = left
| image_shield =
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 275
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2/2/1
|image1 = Nida from bird's-eye view.jpg
|caption1 = Aerial view of Nida
|image2 = Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nida 02.jpg
|caption2 = Evangelical Lutheran Church
|image3 = Kurische Nehrung Wimpel der Kurenfischer in Nida 1.JPG
|caption3 = ] pennants and traditional houses
|image4 = Kurische Nehrung Küste in Nida 2.JPG
|caption4 = Coast of the ]
|image5 = Typical house in Nida, Lithuania, 2004.jpg
|caption5 = Traditional wooden house
|image6 = Hohe Düne Nida (2022).jpg
|caption6 = ]
}}
| image_blank_emblem = Symbols of Neringa (Nida).svg
| coordinates = {{coord|55|18|12|N|21|00|20|E|region:LT-AL|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = ]
| subdivision_name = {{LTU}}
| subdivision_type2 = ]
| subdivision_name2 = ] ]
| subdivision_type3 = ]
| subdivision_name3 = ]
| subdivision_type4 = ]
| subdivision_name4 = Juodkrantė eldership
| established_title = First mentioned
| established_date = 1358
| population_total = 3530
| population_as_of = 2020<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/neringos-savivaldybe/ | title=Neringos savivaldybė }}</ref>
| population_demonym = {{lang|lt|nidiečiai}} (])
| timezone = ]
| utc_offset = +2
| timezone_DST = ]
| utc_offset_DST = +3
| module = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=11 |height=300 |width= | stroke-width=1 |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
|footnotes = <ref>{{cite web | author=| title=Nida | website=] | date=2024-08-11 | url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/nida/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811113009/https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/nida/ | archive-date=2024-08-11 | url-status=live | language=lt | access-date=2024-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Kuršių nerijos nacionalinio parko direkcija | website=Nida | date=2023-10-19 | url=https://nerija.lrv.lt/lt/apie-nacionalini-parka/kulturos-paveldas/istorines-gyvenvietes/nida/ | language=lt | access-date=2024-08-11| archive-url=https://archive.today/20240811113536/https://nerija.lrv.lt/lt/apie-nacionalini-parka/kulturos-paveldas/istorines-gyvenvietes/nida/ | archive-date=2024-08-11 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Nidos akmens amžiaus istorija | website=Kuršių nerijos nacionalinio parko direkcija | date=2023-10-19 | url=https://nerija.lrv.lt/lt/apie-nacionalini-parka/kulturos-paveldas/gyventojai/nidos-akmens-amziaus-istorija/ | language=lt | access-date=2024-08-11| archive-url=https://archive.today/20240811113650/https://nerija.lrv.lt/lt/apie-nacionalini-parka/kulturos-paveldas/gyventojai/nidos-akmens-amziaus-istorija/ | archive-date=2024-08-11 | url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

'''Nida''' ({{langx|de|Nidden}}, ]: ''Nīde'') is a ] in ], the administrative centre of ]. Located on the ] between the ] and the ], it is the westernmost point of Lithuania and the ], close to the border with the Russian ] exclave. It currently has about 2,385 residents.


== History == == History ==
]
First mentioned by ] in ] documents in 1429 and 1497, the settlement was originally 5&nbsp;km south of today's position near the ''Hohe Düne'' (high dune) at ''Grabscher Haken'' (] ''grabis'' = hill). The fishing village became part of the ] in 1525 and the ] in 1701.
A settlement area of the Baltic ], the original place called ''nida'' ("fluent" in the ]) was first mentioned in 1385 documents issued by the ], who ruled the lands within their ]. The original settlement on the road along the Curonian Spit from ] to ] was located about {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of its today's position near the ''Hohe Düne'' (High Dune) at Cape Grobštas (from Old Prussian: ''grabis'', "hill"). After the ], the fishing village became part of the Polish ] held by the Teutonic Knights until 1525,<ref>Górski, pp. 96–97, 214–215</ref> and by ].


From 1701, it was part of the ]. In 1709 nearly all of the population died from a ] epidemic. Continuously threatened by sand drifts, the village was moved away from the approaching dune to today's position in the 1730s. Incorporated into the Prussian ] in 1773, it became part of the ] upon the ] of 1871. In 1874 a ] on Urbas hill was built, later destroyed in the war and rebuilt in 1945 and 1953. In 1878, the village had a population of 655, mostly living off fishing, with fish being sold mainly to nearby ] and other coastal towns.<ref name=sgk/> Nida already was the largest village of the Curonian Spit.<ref name=sgk/> Both Lithuanian and German-language church services were held there.<ref name=sgk>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom VII|year=1886|language=pl|location=Warszawa|page=37}}</ref>
Continuously threatened by sand drifts, the village was moved away from the dune to today's position in the 1730s.
In 1874 a ] on Urbas hill was built, later destroyed in the war and rebuilt in 1945 and 1953.


===Artists' colony===
In the beginning of 20th century, Nidden became famous as a colony of German ] (''{{lang|de|Künstlerkolonie Nidden}}''). Artists such as ], ], ], and ] visited Nidden.<ref name="W159">Weise, p. 159</ref> Painters from ] such as ] and ] stayed in the area, as did poets like ] and ].<ref name="W159"/> Other guests included ], ], ], and ]. The painters usually took accommodations at the Herman Blode hotel, and left some of their works with him.
]
]'s summer house, now a museum]]


From the late 19th century, the dune landscape became popular with ] and ]s from the '']'' arts school. The local inn of Herman Blode was the nucleus of the ] artists' colony (''Künstlerkolonie Nidden''). ] sojourned there, as did ], ], ], and ].<ref name="W159">Weise, p. 159</ref> Painters from Königsberg such as Julius Freymuth and Eduard Bischoff visited the area, as did poets such as ] and ].<ref name="W159"/> Other guests included ], Ernst Mollenhauer, ], and Hermann Wirth. The painters usually took accommodations at Blode's hotel, and left some of their works with him. Some also built their own residences in the vicinity.
Nidden became part of Lithuania together with the northern half of the Curonian Spit in 1919 after ] and was officially renamed Nida. Nevertheless the village remained a German-majority settlement - the border with East Prussia's half of the Spit lay only a few kilometres to the south. ]-winning writer ] lived in Nida during the summers of 1930&ndash;32. Part of ] (''Joseph und seine Brüder'') was written here. Mann's summer cottage survived and in the Soviet era hosted a library open in summer only, with residential quarters of the visiting librarian posted from ] upstairs and public areas downstairs. It is presently a culture center dedicated to the writer, with a memorial exhibition.


After ] Nidden, together with the northern half of the Curonian Spit, became part of the ] under the 1919 ], but was subsequently incorporated to ] in 1923. Renamed Nida, the village nevertheless remained a predominantly German settlement;{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} the border with the remaining German (East Prussian) half of the spit lay only a few kilometers to the south.
The town is known for ''Nidden Kurenwimpel'', ornate carved flags peculiar to local families resident on the Curonian Spit. The flags, replicas of which can be seen around Nida, feature animal and human figures as ]s reminiscent of a pagan writing tradition. At the local cemetery, examples of ''krikštas'' (pl. ''krikštai''), pagan burial markers in place of tombstones, can still be seen today.


In 1929 ]-winning writer ] visited Nida while on holiday in nearby ] and decided to have a summer house erected on a hill above the lagoon; it was mocked by locals as '']''. He and his family spent the summers of 1930&ndash;32 in the cottage, and parts of the epic novel '']'' were written there.
In 1939 the town had 736 inhabitants.<ref name="W159"/>


Threatened by the ] due to his ], Mann left Germany after Hitler's '']'' in 1933 and eventually emigrated to the United States. After the Klaipėda Region was again annexed by (now Nazified) Germany in 1939, his house was seized at the behest of ] {{citation needed|date=May 2016}} and designated a recreation home for '']'' officers.
Nida became nearly uninhabited, like all of the Curonian Spit, as a result of the ] during ]. The town was returned to the ] within the ] by the 1945 ], and today (since 1990) is part of independent Lithuania.


===Post-war===
Nida was a little-visited fishing village in the post-war period. ] and ] went to Nida during their stay in Lithuania in summer 1965. In the 1970s, together with three other villages of ] (], ] and ]), it was reserved as an invitation-only holiday resort with controlled entry regime and accommodation reserved almost exclusively for the ] ] and senior government and industry elite. Thanks to the very strict planning regulations, a ban on any industrial development and more generous municipal subsidies, it remained an unspoilt and clean territory. Today, the number of visitors is kept small by a low number of available hotel rooms (as new developments are limited, and are usually permitted only on already existing old buildings foundations), relatively high accommodation prices, ferry tolls and entry pass costs.
]
]
In 1939 the town had 736 inhabitants.<ref name="W159"/> Like all of the Curonian Spit, Nida became nearly uninhabited as a result of the advancing ], the ] and the eventual expulsion of surviving German inhabitants. After the end of ], Nida again became part of then ] Lithuania. In the early postwar period, Nida was a little-visited fishing village. Later during the Soviet occupation, together with three other villages of the ] (], ] and ]), Nida was a controlled-entry holiday resort reserved for the ] officials and elite (]).

Since Lithuania restored its independence in 1990, the area has been open to all and the tourism has flourished. However, as Curonian Spit is a ] and a ], there are various restrictions to protect its ecosystem and the unique architecture of towns like Nida.

Mann's summer cottage survived the war and was preserved on the initiative of the Lithuanian poet ]. A first memorial site was inaugurated already in 1967. During the Soviet occupation, it hosted a library open in summer only, with residential quarters of the visiting librarian posted from ] upstairs and public areas downstairs. In 1995/96 the house was restored according to the original architectural design and reopenend as a cultural center dedicated to the writer, with a memorial exhibition and an annual festival.

==Climate==
Klaipėda's climate is considered to be ],<ref name = NOAA/> (Köppen ''Dfb''), although it borders quite closely to ], (Köppen ''Cfb''), when using the -3&nbsp;°C isotherm , because of the proximity to the ], which is less prone to extreme weather events than the climate inland.
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Nida, Lithuania (1961-1990 normals)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 10.5
|Feb record high C = 12.9
|Mar record high C = 20.5
|Apr record high C = 26.2
|May record high C = 29.4
|Jun record high C = 32.0
|Jul record high C = 32.8
|Aug record high C = 31.2
|Sep record high C = 27.8
|Oct record high C = 20.6
|Nov record high C = 14.1
|Dec record high C = 10.9
|year record high C = 32.8
|Jan high C = -0.7
|Feb high C = -0.3
|Mar high C = 3.0
|Apr high C = 8.4
|May high C = 15.1
|Jun high C = 18.9
|Jul high C = 20.5
|Aug high C = 20.5
|Sep high C = 16.4
|Oct high C = 11.4
|Nov high C = 5.9
|Dec high C = 2.1
|year high C = 10.1
|Jan mean C = -3.2
|Feb mean C = -2.9
|Mar mean C = -0.1
|Apr mean C = 4.9
|May mean C = 11.0
|Jun mean C = 15.3
|Jul mean C = 17.2
|Aug mean C = 17.3
|Sep mean C = 13.7
|Oct mean C = 9.2
|Nov mean C = 3.9
|Dec mean C = -0.1
|year mean C = 7.2
|Jan low C = -5.8
|Feb low C = -5.5
|Mar low C = -2.6
|Apr low C = 2.3
|May low C = 7.8
|Jun low C = 12.1
|Jul low C = 14.4
|Aug low C = 14.6
|Sep low C = 11.3
|Oct low C = 7.0
|Nov low C = 2.0
|Dec low C = -2.4
|year low C = 4.6
|Jan record low C = -30.2
|Feb record low C = -31.2
|Mar record low C = -22.0
|Apr record low C = -5.9
|May record low C = -1.5
|Jun record low C = 1.4
|Jul record low C = 7.8
|Aug record low C = 5.7
|Sep record low C = 2.9
|Oct record low C = -5.5
|Nov record low C = -19.1
|Dec record low C = -22.4
|year record low C = -31.2
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 45
|Feb precipitation mm = 28
|Mar precipitation mm = 34
|Apr precipitation mm = 33
|May precipitation mm = 41
|Jun precipitation mm = 52
|Jul precipitation mm = 77
|Aug precipitation mm = 82
|Sep precipitation mm = 83
|Oct precipitation mm = 79
|Nov precipitation mm = 84
|Dec precipitation mm = 63
|year precipitation mm = 701
|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/LU/26603.TXT
| title = Nida Climate Normals 1961–1990
| publisher = ]
| access-date = March 22, 2015
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230430002529/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/LU/26603.TXT
| archive-date = 2023-04-30}}</ref>}}
{|style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:1.2em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" class="wikitable"
|-
!Colspan=14|Coastal temperature data for Nida
|-
!Month
!Jan
!Feb
!Mar
!Apr
!May
!Jun
!Jul
!Aug
!Sep
!Oct
!Nov
!Dec
!style="border-left-width:medium"|Year
|-
!Average sea temperature °C (°F)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|-12.7}}"|3.2<br/>(37.76)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|-15.3}}"|2.4<br/>(36.32)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|-18.0}}"|1.6<br/>(34.88)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|-9.3}}"|4.2<br/>(39.56)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|8.7}}"|9.6<br/>(49.28)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|18.2}}"|15.0<br/>(59.00)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|23.9}}"|18.5<br/>(65.30)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|25.0}}"|19.2<br/>(66.56)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|21.4}}"|17.0<br/>(62.60)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|14.3}}"|12.6<br/>(54.68)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|7.0}}"|9.1<br/>(48.38)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|-4.0}}"|5.8<br/>(42.44)
| style="{{Weather box/colt|9.5}}"|9.9<br/>(49.73)
|-
!Colspan=14 style="background:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-size:100%;"|Source 1: Seatemperature.org<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://live.seatemperature.org/europe/lithuania/nida.htm|title =Nida Sea Temperature|date=2023-04-30|website=seatemperature.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430001832/https://live.seatemperature.org/europe/lithuania/nida.htm|archive-date=2023-04-30}}</ref>
|}


==Tourism== ==Tourism==
] with ]s]]
The town is an upmarket holiday resort, hosting about 200,000-300,000 tourists each summer, mostly ], ], ], and ]. It is characterized by low-key entertainment and a distinct family focus. However during recent years it become a decent point of interest for fine ] music and modern art shows at an eclectic forest retreat.
] in Nida]]
The town is an upmarket holiday resort, hosting about 200,000 to 300,000 tourists each summer, mostly ], ], ], and ]. It is characterized by low-key entertainment and a distinct family focus. However, during recent years {{when|date=May 2019}} it has become a decent point of interest for fine ] music and modern art shows at an eclectic forest retreat.


Since 2000, a jazz festival has been organised every year. A local radio station ] streams live beats over FM and online. There are also interesting places to see nearby, including some of the highest sand dunes in Europe, a large ] (which has now been restored after being damaged by a Baltic gale), fisherman's ] museum, gallery-museum of ], ] church (built in 1888). There is also a camping site. Since 2001, Nida Jazz Festival has been held every year. A local radio station ] streams live beats over FM and online. There are also interesting places to see nearby, including some of the highest sand dunes in Europe, a large ] (which has been restored after being damaged by a Baltic gale), ], gallery-museum of ] and a German Protestant (''Evangelische'') ] church (built in 1888). There is also a campsite.


The town is known for ''Nidden Kurenwimpel'' — German for "Curonian pennants" — ornate carved flags particular to local families resident on the Curonian Spit. The flags, replicas of which can be seen around Nida, feature animal and human figures as ]s reminiscent of a pagan writing tradition. At the local cemetery, examples of ''krikštas'' (pl. ''krikštai''), pagan burial markers in place of tombstones, can still be seen.
Nida's beach participates in the ].


Nida's beach participates in the ]. Nudists make use of parts of the beach near Nida for nude bathing.<ref name="balt_Nudi">{{Cite web |title= Nudist bathers fight for rights |last= Vaige |first= Laima |newspaper= ] |date = 3 June 2009 |access-date = 2016-02-21 |url = http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/22985/}}</ref>
==Economy==

===Transportation===
==Transportation==
Nida has a ] which can take small boats.
]
] is located in the town, but it has no scheduled routes and only capable of handling small aircraft. Nida also has a ] which is used for ferries and fishing boats.

The only road which runs along the whole length of the ], connecting ] and ] (where a ferry connection to ] exists), passes through the edge of Nida. An hourly bus runs between Nida and ] ferry terminal on that road,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autobusų tvarkaraštis Nida - Smiltynė - Nida |url=http://www.kopos.lt/lt/tvarkarastis.php |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=www.kopos.lt}}</ref> and intercity buses to various cities like ], ], ] and ] exist.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.neringa.lt/index.php?1116339752 |title=timetables |access-date=18 August 2018 |archive-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627131826/https://www.neringa.lt/index.php?1116339752 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Notable people from Nida==
* ] (1928–2005), German journalist
* ] (born 1998), Lithuanian basketball player
* ] (born 1989), Lithuanian actor, writer, lifestyle teacher
*


==Gallery== ==Gallery==
<gallery> <gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
Image:Kurenwimpel aus Nidden (2004).JPG|Curonian flag from Nida File:Kurenwimpel aus Nidden (2004).JPG|] pennant
File:Nidos žvejo etnografinė sodyba (2).jpg|Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead
Image:Krikstas.jpg|Krikstas - pagan burial marker
File:Nidos žvejo etnografinė sodyba, Nida, Neringa, Litva 2.jpg|Ethnographic house
Image:Old cemetery in Nida.jpg|Old cemetery
File:Kurenhaus.jpg|Curonian house
Image:Viesbutis, Kavine in Nida.jpg|Small inn and cafe in Nida
File:Nidden Evangelische Kirche 01.JPG|] (built in 1888)
File:Krikstas.jpg|] (pagan burial markers) in the cemetery
File:Itališkas vaizdelis 01.jpg|The "Italian view" in Skruzdinė
File:Nida in winter.jpg|Nida in winter
File:Rozhledna Highlight v Nidě (Nidos apžvalgos bokštas „Highlight“), Neringa, Litva.jpg|Observation tower
File:Parnidžio pažintinis takas, Nida, Neringa, Litva 04.jpg|] trek
File:Výhled na Litevsko-ruskou hranici, Parnidžio kopa, Litva 01.jpg|Parnidis Dune
File:Pláž Nida, velké vlny, Nida, Litva.jpg|Nida beach
</gallery> </gallery>

==See also==
* ]


== Notes == == Notes ==
Line 43: Line 256:


== References == == References ==
*{{cite book|last=Weise|first=Erich|authorlink=|title=Handbuch der historischen Stätten Deutschlands, Ost- und Westpreussen|trans_title= Handbook of places in Germany, East and West Prussia|language= German|edition= Reprint of the 1966|series= Kröners Taschenausgabe, Band 317 <nowiki></nowiki>|year=1981|origyear= 1966|publisher=Alfred Kröner Verlag|location=]|isbn= 978-3-520-31701-8|oclc= 36315021}} *{{cite book|last=Weise|first=Erich|title=Handbuch der historischen Stätten Deutschlands, Ost- und Westpreussen|trans-title= Handbook of places in Germany, East and West Prussia|language= de|edition= Reprint of the 1966|series= Kröners Taschenausgabe, Band 317 <nowiki></nowiki>|year=1981|orig-year= 1966|publisher=Alfred Kröner Verlag|location=]|isbn= 978-3-520-31701-8|oclc= 36315021}}


==External links== ==External links==
* - True Lithuania website
*{{commons category-inline|Nida}} *{{commons category-inline|Nida}}


{{Authority control}}
{{coord|55|18|N|21|00|E|region:LT-KL_type:city|display=title}}


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Latest revision as of 12:22, 17 November 2024

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.
Find sources: "Nida, Lithuania" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2014)

Town in Lithuania
Nida
Town
Aerial view of NidaEvangelical Lutheran ChurchCuronian pennants and traditional housesCoast of the Curonian LagoonTraditional wooden houseParnidis Dune
Official logo of Nida
Nida is located in LithuaniaNidaNidaLocation of NidaShow map of LithuaniaNida is located in Baltic statesNidaNidaNida (Baltic states)Show map of Baltic states
Coordinates: 55°18′12″N 21°00′20″E / 55.30333°N 21.00556°E / 55.30333; 21.00556
Country Lithuania
County Klaipėda County
MunicipalityNeringa Municipality
EldershipJuodkrantė eldership
First mentioned1358
Population
 • Total3,530
Demonymnidiečiai (Lithuanian)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Nida (German: Nidden, Kursenieki: Nīde) is a resort town in Lithuania, the administrative centre of Neringa municipality. Located on the Curonian Spit between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea, it is the westernmost point of Lithuania and the Baltic states, close to the border with the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast exclave. It currently has about 2,385 residents.

History

Exposition of ancient life in Nida

A settlement area of the Baltic Curonians, the original place called nida ("fluent" in the Old Prussian language) was first mentioned in 1385 documents issued by the Teutonic Knights, who ruled the lands within their Monastic State. The original settlement on the road along the Curonian Spit from Königsberg to Memel was located about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of its today's position near the Hohe Düne (High Dune) at Cape Grobštas (from Old Prussian: grabis, "hill"). After the Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466), the fishing village became part of the Polish fief held by the Teutonic Knights until 1525, and by Ducal Prussia.

From 1701, it was part of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1709 nearly all of the population died from a bubonic plague epidemic. Continuously threatened by sand drifts, the village was moved away from the approaching dune to today's position in the 1730s. Incorporated into the Prussian Province of East Prussia in 1773, it became part of the German Empire upon the German unification of 1871. In 1874 a lighthouse on Urbas hill was built, later destroyed in the war and rebuilt in 1945 and 1953. In 1878, the village had a population of 655, mostly living off fishing, with fish being sold mainly to nearby Klaipėda and other coastal towns. Nida already was the largest village of the Curonian Spit. Both Lithuanian and German-language church services were held there.

Artists' colony

"A view to Purvynė Pier" (circa 1938, by Carl Knauf) nicknamed by contemporaries as the "Italian view"
Thomas Mann's summer house, now a museum

From the late 19th century, the dune landscape became popular with landscape and animal painters from the Kunstakademie Königsberg arts school. The local inn of Herman Blode was the nucleus of the expressionist artists' colony (Künstlerkolonie Nidden). Lovis Corinth sojourned there, as did Max Pechstein, Alfred Lichtwark, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Alfred Partikel. Painters from Königsberg such as Julius Freymuth and Eduard Bischoff visited the area, as did poets such as Ernst Wiechert and Carl Zuckmayer. Other guests included Ernst Kirchner, Ernst Mollenhauer, Franz Domscheit, and Hermann Wirth. The painters usually took accommodations at Blode's hotel, and left some of their works with him. Some also built their own residences in the vicinity.

After World War I Nidden, together with the northern half of the Curonian Spit, became part of the Klaipėda Region under the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, but was subsequently incorporated to Lithuania in 1923. Renamed Nida, the village nevertheless remained a predominantly German settlement; the border with the remaining German (East Prussian) half of the spit lay only a few kilometers to the south.

In 1929 Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann visited Nida while on holiday in nearby Rauschen and decided to have a summer house erected on a hill above the lagoon; it was mocked by locals as Uncle Tom's Cabin. He and his family spent the summers of 1930–32 in the cottage, and parts of the epic novel Joseph and His Brothers were written there.

Threatened by the Nazis due to his political views, Mann left Germany after Hitler's Machtergreifung in 1933 and eventually emigrated to the United States. After the Klaipėda Region was again annexed by (now Nazified) Germany in 1939, his house was seized at the behest of Hermann Göring and designated a recreation home for Luftwaffe officers.

Post-war

Beach and dunes near Nida in 2023
Traditional homesteads in 2023

In 1939 the town had 736 inhabitants. Like all of the Curonian Spit, Nida became nearly uninhabited as a result of the advancing Red Army, the Evacuation of East Prussia and the eventual expulsion of surviving German inhabitants. After the end of World War II, Nida again became part of then Soviet-occupied Lithuania. In the early postwar period, Nida was a little-visited fishing village. Later during the Soviet occupation, together with three other villages of the Neringa Municipality (Juodkrantė, Preila and Pervalka), Nida was a controlled-entry holiday resort reserved for the Communist party officials and elite (nomenklatura).

Since Lithuania restored its independence in 1990, the area has been open to all and the tourism has flourished. However, as Curonian Spit is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there are various restrictions to protect its ecosystem and the unique architecture of towns like Nida.

Mann's summer cottage survived the war and was preserved on the initiative of the Lithuanian poet Antanas Venclova. A first memorial site was inaugurated already in 1967. During the Soviet occupation, it hosted a library open in summer only, with residential quarters of the visiting librarian posted from Klaipėda upstairs and public areas downstairs. In 1995/96 the house was restored according to the original architectural design and reopenend as a cultural center dedicated to the writer, with a memorial exhibition and an annual festival.

Climate

Klaipėda's climate is considered to be humid continental, (Köppen Dfb), although it borders quite closely to oceanic, (Köppen Cfb), when using the -3 °C isotherm , because of the proximity to the Baltic Sea, which is less prone to extreme weather events than the climate inland.

Climate data for Nida, Lithuania (1961-1990 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.5
(50.9) 		12.9
(55.2) 		20.5
(68.9) 		26.2
(79.2) 		29.4
(84.9) 		32.0
(89.6) 		32.8
(91.0) 		31.2
(88.2) 		27.8
(82.0) 		20.6
(69.1) 		14.1
(57.4) 		10.9
(51.6) 		32.8
(91.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −0.7
(30.7) 		−0.3
(31.5) 		3.0
(37.4) 		8.4
(47.1) 		15.1
(59.2) 		18.9
(66.0) 		20.5
(68.9) 		20.5
(68.9) 		16.4
(61.5) 		11.4
(52.5) 		5.9
(42.6) 		2.1
(35.8) 		10.1
(50.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −3.2
(26.2) 		−2.9
(26.8) 		−0.1
(31.8) 		4.9
(40.8) 		11.0
(51.8) 		15.3
(59.5) 		17.2
(63.0) 		17.3
(63.1) 		13.7
(56.7) 		9.2
(48.6) 		3.9
(39.0) 		−0.1
(31.8) 		7.2
(45.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −5.8
(21.6) 		−5.5
(22.1) 		−2.6
(27.3) 		2.3
(36.1) 		7.8
(46.0) 		12.1
(53.8) 		14.4
(57.9) 		14.6
(58.3) 		11.3
(52.3) 		7.0
(44.6) 		2.0
(35.6) 		−2.4
(27.7) 		4.6
(40.3)
Record low °C (°F) −30.2
(−22.4) 		−31.2
(−24.2) 		−22.0
(−7.6) 		−5.9
(21.4) 		−1.5
(29.3) 		1.4
(34.5) 		7.8
(46.0) 		5.7
(42.3) 		2.9
(37.2) 		−5.5
(22.1) 		−19.1
(−2.4) 		−22.4
(−8.3) 		−31.2
(−24.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 45
(1.8) 		28
(1.1) 		34
(1.3) 		33
(1.3) 		41
(1.6) 		52
(2.0) 		77
(3.0) 		82
(3.2) 		83
(3.3) 		79
(3.1) 		84
(3.3) 		63
(2.5) 		701
(27.6)
Source: NOAA
Coastal temperature data for Nida
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average sea temperature °C (°F) 3.2
(37.76) 		2.4
(36.32) 		1.6
(34.88) 		4.2
(39.56) 		9.6
(49.28) 		15.0
(59.00) 		18.5
(65.30) 		19.2
(66.56) 		17.0
(62.60) 		12.6
(54.68) 		9.1
(48.38) 		5.8
(42.44) 		9.9
(49.73)
Source 1: Seatemperature.org

Tourism

Port of Nida with yachts
Saint Jonas's Festival in Nida

The town is an upmarket holiday resort, hosting about 200,000 to 300,000 tourists each summer, mostly Lithuanians, Germans, Latvians, and Russians. It is characterized by low-key entertainment and a distinct family focus. However, during recent years it has become a decent point of interest for fine electronica music and modern art shows at an eclectic forest retreat.

Since 2001, Nida Jazz Festival has been held every year. A local radio station Neringa FM streams live beats over FM and online. There are also interesting places to see nearby, including some of the highest sand dunes in Europe, a large sundial (which has been restored after being damaged by a Baltic gale), Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead, gallery-museum of amber and a German Protestant (Evangelische) Brick Gothic church (built in 1888). There is also a campsite.

The town is known for Nidden Kurenwimpel — German for "Curonian pennants" — ornate carved flags particular to local families resident on the Curonian Spit. The flags, replicas of which can be seen around Nida, feature animal and human figures as pictograms reminiscent of a pagan writing tradition. At the local cemetery, examples of krikštas (pl. krikštai), pagan burial markers in place of tombstones, can still be seen.

Nida's beach participates in the Blue Flag Programme. Nudists make use of parts of the beach near Nida for nude bathing.

Transportation

Bus station in Nida

Nida Airport is located in the town, but it has no scheduled routes and only capable of handling small aircraft. Nida also has a seaport which is used for ferries and fishing boats.

The only road which runs along the whole length of the Curonian Spit, connecting Zelenogradsk and Smiltynė (where a ferry connection to Klaipėda exists), passes through the edge of Nida. An hourly bus runs between Nida and Smiltynė ferry terminal on that road, and intercity buses to various cities like Kaliningrad, Klaipėda, Kaunas and Vilnius exist.

Notable people from Nida

Gallery

  • Curonian pennant Curonian pennant
  • Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead
  • Ethnographic house Ethnographic house
  • Curonian house Curonian house
  • Lutheran Church (built in 1888) Lutheran Church (built in 1888)
  • Krikštai (pagan burial markers) in the cemetery Krikštai (pagan burial markers) in the cemetery
  • The "Italian view" in Skruzdinė The "Italian view" in Skruzdinė
  • Nida in winter Nida in winter
  • Observation tower Observation tower
  • Parnidis Dune trek Parnidis Dune trek
  • Parnidis Dune Parnidis Dune
  • Nida beach Nida beach

See also

Notes

  1. "Neringos savivaldybė".
  2. "Nida". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). 11 August 2024. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  3. "Kuršių nerijos nacionalinio parko direkcija". Nida (in Lithuanian). 19 October 2023. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  4. "Nidos akmens amžiaus istorija". Kuršių nerijos nacionalinio parko direkcija (in Lithuanian). 19 October 2023. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  5. Górski, pp. 96–97, 214–215
  6. ^ Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom VII (in Polish). Warszawa. 1886. p. 37.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ Weise, p. 159
  8. ^ "Nida Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  9. "Nida Sea Temperature". seatemperature.org. 30 April 2023. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023.
  10. Vaige, Laima (3 June 2009). "Nudist bathers fight for rights". The Baltic Times. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  11. "Autobusų tvarkaraštis Nida - Smiltynė - Nida". www.kopos.lt. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  12. "timetables". Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2018.

References

  • Weise, Erich (1981) . Handbuch der historischen Stätten Deutschlands, Ost- und Westpreussen [Handbook of places in Germany, East and West Prussia]. Kröners Taschenausgabe, Band 317 (in German) (Reprint of the 1966 ed.). Stuttgart: Alfred Kröner Verlag. ISBN 978-3-520-31701-8. OCLC 36315021.

External links

  • Media related to Nida at Wikimedia Commons
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