Vecekrugas Dune (Neringa Municipality)
The highest dune of the Curonian Spit for only 250 Eur. That’s the price for a porcelain copy of Vecekrugas dune. The decorative shape has been created by the artist Algimantas Patamsis more than half a century ago.
The dune itself has gotten its fancy name from words of the local dialect. Vece means ‘old’ and kruogs – ‘an inn’. Once, at the foot of the dune there was the locals’ favourite inn.
And now the entire 67 m dune is planted with short mountain pines. The first saplings were brought to the Curonian Spit from Denmark and later were bred locally. The roots of the saplings stopped the sand from drifting and residents of the local villages could finally stop running from the sand and breathe freely again. As the pines grew green, the huge hill features only several stripes of white sand.
The irregular shape of the dune catches everyone’s attention. The top of the dune opens to inspiring views. Upon climbing on the hill you can see the forests of Nida and Pervalka, also the sea and the shore of the lagoon. If you look closely, you could even count the seven horns, pointing into the Curonian Lagoon.
