The most vulnerable elements of the Curonian Spit cultural landscape are the oldest wooden fishermen’s houses, the wooden decor of professionally designed buildings, and the human-made protective coastal dune ridge, which is influenced by the natural coastal processes under the influence of global climate change. New developments and other economic activities must be regulated to avoid any irreversible changes that may threaten the Outstanding Universal Value. Because of the continuous evolution and development of the cultural landscape, it is very important to regulate the number of visitors to the property. In general, these attributes are particularly sensitive to pressures such as climate change, severe weather events, fire, excessive development and tourism.
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Some of these attributes, such as the fishermen houses, need careful maintenance. The boundaries of the World Heritage property are sufficient to express all the attributes of its Outstanding Universal Value. The entire area of the Curonian Spit cultural landscape reflects valuable qualities and underlying processes, retains historical functions and specific sustainable land use methods related to the peculiarities of the natural environment, and reflects the unique spiritual bond between humans and nature.
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After disastrous human interventions that menaced its survival, the Spit was reclaimed by massive protection and stabilization works that began in the 19th century and are still continuing to the present day. The most valuable elements and qualities of the Curonian Spit cultural landscape are its unique size and general spatial structure, demonstrating the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature the characteristic panoramas and the silhouette of the Curonian lagoon cultural elements including the remains of postal tracks, trade villages from the 10th and 11th centuries, traditional fishermen villages and other archaeological heritage covered by sand the spatial-planned structure and architecture of ancient fishermen villages turned into resort settlements (ancient wooden fishermen houses, professionally designed buildings of the 19th century, including lighthouses, piers, churches, schools, villas) and elements of marine cultural heritage natural and human-made elements including the distinctive Great Dune Ridge and individual dunes, relics of ancient parabolic dunes a human-made protective coastal dune ridge relics of moraine islands, seacoast and littoral forests and littoral capes ancient forests, mountain pine forests and other unique sand flora and fauna including a bird migration path and the social-cultural traditions, spirituality, and the social perception of the area, which reflect the local lifestyle formerly centred on fishermen, artists, scientists, yachtsmen and gliders, travellers and other visitors.Ĭriterion (v): The Curonian Spit is an outstanding example of a landscape of sand dunes that is under constant threat from natural forces (wind and tide). Urbanised areas (eight small settlements) cover just about 6% of the land. Currently, forests and sands dominate the Curonian Spit. By the end of the 19th century, a protective dune ridge was formed along the seashore to prevent inland sand migration, and the Great Dune Ridge was reinforced using trees and brushwood hedges. Dune stabilisation work began, and has continued ever since. At the turn of the 19th century, it became evident that human habitation would no longer be possible in the area without immediate action. After intensive logging in the 17th and 18th centuries, the dunes began moving towards the Curonian Lagoon, burying the oldest settlements. The history of the Curonian Spit is dramatic: 5,000 years ago, a narrow peninsula (98 km in length and 0.4-3.8 km in width), the Great Dune Ridge separating the Baltic Sea from the Curonian Lagoon, was formed on moraine islands from sand transported by currents, and later covered by forest. This interaction between humans and nature shaped the Curonian Spit cultural landscape.
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Local communities adapted to the changes in the natural environment in order to survive. Rich with an abundance of unique natural and cultural features, it has retained its social and cultural importance. The Spit was formed by the sea, wind and human activity and continues to be shaped by them. The Curonian Spit is a unique and vulnerable, sandy and wooded cultural landscape on a coastal spit which features small Curonian lagoon settlements.