Karvaičiai dune

Coordinates: 55.389471 21.061285

Object address: North of Preila, Neringa, Lithuania

Municipality: Neringa

In the north of Karvaičių landscape reserve, between Preila and Pervalka, Karvaičių dune keeps the most tragic history of one of the Curonian Spit villages burried under the sand. Already in XV-th century Karvaičiai was one of the oldest settlements on the spit. Around 1600 woods that defended Karvaiciai from the sand was quite thin. Shifting sands buried rural houses, claimed the church. People used to dig the sand, built fences, but crawling dune relentlessly invaded the village. People, though reluctantly, were forced to retreat. In 1797 sand drove away last remaining people. Dune finally buried Karvaičiai village. Part of the population moved to the southern part of Juodkrantė, part tu Nida and Nagliai (Agila). Buried under the sand Karvaičiai village is a birthplace of one of the most famous nineteenth century folklorists and poets, professor of Königsberg University Liudvikas Rėza (1776-1840 m.). “Everything that has been overgrown by moss, is just left of that time”, – wrote L. Rėza after many years while visiting his old home place. Karvaičių dune height is about 59.4 m.

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