Kopgalis

The 2 kilometre section on the northern part of the Curonian Spit, opposite Klaipėda city and ending at the Southern Breakwater of the Klaipėda Port. The breakwater was built in the end of the 18^th century. Until then, Kopgalis was heavily deteriorating due to the tidal currents and waves, coming from the Curonian Lagoon. When the breakwater barrier was built, the Curonian Lagoon at Kopgalis became wider.

The Lithuanian name for this location is derived from two words: kopų galas (meaning the end of the dunes). It is the most northern point of the Curonian Spitand that is where the dunes end.

The village started forming in 1795, next to the ballast site. This was the place where sail boats reloaded their ballast, so that the stability of an empty ship could be maintained during storms in the sea.

The first inhabitants of Kopgalis moved to live here after the Prussian government granted them huge tax exemptions.In 1821, there were already 7 farmsteads in Kopgalis. The villagers loaded ballasts, reinforced the coastline, covered it with turf, went fishing and grew potatoes.

In 1866, a fort was built in Kopgalis at the end of World War II, which was eventually damaged and stood derelict for a long time. In 1979, the fortress was reconstructed and the main expositions of the Lithuanian Sea Museum were displayed there. In 1994, the Dolphinarium was opened.

Next to the coast of thelagoon, in the place of the old fishermen’s village of Kopgalis, an ethnographic seaside fishermen’s farm was built. In 1958, an electric fishing laboratory was established, which set up 2 pools, full of water from the lagoon and the sea.

It is the first resort in the Curonian Spit. In the beginning of the 19^th century, beaches for both men and women were opened to the public.