Juodkrantė

Juodkrantė (literally: Black Shore) is a seaside resort town in Lithuania Minor, with a permanent population of about 720. It is the second largest settlement on the Lithuanian side of the Curonian Spit.

Understand

For centuries this was a small fishing village, in an area that changed hands between Lithuania and Prussia. In the late 19th century it became a tourist resort, with holidaymakers arriving by boat from Memel (nowadays Klaipėda) to enjoy its beaches and forest. It's now within a short drive from Klaipėda city, but hasn't grown as much as Nida further south, and remains a quiet spot with some of its wooden architecture preserved.

Get in

Ferries for foot passengers and vehicles ply from Klaipėda to Smiltynė at the north end of the spit. Highway 167 runs down the spit to Juodkrantė (16 km), Nida (another 29 km) and the Russian border. From there a road continues to Zelenogradsk in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad: see Curonian Spit#Get in for the practicalities of this crossing.

An hourly bus meets the foot-passenger ferry at Smiltynė, and runs via Juodkrantė to Nida.

While the highway follows the east coast along the lagoon, a paved cycle-way runs down the middle of the spit all the way to Juodkrantė. It ends here, while the highway to Nida swings west.

Get around

The village straggles and you need wheels to explore the spit, a bike is good.

See

• 1 Amber Bay (Gintaro įlanka) is a pleasant small fishing cove. Dredging the ship channel here turned up deposits of amber, so from 1860 to 1890 this was mined, with 2250 tonnes extracted. Wacky sculptures adorn the bay and the elk-ridden forest behind.
• 2 Hill of Witches (Raganų kalnas), Rezos g. 24 hours. A sculpture park on a forested sand dune behind the village, depicting witches, devils and other characters from folklore and pagan beliefs. The first appeared in 1979 and now some 80 wooden sculptures lurk along the trails. Woodcarving symposia are held at the park, and new works are added. Free. (updated Aug 2024)
• "Land and Water" is the theme of outdoor sculptures placed along 2.4 km of the village waterfront.
• 3 Church of St Francis (Šv. Pranciškaus) at Rezos g 56 is neo-Gothic redbrick. It was built in 1885 for the Lutherans after their wooden church burned down, and is nowadays shared with the Roman Catholics.
• Weathervane Gallery (Vėtrungių galerija), Rezos g 13 (100 m south of church), ☏ +370 698 27283. Daily 10:00-17:00. 19th century fishing boats were required to bear distinctive weathervanes on their mast, so each vessel and its home village could be identified. These soon adorned the fishermen's houses and became collectables. This shop sells the weathervanes and other souvenirs. (updated Aug 2024)
• 4 Heron and cormorant colonies nest in the dying woods 3 km south of town. Grey herons have nested here since the 17th century and now number 500 pairs. Great cormorants were eradicated in the 19th century as they were regarded as pests competing for the fish catch, but protection enabled them to rebound to 2000 pairs by the end of the 20th century. However their acid guano has burned the tree roots leaving a gaunt landscape - it's not obvious how to manage this.

Do

"Lucifer and the gates of hell"

• Kitesurfing, windsurfing and paragliding take advantage of the stiff breezes over the coast.
• Sailing is in the sheltered lagoon.

Buy

• The village convenience store is open daily 08:00-20:00.
• The supermarket by the marina has closed. People go to Klaipėda for their big shopping trip.

Eat

• Mimosa at Kalno g 14 is open daily 09:00-21:00.
• Flora is within Vila Flora (below) serving daily 09:00-23:00.
• Senis ir Jūra on Rezos g is a seafood restaurant open daily 09:00-23:00.
• Sushi Masters at Kalno g 34 is open Su-Th 12:00-22:00, F Sa 12:00-23:00.
• Pizza di Mare is next to Sushi Masters and keeps the same hours.
• Juodasis Kalnas at Kalno g 22 is open daily 09:00-22:00.
• Žvejonė at Rezos g 30 is open daily 12:00-22:00.
• Sala at Kalno g 28 is open daily 09:00-21:00.
• Pamario Takas at Rezos g 42 is open daily 10:00-21:00.

Drink

Cafes and restaurants serve alcohol, there isn't a free-standing pub.

Sleep

• 1 Vila Flora, Kalno g 7a, ☏ +370 469 53024. 19th century chalet-style villa with 18 rooms and restaurant, near the marina. No pets. B&B double €70. (updated Aug 2024)
• 2 Ąžuolynas, ☏ +370 643 03939. Inefficient Soviet-era block, way overpriced for what you get. B&B double €150. (updated Aug 2024)

Connect

19th century resort houses

As of Aug 2024, Juodkrantė and its approach highway have 4G from Tele2 and Telia, but no signal from Bite. 5G has not yet reached the spit.

Go next

• The spit to the north is mostly just forest until you approach Smiltynė, where the ferry takes you back to Klaipėda.
• To the south, Nida is a larger resort, and the last town before the border.