Rusnė

Rusnė (German: Ruß) is a small town in Lithuania Minor, near the border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad Oblast. It sits on an island of the same name, much of which is a regional park. It boasts beautiful scenery, a popular spot for birdwatching, and more of the unique maritime culture of Lithuania Minor. The historical part of the town of Rusnė with mainly 19th-century buildings is included in the Lithuanian Cultural Heritage Register.

Understand

Evangelical Lutheran Church

Rusnė is the only population center on Rusnė Island, with a population of 1,100 in 2021. The island is the largest in Lithuania, and is part of the Nemunas river delta, where the river splits partly into canals and wetlands before emptying into the Curonian Lagoon. This habitat is home to fauna and flora hard to find elsewhere in Lithuania.

It is still possible to see some German influence in the older buildings of the town, as well as traditional Lithuanian farmsteads in other parts of the island.

From the beach in Rusnė it is possible to look across the river Skirvytė (which forms the border of Lithuania with Russia) into the Kaliningrad Oblast. No border crossing is possible in Rusnė.

Traditionally, the main occupation of local residents is fish farming and fishing, there is a fish processing plant and river vessels are repaired. In Soviet times there was a workshop of the Silutsky butter and cheese factory. To protect against flooding, a system of polders, water-lifting stations and dams operates in the territory of Rusnė, and the banks of the Nemunas are reinforced with concrete slabs.

Get in

Rusnė is 9 km south-west of Šilutė.

The only road connection to the mainland is via the Road 206 bridge, near Rusnė.

See

• 1 Evangelical Lutheran Church (Rusnės evangelikų liuteronų bažnyčia). built in 1809.  
• Ethnographic Museum
• Monument to Hermann Kallenbach and Mahatma Gandhi
• The post house and the remains of the old bridge

Ostadvare lighthouse

• 2 Ostadvaris lighthouse (Uostadvario švoturys) (on the island of Rusnes, on the left bank of the Atmata river, 5 km northwest of Rusnes). Construction began in 1876. The lighthouse consists of a 13-m-high octagonal red brick wall, which is connected to the lighthouse keeper's house. (updated Sep 2024)
• Residential development of the 19th century

Do

Rusnė town and Rusnė island are very popular places for angling, as the Nemunas delta is rich in various kinds of fish, and local tourism infrastructure has been built up.

It is also a popular place for birdwatching.