Rare trees of the Kaliningrad region. Garden city. Will Kaliningrad preserve the centuries-old trees of East Prussia? Birds of the Kaliningrad region

The Forestry Agency has recorded 11 natural monuments in Kaliningrad. Among them are the park of the regional ecological and biological center for students and the arboretum of the zoo. The other nine are individual plants, each unique in their own way. Unusual trees and shrubs were brought back in the last century for landscaping in Königsberg, and then in Kaliningrad.

Ginkgo biloba

Distribution area

Homeland - Southeast China, over the centuries ginkgo has spread throughout Western, Eastern Europe and North America.

How to find out

Fan-shaped leaves;

Ginkgo is a dioecious plant: male specimens pollinate female specimens with their pollen. In autumn, yellowish seeds ripen on parts of the tree, which are shaped like apricots.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, Mira Ave. 89; st. Kutuzova 22; st. M. Raskova 5; Kaliningrad Zoo (at the main entrance).

Columnar blue spruce

Distribution area

Its homeland is North America, now the plant can often be found in Eastern Europe.

How to find out

Reaches a height of 20-40 meters;

The branches are directed towards the sun.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. Gogol 3.

Beautiful catalpa, lilac-leaved catalpa

Distribution area

North America, China, Japan, Western India.

How to find out

A small tree or large shrub with cream-colored flowers;

Catalpa fruits are green “catkins” or “icicles” up to 40 centimeters in length.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. L. Tolstoy, 3; st. Transcaucasian, 19.

Yew berry

Distribution area

In Russia - mainly in the Caucasus, outside the country - in the Baltic states, Central and Atlantic Europe, Africa, Syria, Iran, and Southern Scandinavia.

How to find out

An old yew tree or shrub can reach 15 meters. Yew is a long-liver. The oldest tree grows in Scotland, next to the church in the village of Fortingall. According to legend, Pontius Pilate was born in the shadow of this yew tree.

Yew seeds are enveloped in a red, fleshy shell, which makes them look like berries. That is why the plant received its name.

The leaf has a lanceolate shape, with a longitudinal vein on top of it.

Yew berry is listed in the Red Book of Russia and the Kaliningrad region. A couple of centuries ago it was very common in vast areas of Europe and Asia, but the strength and healing properties of its bark became fatal for it. Man mercilessly cut down the plant and used it to build housing. Yew was especially valued during mass epidemics for its antibacterial properties.

The bark, seeds and leaves of the plant contain a toxic substance - an alkaloid, and are therefore deadly to animals and humans.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. Chkalova, 44; Botanical Garden of IKBFU Kant, Kaliningrad Zoo (yew grows opposite the bear enclosure).

Magnolia Sulanja

Distribution area

The hybrid was obtained in France in the 19th century. Magnolia takes root well in sunny, wind-protected places and on humus-rich soils.

How to find out

Magnolia blooms even before the leaves appear, in April-May. Its buds can be of different shades: from white to pink-red.

Plant height is from 5 to 10 meters. In autumn, magnolia leaves turn from dark green to dirty yellow.

The leaves, bark, flowers and fruits of the plant contain healing essential oils that can help with diseases of the digestive and cardiovascular systems.

Where to see: Kaliningrad, st. Dmitry Donskoy, 41a.

Ivy

Distribution area

Southern Europe, Southeast Asia, in Russia it is often found on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.

How to find out

Thanks to its sucker-like roots, the plant attaches itself to trees, houses and rocks.

The fruit of ivy is a black berry, inedible for humans, but serves as food for birds.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. Minina and Pozharsky, 7a.

Kaliningrad Regional Ecological and Biological Center for Students

The park was laid out in the 18th century. It once belonged to the famous Prussian public figure Johann Georg Scheffner. In 1806, King Frederick William III bought the villa and garden and donated it to the University of Königsberg.

After the war, in 1951, the Regional Station for Young Naturalists was organized here, and in 1992 - the Kaliningrad Regional Ecological and Biological Center for Students. More than 700 species grow on the territory of the garden, including the “Red Book” species: Japanese scarlet, gingko biloba, sessile oak and others.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. Botanicheskaya, 2.

Arboretum of the Kaliningrad Zoo

The plant collection of the Kaliningrad Zoo dates back to pre-war times. He inherited from his previous owners lindens, oaks, ginkgo, berry yew, and red-leaved beech.

In the spring, sakura and magnolia trees, apple trees and rhododendrons bloom on the territory of the zoo, and in the summer colorful flower beds, as well as quiet maple and oak alleys, delight the eye.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, Mira Ave., 26.

A wide variety of local species and introduced plants (brought to us from different parts of the planet) makes the Kaliningrad region a unique place in terms of natural diversity. We have compiled for you a flowering calendar of the most beautiful plants, indicating the location of each species.

1. Sleep-grass, or lumbago(lat. Pulsatilla) is a perennial herbaceous plant that received its first name for its drooping, sleepy inflorescences. The sedative effect of drugs based on sleep herbs is known. It is believed that this species formed in Altai, but this plant can also be found in the European part of Russia. In particular, in the Kaliningrad region, meadow lumbago grows on the edges of forest (pine) tracts of the Baltic Spit. Sleeping grass begins to bloom in mid-April: the delicate fluff that covers all parts of the plant protects it from night and return frosts, and its great endurance allows even buds caught in the spring cold to continue their early flowering. Surprisingly, when most plants just begin to bloom, sleep grass is already forming seeds. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

2. A frequent guest on the spring streets of Kaliningrad is the forsythia shrub plant. (lat. Forsythia), which begins to bloom with bright yellow bell-shaped inflorescences from mid-April. The flowering of this plant is more impressive due to the fact that the flowers bloom on bare branches, the leaves appear later. Magnificent specimens of forsythia decorate the city center, Gogol, Gorky, Krasnaya streets and many others. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

3. To admire the magnolias ( lat. Magnolia), one of the oldest flowering plants, there is no need to go to countries with warm climates. These exotic plants with attractive large fragrant flowers, usually blooming in the last week of April, can be found in our city on Leonova Street, on the square in front of the Drama Theater, on Nevsky Street and in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden, outside of Kaliningrad - on the Curonian Spit and in the village of Otradnoye . Fruits of unusual shape, bright red-orange color appear on magnolias in early autumn. Several types of magnolias grow in our region: Kobus magnolia, naked magnolia, star magnolia, Sulanzha magnolia, growing in Kaliningrad on the street. Dm. Donskoy and delights with flowering twice a year - at the end of April and at the end of July. But the most original, in my opinion, is magnolia lily-flowered, a low shrub that amazes with its impressive size of pink or dark purple inflorescences that open in mid-May. This magnolia is represented in a variety of varieties in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

4. The first truly sunny days of April awaken you to life. seaside violet (lat. Viola maritima), decorating the entire coast of the Curonian Spit with soft lilac inflorescences. This fragile-looking plant, capable of withstanding the most unfavorable conditions, is found both on the shifting sands of the dunes and on the edges of pine forests nearby. And in terms of flowering duration, the seaside violet is a real record holder: flowering specimens of this plant can be found in December! Photo by Natalia Antonova.

5. The favorable climate of the Kaliningrad region allows you to grow different types of rhododendrons here. (lat. Rhododendron), many of which are very demanding on the composition of the soil, and also have low winter hardiness. Nevertheless, mature bushes of yellow rhododendron, Japanese rhododendron and Sikhotinsky rhododendron, as well as the whole variety of varietal rhododendrons (the decorative value of which is higher than that of the original species, but disease resistance is much lower) can be found in Kaliningrad in the area of ​​Victory Square and in the Kaliningrad Botanical garden. In the resort towns of Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk, these deciduous branched shrubs delight with repeated flowering in May-June each year. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

6. The unofficial symbol tree of the city of Kaliningrad and the region is the chestnut (lat. Aesculus): Numerous representatives of this species decorate the historical center of Kaliningrad, where the Cathedral and the tomb of Immanuel Kant are located. This plant is found in the wild in the mountain forests of the Balkan Peninsula, and has been cultivated in Russia since the 16th century; however, some of its specimens regularly freeze out in harsh winters (most often this happens to young trees), but only in the Kaliningrad region due to favorable weather conditions. climate, horse chestnut feels excellent and is found everywhere in the landscaping of cities in the region. In mid-May, adult specimens acquire erect, pyramidal, cream-colored panicles. Recently, meat-red chestnuts have also begun to be grown in Kaliningrad (Gorky Street). Contrary to their dissonant name, these are very beautiful trees with an expressive crown and large candles strewn with reddish-pink flowers that appear on chestnuts of this species at the end of May. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

7. Blooms in early June tulip lyriodendron (lat. Liriodendron tulipifera). Under natural conditions, this tall deciduous tree with a powerful crown and large lyre-shaped leaves grows in the east of North America, but the mild climate of the Kaliningrad region allows it to feel at home here. You can admire the flowering of adult specimens of lyriodendron in early June in the Central Park of the city of Kaliningrad, in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden, at the Museum of the World Ocean, as well as in the Moritz Becker Park in the village of Yantarny. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

8. Massifs of beech forests once covered almost the whole of Europe, but were almost completely cut down or destroyed by fires. Currently, beech forests represented by forest beech, or European (lat. Fagus sylvatica) in the Kaliningrad region, little has been preserved: individual areas can be found on the Baltic Spit, in the vicinity of the city of Ladushkina, near the village of Klintsovka, Zelenograd region, and the age of individual plants is more than 400 years, however, in the landscaping of the cities of the region, this beautiful deciduous tree, reaching 30 meters in height, is common everywhere. The noble dark green foliage of the forest beech in decorativeness can compete only with the copper leaves of the dark purple forest beech and the soft yellow foliage of the golden beech, representatives of which can be admired in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden. Even rarer specimens of deciduous beech can be found near the entrance to the Central Recreation Park in Kaliningrad. It should be remembered that forest beech is included in the list of rare plants in need of protection in our region. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

9. (lat. Viburnum)- a well-known shrub, common in the forests of the middle zone. However, the garden form of viburnum is particularly decorative - viburnum buldenezh, popularly called the “snow globe”. Terry white flowers, collected in spherical inflorescences, appear on the plant in the first half of June. In Kaliningrad, beautiful adult specimens of Viburnum buldenezh can be admired on the territory of the zoo and in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

10. Few ornamental shrubs can compete with weigela (lat. Weigela) in the beauty and duration of flowering, which can last from May to July, and repeat in late summer - early autumn. During flowering, weigela branches droop from the abundance of inflorescences, the shades of which vary from pale yellow and soft pink to rich burgundy. This unpretentious plant is abundantly used in landscaping the streets of Kaliningrad (mature bushes can be found, for example, on the streets of Pervomaiskaya and Ozernaya) and the region, especially in the resort towns of Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk, but the greatest varietal diversity of this species is presented in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

11. The plant with the simple folk name “sea pea” bears the botanical name of the sea pea (lat. Lathyrus maritimus). This herbaceous plant is found everywhere in our region on the Baltic Sea coast; it combines extreme unpretentiousness and the ability to survive in difficult conditions - in strong winds and open sun. The structural features, in particular, the creeping branched rhizome, which conquers large spaces for the ground part, allow "sea peas" create green glades on bare sand, thereby strengthening these sands. The seaside chin blooms from late spring to early autumn with bright crimson moth inflorescences, the shape of which is characteristic of all legumes. (lat. Fabaceae).Photo by Natalia Antonova.

12. If in the summer, traveling around the Kaliningrad region, you take a ride along the Kaliningrad - Svetlogorsk highway, you can see endless thickets lupine multifolia (lat. Lupínus polyphýllus) , a large perennial whose bright inflorescences create a feeling of endless blue space. So familiar to our eyes, this plant is nevertheless a native of northeastern North America, and it thrives here. Breeders have developed a wide variety of lupine varieties, but even among wild plants you can find specimens with white and pink inflorescences. Flowering begins in June and lasts at least a month. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

13. (lat. Cotinus coggygria), popularly called the “wig tree,” is unlikely to attract attention with the beauty and splendor of the inflorescences, however, after flowering, in early July, the mackerel, which has the shape of a tall bush or tree, is covered with red and white elongated pedicels, which make the bushes look like wigs. In addition, mackerel is also distinguished by its bright autumn foliage, which is why the Curonian Spit, the place where this introduced species feels excellent, seems to be on fire in September. The high decorative value of leather mackerel throughout the growing season and good resistance to unfavorable conditions allows it to be used for landscaping streets and squares of Kaliningrad and the region. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

14. In 2014, the red oak became the plant symbol of the Kaliningrad region (lat. Quercus rubra), an introduced plant brought to us from North America. This tree can reach 25 meters in height and in our conditions has enviable resistance to fungal and viral diseases, plus high phytoncidal properties. Another distinctive feature of it is the enormous viability of acorns: usually the space under each adult red oak specimen is completely covered with young one- to two-year-old shoots of young oak trees. Mature specimens of red oak can be found in the Max Aschmann Park in Kaliningrad, as well as in parks in regional cities, for example, in the main park in the village of Zheleznodorozhny. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

15. Powerful tree honey locust (lat. Gleditsia triacanthos), whose homeland is North America, primarily amazes not with its openwork crown, greenish inflorescences that appear in mid-May, or outlandish fruits: long beans twisted into a spiral, but with powerful sharp spines located directly on the trunk. It is because of this feature that these deciduous trees recommended to grow as hedges. Despite the low requirements for growing conditions, in the Kaliningrad region honey locust is represented by a few specimens in Kaliningrad on the street. Sergeant Shchedin, in the dendrological collection of the local botanical garden and in the city of Sovetsk. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

16. Staghorn sumac, which is also called vinegar tree (lat. Rhus tuphina), also native to North America and a close relative of the mango. From a distance, its specimens resemble an elegant low palm tree with several trunks; the dark green velvety leaves are distinguished by their delicacy; however, it is in the fall that sumac becomes even more attractive, because its leaves acquire all shades from scarlet to purple. It is also of great importance that this plant remains decorative in winter, thanks to the bright brushes in which small dark red fruits are collected. This is probably why staghorn sumac is gaining more and more popularity: in Kaliningrad it can be found on the streets of Partizanskaya, Lesnaya, Chekistov, Chkalov, as well as in regional cities: adult specimens of this tree grow in the city of Chernyakhovsk. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

17. (lat. Berberis) very decorative, but at the same time prickly. This plant with bright, sour fruits has been known to us since childhood, not so much because of the medicinal properties it possesses, but because of the name caramel. Different types of barberry differ primarily in the size of the bush: in nature and in horticultural culture, there are dwarf forms (no more than 30-40 cm) and large bushes up to 2.5 meters in height. Unusual species of this plant, represented in our region by introduced species: Amur barberry and Thunberg barberry, a native Far East. During flowering, which usually begins along with the flowering of hawthorn in May, yellow fragrant flowers collected in brushes appear on the branches of barberry; Fruiting occurs in mid-August. Extensive thickets of barberry can be found on the Curonian Spit. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

18. The hallmark of Kaliningrad and the cities of the region are buildings with walls rising girl's grapes (lat. Parthenocissus quinquefolia). It covers the walls so tightly that it often completely hides the facades. In the spring, its young foliage pleases the eye with lush greenery, but by autumn the leaves become fiery red. In photographs of attractions taken by almost all tourists who come to our region, the tower and the hydropathic building built in Svetlogorsk (then Rauschen) in 1908, almost completely entwined with girlish grapes, always remain. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

19. (Euonymus europaeus), a familiar representative of the Euonymus genus, usually occupies the undergrowth in deciduous forests. This deciduous shrub or low tree blooms in April with white four-dimensional flowers, but is memorable for the color and shape of orange seeds, as if dressed in bright pink clothes, and red autumn foliage. While admiring the beauty of the euonymus, you should remember that all its parts are poisonous. If you look into the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden in mid-September, you can find another very decorative type of euonymus - the Far Eastern Maak euonymus, the pointed foliage of which turns soft pink in the fall. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

20. The only representative of the monotypic class Ginkgoaceae, still called a living fossil, ginkgo biloba (lat. Ginkgo biloba) most likely they are not found in the wild anywhere on the planet. But these trees conquered it a second time as an ornamental plant, which is also cultivated in Kaliningrad and the region. Ginkgo specimens of different ages with graceful fan-shaped leaves can be found on the territory of the Kaliningrad Zoo, the Kaliningrad Children and Youth Ecology Center, in the Central Park of the city of Kaliningrad, on M. Raskova and Kutuzov streets, in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden, in the park named after Moritz Becker in the village of Yantarny. This plant is especially beautiful in September, when its leaves acquire a bright yellow color and, falling, cover the ground with a golden carpet. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

Archive "Klops"

The Kaliningrad Regional Duma adopted the law “On the protection of green spaces” in the second, final reading. It will come into force soon. About the new features of the document - in the material "Klops".

What problems will be solved?

The new edition was adopted to eliminate double interpretation of the law on the protection of green resources and to better inform citizens about the work of pruning and cutting down trees and shrubs. Also among the goals is strengthening control over logging.

2. What is the person obligated to do when cutting down a tree?

Obtain a permit and provide it at the request of an official, including a public inspector.

Develop a compensatory landscaping project and carry it out at your own expense or pay the local government for this work.

Install an information board near the felling site about who is performing what types of activities, as well as who allowed them to be carried out.

3. Under what conditions will compensatory landscaping be carried out?

In the old version, the law also allowed for a double interpretation of compensatory measures for logging. The draft new document provides for both the planting of new plants and payment for compensatory landscaping.

Control over work has become more transparent and specific. The law now states that a destroyed tree can only be replaced with a plant of a similar or more valuable species. In addition, it is not allowed to plant young trees instead of an adult tree.

4. Which trees will not be protected?

The law does not apply to plantings that interfere with agricultural work. In particular, permitting documents will not be needed when clearing reclaimed lands from self-seeding trees or when cutting down for the safety of engineering facilities.

5. What threatens the violator?

Fine up to one million rubles. It is issued to those for whom the felling was carried out, as well as to the local government. If you have information on illegal logging in the region, you can call 8-800-100-94-00.

The fact that the law on the protection of green spaces in Kaliningrad became known in February 2018. Alikhanov instructed the regional Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Oleg Stupin to republish the document approved in 2006 as soon as possible. In December 2018, the regional Duma only drafted amendments; in June it was considered at the socio-political council under the head of the region.

The Kaliningrad region is one of the smallest regions of Russia in terms of area.

But despite this, you can find a wide variety of natural landscapes here. And oak groves, and pine forests, and many kilometers of swamps and meadows, and even sand dunes on the Curonian Spit.

The entire Kaliningrad region is dotted with rivers, rivulets and streams. And on the sea coast are the main Kaliningrad resorts - Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk. They have federal status. However, you can relax by the sea in other wonderful coastal towns: Pionersky or Yantarny.

You can relax in the Kaliningrad region not only in summer. Healing air and a developed network of balneological institutions allow you to relax and heal throughout the year.

Choose , or plan your own trip with the help of ours.

Baltic Spit

The Baltic Spit is an amazing natural monument that has preserved its virgin charm.

The Baltic Spit is named one of the most unusual peninsulas in the world, writes The World Geography portal.

How to get there?

You can get to the Baltic Spit by taking a ferry from Baltiysk.

Departure from Baltiysk - from the 1st berth from the Peter the Great embankment (50 meters from the lighthouse and the monument to Peter the Great).

Spit ranks fifth in the ranking after such attractions as the Canadian La Dune de Bouctouche, Zlatni Rat in Croatia, the Spanish La Manga del Mar Menor, and Ocean City in America.

The Polish part of the spit has long been developed by the tourism industry, but on the Baltiysk side the spit has long remained a restricted area.

On the one hand, because of this, the infrastructure on the spit is practically absent with the exception of a small tourist center, on the other hand, here tourists are given a unique chance to feel like “savages”.

At your service are endless beaches, the Baltic Sea and the freshwater Kaliningrad Bay, pine forests, fields full of berries. Extreme sports fans can explore the dungeons of a former military base, and street racers race on the runway of an abandoned military airfield.

Kaliningrad Bay

The Baltic Spit separates from the sea another extraordinary attraction of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea - the Kaliningrad Bay.

The Kaliningrad (Vistula) Bay is a water area located in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. It is bounded from the north by the southern coast of the Zemland Peninsula and the Baltic Spit, which separates it from the sea from the northwest.

This is a beautiful lagoon that combines salt and fresh water, popularly called transition waters.

Red forest

In the southeast of the region is the Red Forest - the legendary Rominten, which was once the largest forest in Germany.

Romintenskaya Pushcha or Red Forest is a huge natural park on the Vishtynets Upland. The majority (2/3) is located in Russia, and the smaller part (1/3) is in Poland. The area of ​​the largest forest in the region is about 360 square meters. km.

The alternation of hills, valleys and dells, gentle slopes turning into colorful lakes - all this was formed during the Ice Age. Thanks to this topography, the area has its own special quiet and calm climate.

Since the times of the Teutonic Order, Romintskaya Pushcha has been a place where a week-long hunt was organized for the order's grandmasters.

Favorite hunting spot for German rulers

The unique forest landscape is home to many animals.

The forest is home to 47 species of mammals, including red deer, elk, wild boar, beaver, roe deer, martens, muskrats, and weasels. There are raccoon dogs, wolves, lynxes and otters.

The Red River is home to fourteen species of fish, including eel, pike, ide, barbel, and brook trout.

The flora of the Red Forest is no less diverse - approximately 100 species of plants are classified as rare.

Romintskaya Pushcha is a paradise for lovers of cycling and hiking.

You can walk for hours in the Red Forest - the diversity of the landscape, the murmuring of streams, lakes, mushrooms, berries and bird chimes.

Vishtynets Lake

Lake Vishtynetskoye is a unique lake of glacial origin and is the oldest, deepest, largest, and cleanest in the Kaliningrad region, it is often called the European Baikal.

Vishtynets Lake is rightfully considered one of the main assets of the natural world of the south-eastern part of the region. The reason for this is not only the impressive size of the lake, but also the purest water, the volume of which is so large that it can be considered one of the most valuable sources of drinking water in Europe. All this, plus the remoteness from populated areas, makes Lake Vishtynetskoe a wonderful place for a relaxing holiday alone with nature.

How to get there?

The best way to get to the lake is by car - first to the town of Nesterov, then south through the village of Nevskoye. Another option is possible - to Nesterov by bus or train, and from there by bus.

Be sure to stop in Yagodnoye, where the Pissa River flowing from the lake is blocked by a dam on which the picturesque ruins of an old mill are located.

In order to get closer to the surrounding natural world of this area, you can stay at one of the rural estates in the Nesterovsky district.

Curonian Spit

There are places on earth that invariably evoke feelings of amazement and admiration. The Curonian Spit is rightfully considered one of these unique corners of our land - a narrow strip of land between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, which stretches 97 km from Zelenogradsk to Klaipeda.

If you came to the Kaliningrad region for one day and you have time to explore only one attraction, then do not waste time thinking - you simply must visit the Curonian Spit. It is no coincidence that the Curonian Spit National Park is included in the UNESCO register of protected natural heritage.

At the narrowest part, the width of the spit is 800 meters, at the widest – 2 kilometers, the total length is 98 kilometers. Since 1987, the Curonian Spit has been a national park, and in 2000 it was included in the World Register of Natural Heritage by UNESCO.

Ornithological station "Fringilla"

The Curonian Spit is sometimes called the “bird bridge”; migratory birds stop here on their way from north to south. If you're lucky, you can become a witness, and sometimes even a participant, in ringing.

A special attraction of the Curonian Spit is the local ornithological station “Fringilla”, one of the first in the world.

The forest is located on the 38th kilometer of the road that runs along the spit towards Lithuania.

No one has yet given a logical explanation for the “dancing forest,” which does not prevent one from enjoying the view of this unique natural phenomenon.

How to get there?

You can get to the Curonian Spit by taxi, bus or private transport. Passengers of private transport and taxis are charged an environmental fee, the amount of which depends on the type of vehicle and the number of passengers.

Buses to the Curonian Spit and along it run from Kaliningrad, Zelenogradsk and Svetlogorsk - 3-4 times a day. If you take a bus, ask the driver to stop near the Dancing Forest.

The mystery surrounding the origin of the phenomenon, the mysticism and unusual shape of the trees make the place especially attractive to tourists. This interest also led to negative consequences for the forest - trampling of the soil, damage to the bark of trees. To protect and preserve the trees, the territory of the “Dancing Forest” was fenced off, and a special path made of wooden flooring was laid out for tourists.

Come visit us to see everything with your own eyes! Believe me, you will want to come back here more than once.

In the Kaliningrad region, not far from the village of Rybachy, there is a strange, eerie place. However, it is just as beautiful. The Dancing Forest is a very popular and very mysterious local attraction, shrouded in an aura of legends and superstitions. The incredibly curved tree trunks seem to be spinning in some kind of frantic dance, and the reason for this “behavior” has not yet been precisely determined. This forest, which is part of the Curonian Spit National Park, attracts tourists and photographers like a magnet.

Strange place

The forest appeared here in 1961 - it was artificially planted to strengthen the sands. More than half a century has passed, and during this time the coniferous trees that grew here have acquired very intricate shapes. What force bent them so bizarrely? Scientists are still scratching their heads over this. It seems that the trees are dancing, and those who venture to walk through this place say that the further you go into the forest, the more aggressive the “dance” becomes.

What is especially strange is that in this forest you can hardly hear the singing of birds and there are almost no animals here. Well, people who have visited this place, for the most part, admit: the sensations are strange. Some visitors feel a sudden surge of energy, while others, on the contrary, experience a headache and a feeling of fatigue and apathy.

Even more eerie is that there is deathly silence in the forest. It is violated only by excursion groups that periodically visit here, because this place is a very popular tourist route.

It is worth noting that on the Round Dune, where the Dancing Forest grows, not all the trunks have a strange shape - the “dancing” trees are concentrated in a certain (however, quite large) area.

What is the reason for this “dance”?

Researchers have not come to a consensus on the cause of the curvature of tree trunks.

According to one version, the deformation could have been caused by certain natural phenomena that allegedly occurred in this place - for example, a sharp change in wind direction, temperature changes. There is also a hypothesis about the special composition of the soil in this place.

Proponents of another hypothesis blame everything on insect pests, the invasion of which was allegedly once observed in the forest. A version has been put forward that the trunks were damaged by the voracious caterpillars of the wintering shoot moth butterfly.

Scientists confirm their hypothesis with the information that the shoot loach usually damages young shoots of pine trees, and, moreover, devours mainly the apical buds, and almost does not touch the lateral ones. As a result of the disappearance of the apical buds of the tree, the lateral buds begin to actively grow, which subsequently causes the trunk to bend. Scientists note that these caterpillars most often eat pine shoots growing on poor soils poorly saturated with groundwater - just like on the Curonian Spit. However, to the question “Why did the caterpillars ruin only a certain area of ​​the forest, and not all the trees?” there is no clear answer.

Supporters of the third hypothesis see the reasons for the “dance” of trees in the mobility of local sands. Geologists say that the Round Dune stands on a “cushion” of clay, which causes such mobility - in combination with the constantly changing direction of the wind, the angle of inclination of the dune is supposedly constantly different. Hence the curvature of the trunks. Other dunes of the Curonian Spit, according to the authors of this hypothesis, do not have such features.

The “non-mystical” versions are supported by the fact that many trunks in the Dancing Forest are not curved along their entire length, but only in the lower part - which means that they were deformed only at the initial stage of plant growth.

There are also those among researchers who see the reason for the deformation of trees in the powerful energy of this place, which has not yet been studied by the scientific community.

Mystic?

Lovers of horror stories and mystics put forward their versions. According to one of them, the trees were affected by certain chemicals that were sprayed by the Germans before the Second World War - at a time when the famous German gliding school was located on the Curonian Spit. By the way, many famous record-breaking pilots emerged from its walls. The last flight at the gliding school took place in January 1945.

There are also those who argue that the reason for the curvature of the trunks is the sacredness and “special and mystical status” of the forest. They say that in ancient times very ancient oaks and beeches grew here. Local pagans considered these trees sacred. They worshiped them to such an extent that they once killed a famous Christian missionary because he disrespected the trees, or, more simply, violated the boundaries of the sacred grove.

The most mystical of the versions is that this place is a kind of portal to other worlds.

Legends

Local residents, of course, create beautiful legends about this forest. For example, that one day young witches allegedly came to the forest for their Sabbath. They began to spin in their wild dance, but in the midst of the dance, for some reason they suddenly froze rooted to the spot in their strange poses. So the sorceresses remained forever in this forest, turning into twisting pines. In connection with this, a strange sign even appeared - they say that if you crawl inside the spiral of such a twisted trunk, you can rejuvenate yourself by one year. And if you climb twice, you will become two years younger and so on.

There is also a more romantic fairy tale legend. They say that once, many years ago, a pagan prince was hunting in these parts. Suddenly he heard a beautiful, bewitching melody and followed the sounds. Coming out into the clearing, the young man saw a beauty playing the lyre. They immediately fell in love with each other, but the girl set a condition for the prince: she would marry him only when he accepted Christianity. And to show her pagan lover the power of the Cross, she made the trees around them dance.

They say that 13 years ago an experiment was conducted in this forest - young pines were planted to see how they would grow. Time passed, but the trees did not bend. True, they grow very slowly, which again suggests that there is clearly something anomalous in the forest.

Are trees under threat?

But local environmentalists are sounding the alarm. They pay attention to the fact that trees require careful handling. In particular, walking through the forest is allowed only on specially designated bridge paths, fenced with railings. The administration asks tourists not to hug pine trees (this erases the bark) and not to trample the soil. Conservationists and the park administration point out that the most unique and popular trees of the Dancing Forest have already died.

For example, several years ago the famous ring tree died - its bark was damaged and its root system was damaged. This is due to the fact that tourists constantly sat on the tree, climbed through the ring, touched the trunk, and trampled the ground. For ecologists, a forest is not a mystical place or a photo zone, but, above all, a unique natural monument.

Text: Anna Belova