Places to visit

VENTE CAPE LIGHTHOUSE

Vente Cape lighthouse is one of the few lighthouses in Lithuania, which allowed to get in and look around. Old, decorated with original ornaments iron stairs leads to the lighthouse observation deck. From this site opens spectacular views - in the Curonian spit across 12-13 km to the southwest located Nida and the golden dunes,  8.5 km to the west away located Preila.  Vente Cape lighthouse - the protected technical monument. In the Vente Cape you can also visit near the lighthouse located the first and oldest Ornithological station in Lithuania, which was founded in 1929.

From: http://www.greatbaltic.eu/en/destinations/lithuania.html?id=8

RUSNE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

The first written records of this church are known from 1544. It was mentioned in Duke's Albrecht of Prussia pattern of prayers in Lithuanian and German. Weather vane on the church tower shows its first year of construction - 1419. Up to 1541 the church belonged to the Catholic parish, and only later, upon establishment of the Reformation, all the people had to accept Luther's learning achieves. There was a parish school near the church in 1583. It was one of the firsts in this region. Church, built in the eighteenth century, was devastated of the three fires (1739, 1774, 1789). The new church, built of bricks consecrated in 1809. The current brick building emerged in XIX century. In Soviet times, for a long time the church was closed, the large estate was destroyed the building was given to Rusne boarding school. There was a school sports hall and boiler room. The renovation of Rusne old church was started in 1991 the prayers were renewed by deacon G. Pareigis.

UOSTADVARIS LIGHTHOUSE

Uostadvaris lighthouse is a monument of technical history. It was built in 1873 in front of the mouth of Minija river - an important shipping point. Few years ago the rebuilding of the lighthouse keeper house started. The keeper  house is connected to the lighthouse and it is an integral part of the monument. Uostadvaris lighthouse is located about 2 km from water and it is not used for navigation anymore but it still delights many tourists as an observation tower.

MINIJA (MINGE, MINE)

Minija is also called "Lithuanian Venice" because of its unique landscape. Village was fist mentioned in 16th century and originates for the river name, but earlier it was called only Minė. Germans called the village Minge. River Minija divides the village into 2 parts, but there are now bridges. Every house in Minija is facing the river and people say, that river is the street there. The town was flooded periodically. In 19th century there were 76 houses and more than 400 people lived in Minija. In the beginning of 20th century there were more than 100 houses. But before the Second World War, only 28 habitable homesteads were left. There are 11 nineteenth and twentieth century monumental buildings now. Each house in the village has its own pier for boats. The majority of housings are double-ended, sheds with raised roofs are built of red bricks. There are also wooden buildings - their plans, design, external shape, volume, decor is typical of folk architecture of the Pomeranian region.

VENTĖ CAPE ORNITHOLOGICAL STATION

The ornithological station in Ventė Cape (Horn) was established in 1929 by professor Tadas Ivanauskas as the peninsula was and still is an ideal place for watching and catching birds. One of the biggest bird migration ways extends over the eastern shore of sea Baltic. Sometimes during September and October more than 3 million birds flies over the area per day! More than 70% of them turns to Curonian Lagoon and then about 30% choose the way crossing sky above the Ventė Cape. After establishing the Ventė Cape ornithological station approximately 60000-80000 birds are ringed per year. Some ringed birds were caught again even in Egypt, Iran and South Africa! For educational purposes not only bird watchers and tourists are welcome there but groups of schoolchildren too. In order to understand the mysterious features of birds migration and ringing, a little informative museum has been established there.

From: http://www.way2lithuania.com/en/travel-lithuania/vente-cape