Settlements
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 it's 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.
PAKALNE
Pakalne is a fishing village. The first time this village is mentioned in 1613-09-27, when the fishing master V. Baugartas who received a plot of land and privilege, established a tavern here. In 1897 Pakalnė already been a significant village, which was to become Rusne suburbs. Since 1736 there was an elementary school in the village.
RUSNE
Rusnė - one of the oldest settlements in the Nemunas Delta, founded in the XV century Church Towers cock marks the 1419. This is the only city in Lithuania that is in the island. The modern bridge Atmata not always saves the local population from the spring floods. During the flood 40 thousand hectares of grassland is covered in water. People of Rusnė are kept safe from the floods by mound. Island has a Polders system equipped with 20 water lift stations. At the lake Dumblė the land surface is 1.3 m below sea level. During the summer Rusnė becomes particularly popular place. Tourists are coming not only from Lithuania but also from Germany, Denmark. In 2002, in Rusnė there was established an information center. The old tradition of fishermen revives – there was built and old sailing yawl according to the old drawing. In island Rusnė we can visit the restored church, the old post office, ethnographic K. Banys farmstead, Uostadvaris lighthouse (1876), the first water lifting station (1907). Rusnė - border town – on the other side of Skirvytė there is a region of Kaliningrad, Russian Federation.
From: http://siluteinfo.lt/index.php/pageid/737
VORUSNE
Vorusnė - a village in the municipality Rusne, a few kilometers away from the Rusne village. The Vorusne village is near the Vorusne river mouth on the shore of the Curonian Lagoon. Vorusne is one of the oldest settlements in this region. In 1366, in the Teutonic Order letter the village is referred to as Variszkin. In the nineteenth century documents Vorusnė is referred to as the poor fishermen and precariaus workers settlement.
UOSTADVARIS
Uostadvaris - a village in the municipality Rusne, south from Kroku Lanka, in the left river Atmata bank, about 6 km from Rusne village. It was created by mapping out drainage ditches flooded grasslands. In 1907, there was built the first water pumping station near Dumble canal, which was equipped with a steam turbine, attracting excess water from meadows and drawing it down towards the Nemunas.
VENTE
Ventė horn is the most wandered away western point of Šilutė region. In its tip for more than a hundred years (1863) there is a working lighthouse. Vessels and rafts this place was particularly dangerous. Until the excavation of King Wilhelm Canal, which brought together the Nemunas with Klaipėda, a lot of the ships were crashing here. In Ventė horn in 1929, Tadas Ivanauskas founded a bird-ringing station. Here in seven catchers birds that were caught and ringed, subsequently were detected in Iran, Egypt and even in South Africa. In Ventė horns ornithological station operates a museum. In 1999, Ventė hold a short film festival "Networks", in which the famous director Peter Grynavėjus was present. Ventė horn is wrapped by legends and some real events. In 1360 y. in Ventė the Teutonic Order built a castle, which secured the water way to Nemunas. However, the castle was washed away by the Kuršiu sea waves and tumbled into the water. Even though the Ventė castle is under the water it still remained famous and it is marked on the map.
SKIRVYTĖLĖ
In 1949,
the radial Rusne town was connected to peripheral street, which runs east-west direction. Then it was called Skirvytėlė and since 1953 - Žvejų st. This is the only one of the -Nemunas Regional Park VillageDelta an architectural monument of national importance, which consists of 20 dwellings. The inhabitants of the village were established in the sixteenth century. It finally formed after the abolition of serfdom in divided manor lands. The fishermen settled in Pakalnė and Vorusnė wooded shores in the individual farms, which eventually formed groups and the addition of the rampart connected them with one street. Former Skirvytėlė village, ran Vorusnė and Pakalnė valley, slightly enrich the wavy landscape. All the village houses are wooden and most of them are built in the nineteenth centuries’ second half. In many plots there are a dwelling house, barn and shed. Buildings are set around a rectangular and trapezoidal courtyard. Home planning and architecture remained without major changes.
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