NIDA
- Nida is a resort town located on the Curonian Spit. It has about 200,000-300,000 visitors every summer (about 700,000 every year), many of them from Lithuania and Western Europe, especially Germany.
- The name Nida was first mentioned in the late 14th century in a description of Crusader war routes (Noyken).
- In 1675, when a sand drift threatened to cover Old Nida, its inhabitants moved north towards the Curonian Lagoon and, in 1732, they eventually settled in present-day Nida.
- Nida was a favorite summer destination of the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann. His summer house has survived to this day and has become a cultural center with a memorial exhibition dedicated to the famous writer.
- The only way to get to Nida is to take a ferry across the Curonian Lagoon.
- The Curonian Spit is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Video about Nida in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV3kfh38kEY
PALANGA
- Palanga is a Samogitian resort town on the Baltic Sea.
- The first inhabitants settled in the territory of present-day Palanga around 3,000 BC.
- On August 20th, 1899, “America in the Bathhouse,” the first Lithuanian-language play performed in public in present-day Lithuania, was performed in Palanga.
- The Palanga Amber Museum, the largest in Lithuania, is located in the palace of Count Tiškevičius.
- The most famous street in Palanga is Basanavičiaus, or “Basankės.” Americans call “Basankė” the Lithuanian Las Vegas—it is truly an artery of fun! Every summer, more than 100 eateries open on J.Basanavičiaus Street.
Video about Palanga in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB4i9WKqxZA&t=212s
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