Seaside Regional Park

Seaside Regional Park was established in 1992. Seaside Regional Park website: www.pajuris.info. The Seaside Regional Park was established by Resolution No I-2913 of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania – the Reconstituted Seimas of 24 September 1992 „On the Establishment of Regional Parks and Nature Reserves” (Žin., 1992, No 30-913) in order to preserve, manage and rationally use the landscape of the continental coastal area, its natural ecosystem and cultural heritage values. According to the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 29 April 1999, No. 490 „On Approval of the Regulation on Regional Parks”, the purpose of the Regional Park is to preserve the landscape of the Lithuanian coastal mainland with the coastal dune belt, the Great and Small Coastal Cliffs, the Placis Sea plain, the Nemirseta Ridge formed by the sea and the coastal mainland cliffs, the maritime rock forests and the ethnographic village of Karkles. The protection regime of the Seaside Regional Park is ensured by the Seaside Regional Park Directorate, which coordinates the implementation of the objectives of the Regional Park.

The Seaside Regional Park is a relatively short stretch of continental coastline between Klaipėda and Palanga, the last part of the continental coastline where nature is still intact, where cranes and sea eagles still breed. The park attracts people with its sandy beaches near the villages of Kukuliškės, Karkle and Nemirseta. In addition to the sand dunes and pine forests typical of the coast, there are also natural sandbanks. The coastal landscape of the park is characterised by the cliff of the Dutch Cap, which descends directly to the sea, the boulder field and the two lakes closest to the sea – Kalotė and Plocio (Plazė). The sand dunes have a unique flora: they are rich in sand-loving plant species, some of which are endangered and protected at European level. The wintering area in the sea attracts over 10,000 birds during the winter and the coast is a migratory route for birds. The Seaside Regional Park contains the last intact ship salvage station built by the Germans at the end of the 19th century. In this part of the seaside, as elsewhere in Lithuania Minor, little mythology, legends and folklore have been preserved. The area was characterised by the strict practice of Christianity, which left no room for attributes more closely associated with paganism. However, a very old activity, amber fishing, has survived.

Managed by the Seaside Regional Park Authority, a state budgetary institution

Founder – State Service for Protected Areas under the Ministry of the Environment The area is located in:
Klaipėda County, Klaipėda District and Palanga City Municipalities

Main settlements:
Karkle, Kalote, Nemirseta Population: 750
Economic activity: Agriculture, tourism
Geographical position – Seaside lowland
Area: 5865 ha (2735 ha on land, 3130 ha in the Baltic Sea)
Highest point: 37.8 m (in the south-eastern part of Lake Kalotes)
Deepest point: 23 m (bottom of the Baltic Sea)
Average rainfall 696 mm.
Average annual temperature + 6.2 C.
Average summer temperature + 16.4 C.
Main lakes: Kalotes, Plocio.
Main rivers: Rikinė, Cypa, Tydeka.
Forest cover 30%.

Coordinates:
55o 53′;
South: 55o 46′;
West: 21o 01′;
East: 21o 08′.
Boundaries of the park and its reserve:
North – Old Palanga;
to the south – the city of Klaipėda;
West – the Baltic Sea;
East – Klaipėda – Palanga road.

Palanga City, Palanga Municipality (336.98 ha)