Dancing Forest (Curonian Spit National Park). Mystical "Dancing Forest" (Curonian Spit)

Basic moments

The Dancing Forest has long become a popular tourist attraction, and almost all tourists who come to national park « curonian spit". Since 2000, the place where the dancing forest is located, and natural complexes around it are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tilted and curved trees cover an area of ​​0.5 ha.

It's hard to believe, but a dancing or, as it is also called, a "drunk" forest is not a natural anomaly. Trees on the dune Kruglya, not far from the village of Rybachy, were planted in 1961 in order to strengthen the Curonian Spit and prevent the erosion characteristic of this area. Most of the dunes of the protected spit stretch along the coast of the Curonian Lagoon. And the dune Round, where an unusual dancing forest grows, is located between the bay and the shore Baltic Sea on a flat plain. The old name of this place is Runderberg, which means "Round Mountain". The village of Rybachy used to be called Rossitten.

Causes of tree deformation

Experts have not come to a consensus why the trunks of the pines of the dancing forest are so twisted. There are different points of view on this matter. Among biologists, a version is widespread that pine shoots are still in young age were damaged by caterpillars of the red leafworm butterfly (Rhyacionia pinicolana). Caterpillars usually eat the apical and partially lateral buds. Despite the fact that the apical bud is missing, the tree still needs to develop, and it begins to grow at the expense of the remaining lateral buds. Because of this, the trunk is deformed and acquires a curved shape over the years.

It is known that caterpillars of the red leafworm most often damage young trees aged 5 to 20 years. Best of all, these pests develop in pine plantations growing on soils with a small amount of groundwater and where the land is not particularly rich in minerals. Exactly such conditions can be observed on the territory of the Curonian Spit.

Modern Problems of the Dancing Forest

Unusual forms attract the attention of a huge number of tourists to the dancing forest. Although warning signs have been installed near the natural attraction, most visitors to the Curonian Spit ignore them.

Those who like to get spectacular photo frames climb the twisted trunks, touch the bark and break off the lower branches of pines. As a result, the unique pine massif is subjected to colossal anthropogenic impact. On many trees in the lower part of the trunks, almost all the bark was torn off. The ground around the trees is so heavily packed by people that nothing grows on it. Ecologists are convinced that if visitors to the national park do not treat the dancing forest more carefully, it will not exist in a few years.

Path through the dancing forest

To date, a special path has been laid through the dancing forest, and tourists are asked to walk only along it. The hiking trail is 0.8 km long and is equipped with wooden decks and handrails.

At the beginning of the route, you can see the foundations of buildings. This place used to be the famous German gliding school. educational institution founded in 1922, and 14 years later the school received Imperial status. Until January 1945, about 30 thousand German pilots were trained here, and among them there were many who set records for the duration and length of flights.

Moving along the trail, you can bypass the area of ​​the dancing forest around the perimeter. Along the way, several boards with information about the pine forest and its environmental issues. The most "famous" trees are surrounded by low wooden fences.

How to get there

The Dancing Forest is located on the 37th km of the Curonian Spit, on the territory of the national park. It is located 4 km north of the village of Rybachy, near the road leading towards Lithuania. Closer to the highway, the pine forest is flat, without damage. The twisted trunks are located at some distance from the highway.

From Kaliningrad to the National Park "Curonian Spit" can be reached by regular buses to Klaipeda. Tourists usually ask the driver to make a stop near the dancing forest.

In addition, it is possible to get to the Curonian Spit with a transfer in Zelenogradsk. Kaliningrad and Zelenogradsk are connected by suburban electric trains and regular bus service, and buses and taxis are wanted from Zelenogradsk to the Curonian Spit.

This is a small area (no more than a square kilometer) of a pine forest in national park Kaliningrad region"Curonian Spit", where the trees froze in bizarre poses. What is most interesting, there is a clear boundary between twisted trees and ordinary ones. Scientists cannot explain this anomaly.

The dancing forest is a unique natural phenomenon. The pines in this forest bend in bizarre "poses", as if in a dance. Some trunks are even twisted into a ring. It is believed that if a person climbs through such a ring, making a wish, it will come true. Another belief says that the places where the trunks form such rings are the boundaries of positive and negative energy, and if you crawl through the ring from the right side, you will prolong life by a year.

The reasons for this anomalous structure of trees have not yet been precisely established. Among the versions - and the impact of the wind, from which the trees lean and arch; and damage from insects (butterflies from the leaf roller family) attacking young pine trees 5-20 years old and damaging shoots; and even "turbulent energy vortex".

There is also a legend according to which the Prussian prince Barty hunted in these places. While chasing a roe deer, he heard a beautiful melody. Coming out into the clearing, the prince saw a young girl playing the lyre. The girl was a Christian, and her name was Predislava. The prince offered her to become his wife, but the girl replied that she would marry only a man of her faith. Barty agreed to accept Christianity only if the girl proves the strength of her Invisible God, shows that he is stronger than the strong trees around. The predislava began to play, the birds fell silent, and the trees began to dance. The prince removed the bracelet from his hand and presented it to his bride. It was on this place that, many years later, the "dancing" forest grew up.

In fact, this section of the forest was planted in 1961. Anomalies were found only in last years. A few years ago, the tourist walking route "Dancing Forest" was opened. In 2008, the work of the excursion route was suspended due to the damage caused to pines by daily trampling of the soil, as well as constant tactile contact with the bark of trees. Since 2009, access to the Dancing Forest has been opened again: special decks have been laid along all the paths, and the trees are now protected by fences.

The smallest among the national natural parks Russia - "Curonian Spit" in the Kaliningrad region. And he is one of the most visited. There really is something to see here. One of the park's most popular tourist attractions is the "dancing forest" or, as it is also called, the Drunken Forest.

Pines that "dance"

In the 1960s, near the village of Rybachy, foresters planted pine trees on the Krugly dune to fix the sands. Years passed and...

At first, you don't notice anything special here. Pine trees rise on both sides of the forest path, the bark of which is densely covered with lichens. But from some point on, pine trees with intricately curved trunks often come across the eye (see photo).

The trunks are not just tilted, they resemble writhing snakes, loops, spiral coils. On the Curonian Spit, this place is called the "drunken forest".

It is worth going through the site (no more than a kilometer), and the forest again turns out to be ordinary. Here's something to think about:

... who arranged these "dances"?

There are a dozen or two explanations for the phenomenon, including legends - ancient (about sorcerers) and modern (about aliens). Real hypotheses (for example, the influence of winds) are difficult to explain the main thing - why in neighboring areas the pines look quite decent, but here ... they “danced”.

Curonian Spit: drunken forest, photo

Versions of the appearance of the Drunken Forest

Version 1. A caterpillar of a butterfly named pine shoot eats away the apical buds, and the shoots become like a lyre or a bayonet on the trunk. Maybe the forest in this area survived an outbreak of mass reproduction of the pest? But after it, the trunks do not form loops or rings. Yes, and the butterfly lives from Britain to the Kuriles, but the "drunken forest" grows only on the Curonian Spit.

Version 2. It is possible that the Kruglyaya dune differs from others in the high mobility of the sands. They covered the tiny pines, tilting their fragile trunk first in one direction, and after a few years in the other. The stem always grows strictly vertically. So the pines had to adapt every time to different angle tilt (see photo). And when it becomes woody, it retains its former position. However, it is still necessary to prove that the local sands were indeed more mobile than the neighboring ones.

Version 3. The anomalous trees could have grown from the seeds of a tree that carried a growth gene mutation. She passed on to her descendants. Checking this is easy: you need to sow the seeds of "dancing trees" and watch how they grow. Mutations are hereditary.

Version 4. Are there any substances in the local soil that affect the growth of plants? In 2006, pine trees were planted in the anomalous square and are being observed. So far, nothing of note has been found.

Let's not talk about mystical explanations here: biofields, "vortexes of energy" and other interesting, but unproven things. There are people who like to believe it, and there's nothing to be done about it.

Here the tourist is a welcome guest

How to get to the "dancing forest" on the Curonian Spit? The easiest way is to take a guided tour. On the 38th kilometer of the road going towards Lithuania, there is a sign to the forest. You can go by bus from Kaliningrad, Zelenogradsk and Svetlogradsk towards the village of Morskoe. Drivers at your request will stop near the desired turn.

There is a hiking trail through the forest. At the entrance there is a parking lot, information boards, stalls with souvenirs, a cafe.

The paths departing from the main route are covered with a boardwalk with a railing. This protects the soil from compaction and trampling. Most unusual trees they are protected from tourists who, having heard a lot of fiction, strive to grab the tree tighter, or even crawl through the trunk ring in order to “get younger”. At the same time, the bark is peeled off and not restored.

The park has carved log benches. You can sit down, look around and admire: there are so many interesting and amazing things in nature!

Hello!

The "Dancing Forest" is one of the main attractions of the Curonian Spit. I was here as part of an excursion group, we looked at 3 objects, and I liked this one the least. Or rather, I did not understand at all what is so unusual here and why tourists are brought here. It's good that at least it's free.

LOCATION and ROAD

The most convenient way to get to the dancing forest is by private car or as part of an excursion) But if you don’t have such an opportunity, then use the regular bus from Kaliningrad or Zelenogradsk.

The forest is located on the 37th kilometer of the Russian part of the Curonian Spit. Buses run infrequently. In principle, you can drive to the Efa dune in Morskoy, then go back 5 km along the road to the dancing forest. Another option is to drive to Rybachy, and then come on foot from there. The distance is about the same in both cases. Yes, there are not very many stops here.

You can see the current bus schedule on the page of the official website of the Curonian Spit

I must say right away that the sides of the Curonian Spit are not very well designed for hikers, and walking along the spit is not possible everywhere. So I recommend that you look in advance on the maps for walking routes along the coast and, if possible, use them. On the map from the KK website, there is an option to reach the dancing forest from Rybachy not along the highway, but along such a path from the village. In general, look.

PRICE

The Dancing Forest is free to look around, they don't even follow you there. But this does not mean that you can break the rules and run off the organized paths to the trees. You can walk either on the flooring or on the tracks made in the form of a track from the cars.

DANCING FOREST

Now let's talk about the object itself)

I saw pictures from here a few years ago. They seemed creepy to me, there were really a lot of "dancing" trees. I grew up in the North, we have such tall trees can not be. But every summer I spent in Belarus. For me are not a miracle artificially created pine forests. Trees lined up in a row at the same distance from each other, brushed bushes - a common picture where I rested. So I thought to myself that this place should be really big.

Upon arrival at the facility, a large parking lot awaits you. There are cafes and toilets here.

To get into the forest itself, you have to go along the shopping malls, which lined up here as a corridor to the beginning of the trail)) You can buy amber, magnets and other souvenirs. The guide left us time after the forest, the tourists from our group actively ran to stock up. Prices are higher than in Kaliningrad.

There are practically no information signs on the trail. Those that exist are dedicated to the forest in general, and the dancer in particular. If you came for a tour on your own, then I advise you to read something about Kos and about the forest in advance.

The scythe appeared naturally, it was washed by the sea. Then here for a long time people lived. And at some point, the question arose of preserving this part of the land, since the spit began to wash out. In order to somehow hold sandy soil, it was decided to plant trees with a strong root system. And if you ever walked on northern forest, you must have seen the strong roots of coniferous trees.

So, in fact, all large vegetation on the Curonian Spit is the result of human work. That is why there are so many pine trees here. In general, on the territory of the Kaliningrad region, mostly only pure deciduous forests. See here conifer tree you can either on the shore in the area of ​​Svetlogorsk-Zelenogradsk, or in some arboretum. I live in an area of ​​mixed sheets, and on my first long trip from point A to point B in the Kaliningrad region, I was surprised to look at the forest. He's not what I'm used to.

The trees along the route on the Curonian Spit itself are not all coniferous, there is also a lot of shrubs. But the Dancing Forest is made entirely of pines.

So what is so remarkable about it? The thing is, the trees are here a little twist. There are a couple of trees of a really strange shape, but otherwise I didn’t see anything supernatural. What is the mystic? "AT ordinary life"trees that grow separately, apart, twist. Usually this is due to the wind, which changes the growth of the tree. Here, the "anomaly" is in the middle of the forest. That is, the wind influence factor is minimized, and the trees still twist.

There are several versions, but scientists have not agreed on one. Of the options, some kind of disease or the action of insects.

The main area around the dancing forest is surrounded by a wooden deck. We arrived on a rainy day. From myself, I advise you to still go to Kos in closed shoes. To get to the wooden deck in the Dancing Forest, you have to follow the usual path, so by the beginning of the route my feet in sports sandals were already dirty.

In the rain, this wooden flooring is also quite slippery, so be sure to hold on to the handrails, they are there. A sign at the entrance to the deck also warns of a possible danger.

The deck is quite narrow. Therefore, if several sightseeing buses gather in one place, it will be difficult to walk. It is unlikely that someone will push you, but the feeling of a closed space is present.

In fact, these railings were made so that people would not trample under the trees. We were told by the guide that a couple of the most "interesting" ones were almost broken because of the photographs, so they were additionally fenced.

I saw a lot of trees of this shape and I don’t understand what is surprising about it. It feels like everyone came from the desert.

And in general, the feeling of mysticism and the scale of what is happening, which I thought about before visiting the dancing forest, quickly faded away. I understand what it is natural object and all that, but for myself, I decided that this is just a place of the "much ado about nothing" format. Well, there are such "sights". The forest itself, of course, is not to blame for anything. I just cannot share the general enthusiasm for slightly twisted trees, and not massively, but selectively.

If the whole forest really twisted here, and even in one direction, then it would look much more interesting. And so sorry for the waste of time.

By the way, the forest was planted here for a reason. Not far from this place is one of the dunes. The dunes were artificially created on the spit, but I will talk about this in the next review dedicated to the Efa dune. So, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe dancing forest there is a dune Round. To strengthen it, both from and planted coniferous forest. It is very young, the trees here are no more than 60 years old, they were planted in the 60s of its last century. That is why they are all the same size, with rare exceptions.

There are not many stands here, but everything is more or less within the same topic.

By the way, about the reasons for twisting. There are a lot of trees overgrown with such a lichen. Healthy trees with young branches do not look like this, lichen, as a rule, affects either trunks or diseased trees. So we leaned towards the version of the disease. Although botanists, in theory, should have calculated it long ago.

In general, I liked only one thing on the trail amazing tree and it's pictured below. It is located off the main trail, you have to walk a little along the road. I really saw few such trees, and against the background of fairly slender trunks, albeit slightly “drunk” in places, this one looks really interesting and majestic.

Well, the dancing forest didn't impress me. I am quite picky about the sights, but here I did not see anything special. I have a lot more emotions from a regular visit to the forest, because there are no expectations. I love nature, but the Dancing Forest object is still presented as something amazing, and I didn’t see this amazing thing. Or maybe it just didn't grab me.

I put a deuce, because it's always nice to visit nature and for a tree on last photo. I would not recommend visiting the forest itself. It is not very convenient for independent tourists, and it does not make sense to spend several hours on it, especially when you consider that it does not make sense to stay at the place for more than half an hour - there is simply nothing to do and see.