Baltic protective dune in Curonian Spit photo

The Baltic coastal protective duna stretches for dozens of kilometers along the coast of the Curonian Spit. The width of a beach of golden quartz sand ranges from 20 to 100 meters. A steep slope of the embankment of about 15 meters high is beyond it.

The embankment is a protective coastal rampart of interconnected dunes. It was created not by nature, but by people in 19 century, as in 17–18 centuries the problem of the Curonian Spit being drifted with sand became critical. Shifting dunes buried roads, forests and even houses of the natives.

Between the natural front dunes people built wattles of brushwood (fascines) and small fences. They were completely covered with sand, and people erected new fences until the space between the dunes reached the desired height. Then on the embankment they planted plants stabilizing shifting sand dunes such as lyme grass and European beachgrass. They planted them in those places which were less reachable by the sprays of salt sea water. All the sand that the embankment could stop was deposited on the beach and winter storms carried it back to the sea. 

The average width of the embankment is 60-80 meters. These days nothing has changed. The embankment is ruined by strong autumn and winter storms and in spring the staff of the national park and volunteers come to repair it. The protective embankment is supported by the same structures of brushwood as in the past centuries. The Curonian Spit was included in UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.