Lithuania: Cycling along the European Green Belt

Cycling along the European Green Belt is an initiative whose vision for the future describes a border that once divided two entirely different political and economic systems in the heart of Europe. In Germany, it refers to the border that, before 1990, separated the federal states formerly belonging to East Germany from the Federal Republic of Germany. The initiative already traces further remnants of former divisions in northern Scandinavia, between economically capitalist states and politically socialist/communist states. The Baltic section of the “Green Belt” touches countries such as Lithuania, Belarus and Latvia. Once complete, the European “Green Belt” is intended to form a cycling route from the Arctic Ocean along the Baltic Sea, right through Germany and all the way to the Black Sea.

In Lithuania, too, cycling along the European “Green Belt” makes it easy to see how the former border gave rise to a natural landscape of remarkable, rare authenticity. A brochure about the “European Green Belt” vividly describes how this naturally formed strip of land can be named today: “From the line of death to the line of life.” On the Baltic “Green Belt,” the Baltic Sea Cycle Route runs from Klaipėda to Tallinn in Latvia. This stretch of landscape represents the seemingly insurmountable border that for more than 40 years separated the Scandinavian countries from the countries to the east of the former Soviet Union, of which Lithuania was a part. Cycling along the Baltic “Green Belt” is therefore an adventure through fascinating history and wonderful natural landscapes. In Lithuania, the Baltic “Green Belt” passes through the Curonian Lagoon and along the Curonian Spit. A detour along the cycling route on Lithuania’s “Green Belt” takes cyclists into what is known as the “Baltic Sahara.” This name refers to the shifting dunes, which reach around 60 metres in height and are the largest in all of Europe. Culturally, cycling the European “Green Belt” in Lithuania brings you to discover towns such as Palanga and Nida, as well as the Russian enclave of Klaipėda. Here, hotels and holiday apartments in Lithuania invite you to pause and stay awhile. In Lithuania, most cycling routes along the “Green Belt” run directly beside the Baltic coast, with its larger and smaller communities and special places. On the way to Nida, you can visit Witches’ Hill, with its figures from Lithuanian folklore, and in Nida admire the distinctive wooden houses. A holiday home was built here in 1929, and a few years later Thomas Mann began spending his summers there.

At least in Lithuania, the cycling route along the Baltic “Green Belt” passes through untouched landscapes and distinctive towns and communities. It takes you on a literary journey to Thomas Mann and captivates you with memorable moments drawn from Lithuanian mythology and folklore.