Ventė Cape

About this place

Ventė Cape is a small peninsula in the Nemunas Delta reaching into the Curonian Lagoon, in southwestern Lithuania. It is known as a resting place for migrating birds, especially in autumn, since the main migration route through Lithuania passes here as part of one of the most important routes in Northern Europe. The cape formed 4,500 to 5,000 years ago, when the lagoon flooded a ridge of coastal moraine in the last stage of the Baltic glaciation. In 1929 Tadas Ivanauskas opened the Ventė Cape Ornithological Station, one of the first bird ringing stations in Europe still in operation. In the 1980s and 1990s the tip was reinforced with stones, and a 250 m breakwater was built that also breaks up blocks of ice at the end of winter. The main sight is a red brick lighthouse 11 m high, built in 1863 and one of the few in Lithuania whose observation deck visitors may climb. A narrow spiral stair leads up to a wide view of lagoon and delta. Beside it stand large nets used for ringing, along with a small exhibition, and dense flocks pass over in spring and autumn. The cape lies about 41 km from Klaipėda and 18.3 km from Šilutė in a straight line. The road is long because of the delta, and spring floods can cover roads there, so check conditions. It gets windy here. Bring binoculars if you enjoy birds, and do not disturb the nets or birds at the station.