Fisherman’s Ethnographic Homestead

To whom do I have the honour of speaking? How should I address you? Sir or Madam? It is a great pleasure to meet you. I am a fisherman’s wife, and I’ve been living here a long time. During my long life, I’ve seen many families and curious children, romantic lovers, newlyweds on their honeymoons, and simply tourists or the people of Klaipėda, ogling and taking in every part of Kopgalis. You haven’t heard of it? Then stop for a second, and take your time. Sit back and listen to the story about this special northernmost area of the Curonian Spit National Park.

The peak of Kopgalis changed continuously as it was exposed to the wind, storms, floods, alluvium and blowing sand. In the 18th century, after a long struggle with the forces of nature, a man settled at the peak of Neringa. In 1814, the first permanent residents of Kopgalis came from the Klaipėda suburb of Bomelsvitė and settled here. They spoke Curonian, German and Lithuanian. The Germans called this land Süderhuk, Süderhaken or Süderspitze (Southern Horn, Cape, Peak or Horn). However, the Prussian Curonians had their own name for this place: Ziderspice. It is bizarre that the northernmost part of the spit is called the Southern Horn, right? It is because Süderhuk emerged in opposition to Norderhuk, the northern horn that previously protruded from the lighthouse on the mainland and was destroyed by storms and winds.

The children of Kopgalis first studied in the casemate of the Nerija fort, but later the Kopgalis village school was moved to our current Fisherman’s Ethnographic Homestead, and eventually the children started going to school in the city. Each morning, they would walk on the shore of the lagoon or through the forest to reach the ferry at Smiltynė. With storms howling and the tree branches swaying, the bend of the road at the Kopgalis cemetery seemed particularly menacing.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the number of Kopgalians had increased, but then decreased to 2-3 dozen permanent residents. In 1904-1906, the Kopgalian fishermen Lorez and Gwildies became famous. They unsuccessfully tried to hunt a white whale who was after the herring flocks at the harbour with spears. | Then in 1913, 6 of the Kopgalis fisher families were allowed to collect amber.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the beautiful sandy beaches attracted holidaymakers from Klaipėda, and the fishermen began to rebuild their houses, adapting them to the needs of holidaymakers and tourists. The reed roofs were replaced with tiles, while spacious terraces were added to the houses. Wealthy people from the city set up their summer houses here and became the new Kopgalians, as the village gradually changed into a suburban resort. Rows of colourful little bathing huts emerged on the Kopgalis beach. Each of these huts had an exotic name: Seagull Scream Villa, Sea Observation Deck, House of Calm Nerves, etc. Inside the huts, the holidaymakers would relax on wicker chairs, dine at folding tables, enjoy the ornate paintings, and would light kerosene lamps at dusk. The ladies had coffee with cupcakes, while the men enjoyed hot grog and cigars. In 1934, the Sea Day event took place in Kopgalis–Smiltynė, where guests and participants in the festival had the chance to sail in motorised fishing boats. The lagoon between the Kopgalis and Smiltynė ferry marinas was the site of an on-the-water carnival, where a fishermen’s regatta took place. Even during the off-season, groups of student hikers would come to the village to play and learn about the fort.

The normal flow of life was disrupted in 1939, by the forced return of the Klaipėda region to Germany. Some of the Kopgalians rejoiced and ignored the hints of impending war. However, the employees of the Lithuanian institutions living here left Kopgalis in a hurry and moved to Lithuania. The remaining young Kopgalians were soon drafted into the German army or navy, and the Nerija fort was again occupied by German soldiers. When they eventually retreated in 1945, the German army tried unsuccessfully to blow up the fort, but only the redoubt and the bridge over the ditch were damaged.

A few hours later, the abandoned fort was occupied by soldiers of the Red Army who found the village of Kopgalis empty. Kopgalis was soon included in the strict border regime, as civilians and Soviet border guards settled in the abandoned rural villas and homesteads after the war. For a long time, there was a ban on walking outside the village or on the seaside from 8 pm to 6 am. Residents were obliged to report the arrival of strangers or suspicious actions of neighbours, and needed to carry special permits with them. Most of the new settlers only lived for the moment: after settling in one part of an abandoned building, they would burn another in the winter. In this way, most buildings in the village disappeared.

The remoteness, secluded location attracted some special guests: the “party bosses of the city” would come here to have orgies. The members of these elite parties from the city could relax here without fear of gossip. The Moonshine ran like a river, and young beautiful communist ladies satisfied each guest’s every desire… Then finally, in 1979, the Lithuanian Maritime Museum was established in the Nerija Fort, and a cylindrical aquarium building was built on the site of the casemate.

That’s the end of the story. Now, the only reminder of the village is the remains of the foundations, the blooming lilacs and a few wild apple trees. Well, enough from me – I have work to do. Thank you, sir, madam, for the conversation. I must say, it’s been a great pleasure to meet the youth of the port city.