Stone Sculpture Park in Juodkrantė

On the promenade stretching along the shore in Juodkrantė, a stunning panorama of the Curonian Spit's waters meets art created by human hands. Here stands an open-air park of stone sculptures, created during the international symposium "Earth and Water". Construction of the 2,400 m promenade along L. Rėzos Street began in 1995; the sculptures were created at the "Earth and Water" symposium in 1997–1999. The promenade park was designed by architect Ričardas Krištapavičius. In place of the former reed beds, a promenade following the contours of the lagoon was laid out, neat lawns turned green and footpaths and cycle paths were built. Over three years, during the international sculptors' symposium "Earth and Water", artists from Lithuania, Great Britain, Sweden and other countries created 31 stone sculptures from field boulders. They were arranged along an 800-metre stretch of the lagoon shore winding beside Liudvikas Rėza Street and formed an impressive sculpture park. The artists interpreted the symposium theme "Earth and Water" in quite different ways, yet the works sit together remarkably well. The mystical setting of the Curonian Spit seemed to oblige the artists to merge with the elements of nature. The stones turned into works of art seem to converse with the earth and the water, with the sky and people, with the birds and the reeds. Although the rows of sculptures changed the face of Juodkrantė beyond recognition, they gave meaning to the uniqueness of the place and brought together the intangible, barely perceptible aura of the union of water and earth. After all, the sand of the dunes is the same stone, only crumbled into tiny particles. In this way the promenade became a favourite place for walks and a route for cyclists, and the open-air sculpture park the most visited leisure space in Juodkrantė.