Palanga Favorites

Favorite thing: (info from the net)

During the Soviet time the resort area expanded, many departmental rest houses and sanatorium were erected, a number of public eating places were built. An airport was built to serve the resort needs. Palanga was made one of the most significant Baltic seaside resorts in the Soviet Union.

After the restoration of independence, the flood of tourists from the east decreased sharply. However, a long-time experience helped Palanga sanatoriums to reorganize and adjust to the new market demands. Many of them are being revived, acquire modern equipment for treatment and rehabilitation, use progressive methods and work successfully. Every year a few new hotels or other accommodation institutions are established or revived.

Favorite thing: (info from the net)

In the beginning of the XX c Palanga equaled the best German resorts, its beach was equipped following the best foreign examples. Palanga had a gymnastics and orthopedics house with massage specialists and solarium equipped there. During the high season local doctors and those from Vilnius, Warsaw and Lodze took care of the vacationers' health. Every day a wind-orchestra gave concerts in the park and beach. In the Kurhauz there was a caf? with billiards, a playing-room and a reading-room. In the town there were grounds for gymnastics, tennis, football, bowling and basketball. Sight-seeing services on horses were provided. Palanga resort was recommended for those who suffered neurasthenia and indigestion, for women who had gynecological diseases and for children who were physically weak or exhausted after long periods of illnesses, who had rachitis or chronic catarrh. People traveled to Palanga to strengthen their bodies after injuries or surgeries and to find peace after psychical weariness, here they found fresh air, peace and quietness.

During the years of the first independence, Palanga became informal summer capital of Lithuania. In the third and fourth decades of the XX c wealthy Lithuanians were purchasing land from earl F.Tiskevicius and building summer houses and villas. Presidents of Lithuania Antanas Smetona and Aleksandras Stulginskis, famous Lithuanian artists and intellectuals used to spend their holidays in Palanga. Ministers used to come here for weekends and sometimes even held the meetings of the Ministers' Cabinet.

Favorite thing: (info from the net)

Palanga settlement, first mentioned in 1253, was a significant trading and pagan center in the Middle Ages. In the first half of the XIX c it was known as a seaside resort. News about new treatment methods without a doctor spread quickly. Popularity of Palanga increased after the visit of well-known Polish writer Adam Mickevich in 1824. Soon Palanga became so popular that all local houses, huts and garners were occupied with vacationers.

Due to the earls Tiskeviciai, Palanga became a real resort. In the eighties of the XIX th c earl Juozapas Tiskevicius made huge investments in the future resort: in 1877-1880 he opened a spacious restaurant and the first hotel, which was called The Kurhauz, a few summer house complexes were built, a summer theatre was established, stroll paths in the forest were laid, bathing cabins on the beach and bathing places with marble baths and heated water were built. In order to make a landing-stage, a sea bridge was built in 1884-1888. Soon it became one of the most popular attractions and symbols in Palanga resort. Earl Tiskevicius established a resort, which was very popular among rich people from various Russian provinces and, therefore, created competition to Klaipeda.

After the death of earl Juozapas Tiskevicius, his son Feliksas Tiskevicius inherited Palanga. In the southern end of Palanga he built a new palace and formed a remarkable English-style park around it. The park has been diligently preserved until now, therefore, it is very popular among citizens and guest of Palanga. The Tiskeviciai family continued to have new resort territories planted, summer-houses and warm bathing-places built and specialized healing-homes established. Many of these buildings have been preserved till now. They decorate the old Palanga and serve the vacationers' needs.

Favorite thing: The tourism destination for many Lithuanians, Palanga (pop. 20,000) has a beach that seems to stretch forever. There are two must-sees in Palanga: Birute's Hill-is a tall sand-dune which originally boasted a pagan temple to Thunder god Perkunas that was guarded by Vestal Virgins. Grand Duke Vytautas, smitten by one of the guardians, Birute, kidnapped her and made her his wife. The hill is now topped with a chapel and a statue of Birute rests at the foot of the hill. The second and most interesting tourist site is the Amber Museum, which has tens of thousands of different amber pieces on display, including some bigger than you can imagine.

These days, Palanga is the place to go for active youngsters in search of bars and nightclubs, of which the town now has plenty. In summer, Palanga gets noisy.

Favorite thing: It was September the slow season, thus not to many tourist...very little in fact which is good. I live in a tourist town (Page, America) and I know some times it can be tiring to fight the crowds. But to walk the pier on you own pace and not having to fight the crowd but to just gather your thoughts is good for the body, sould, and mind. This is that point that I realize there is more to life then the hustle and bustle of the so call great American life style.

Fondest memory: The SEA air, slow pace, caring people, and the FOOD, and the company I was with (Grazina & Irma).

Favorite thing: I noticee that this pier was newly constructed, and it's very nice and long...goes out for a ways that you almost feel like your on a boat. For sure a place for young lover to be alone, a fisherman haven, or a place to gather your composure. Anyway you look at it it is a paradise.

Fondest memory: That I made it to the Baltija (Baltic Sea) .
VERY NICE......

Favorite thing: I love to watch people, Im a people person..
This is surely the place to be. I got to talk to a nice Polish man as well as a Lithuania fisherman...AWESOME PEOPLE OF THE LAND.

Fondest memory: The waiting and been patient for the sun to set in the west straight into the Baltic Sea...

This is on the pier where Grazina and Irma spent time gathering their thoughts as well, with the shore of Palanga in the background.

Favorite thing: If it's too windy on the beach for a walk, you may use one of the many path just off the beach like Naglio or Meiles aleja or in Palangos Parkas.

Fondest memory: I like walking around Palanogos Parkas in rain when there are not so many other people. There are some really pretty corners in that park.