Nagornoye – Memorial Sites and Travel Planning

• Nagornoye has a memorial plaque at the burial site of Italian prisoners of the Nazi camp “Shtalag 1A Stablag.”
• The International Cemetery for Prisoners of Stalag 1A “Shtablak” lies about 1.5 kilometers southwest of Nagornoye.
• The cemetery is associated with prisoners who died in captivity between 1939 and 1944. The memorial at the cemetery was unveiled in 1989.
• In the wider travel destination of Kaliningrad Oblast, Kurshskaya Kosa National Park offers seven ecological trails and a visitor center.

The memorial plaque is in Nagornoye, at the burial site of Italian prisoners of the Nazi camp “Shtalag 1A Stablag.” The International Cemetery for Prisoners of Stalag 1A “Shtablak” is a separate site about 1.5 kilometers southwest of the destination. These references therefore indicate two distinct locations: the plaque in the settlement and the cemetery nearby.

The cemetery is historically associated with prisoners who died in captivity between 1939 and 1944. The memorial, unveiled in 1989, belongs to a later period. If you include these sites in your travel plans, you can distinguish the period when the prisoners died from the date the memorial was unveiled. Check local access conditions before planning a specific visit.

The Curonian Spit is another attraction in the wider Kaliningrad Oblast region. It is a 98-kilometer-long sandy peninsula, with a width ranging from 350 meters to 3.8 kilometers. The spit forms a natural barrier between the salty Baltic Sea and the freshwater Curonian Lagoon. The cross-border Russian-Lithuanian World Heritage Site “Curonian Spit” was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000 in the “Cultural Landscape” category.

Kurshskaya Kosa National Park lies in the Russian part of the spit and was established on its southern half on November 6, 1987, by Resolution No. 423. This landscape is a different focus from the memorial sites in Nagornoye: here, the coastal landform and ecological trails take center stage.

The national park lists seven ecological trails and three tourist excursion routes. Six trails are identified by kilometer markers on the spit: “Korolevskiy bor” at kilometer 6, “Vysota Myullera” at kilometer 32, “Rossittenskiy les” at kilometer 33, “Tantsuyushchiy les” at kilometer 37, “Vysota Efa” at kilometer 42, and “Ozero Lebed” at kilometer 45. These six trails are accessible around the clock and year-round, but may be temporarily closed due to weather or necessary restoration work.

The coniferous forest “Tantsuyushchiy les” is known for its bizarre, zigzag-shaped twisted tree trunks. The trail of the same name lies at the 37th kilometer of the spit, four kilometers north of the settlement of Rybachiy. The “Fringilla” eco-trail has different conditions: it runs through the grounds of the “Rybachiy” Biological Station field station and can be visited from April to October only as part of a guided tour with at least ten people.

The visitor center’s opening hours also vary by season. From May to September, it is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. From October to April, it is open five days a week, but closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Confirm the schedule with the national park before your trip.

The historical sites and natural attractions of the Curonian Spit appeal to different interests. Choose where to stay based on the destinations you actually plan to include in your trip.

Discover more destinations: Ozerki, Sovetsk, Zaostrovye, Krymskoye, Slavsk, Zelenopolye, Pribrezhnoye, Svetlogorsk.

Where is the memorial plaque in Nagornoye?

It is at the burial site of Italian prisoners of the Nazi camp “Shtalag 1A Stablag.”

How far is the International Cemetery from Nagornoye?

The International Cemetery for Prisoners of Stalag 1A “Shtablak” lies about 1.5 kilometers southwest of Nagornoye. The memorial at the cemetery was unveiled in 1989.

What are the conditions for visiting the “Fringilla” eco-trail?

From April to October, it can be visited only as part of a guided tour with at least ten people.

When is the national park visitor center open?

From May to September, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. From October to April, it is open five days a week, but not on Mondays and Tuesdays. Confirm the hours with the national park before your trip.

Go to the wider travel overview: Kaliningrad Oblast.