Rusnė Island is an island in

Nemunas Delta Nemunas Delta is the Lithuanian name for the Neman (Nemunas) River Delta, in Lithuania. Prior to post-World War II border changes, it was known in German as the ''Memel Niederung'', as the Neman was for centuries called the Memel in German. When ...

Šilutė District Municipality Šilutė (, previously ''Šilokarčiama'', german: link=no, Heydekrug), is a city in the south of the Klaipėda County, Lithuania. The city was part of the Klaipėda Region and ethnographic Lithuania Minor. Šilutė was the interwar capital of � ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. It is located between Atmata and Skirvytė,

distributaries A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. Distributaries are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary ...

of the

Neman River The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ...

, and the

Curonian Lagoon The Curonian Lagoon (or Bay, Gulf; russian: Куршский залив, lt, Kuršių marios, pl, Zalew Kuroński, german: Kurisches Haff, lv, Kuršu joma) is a freshwater lagoon separated from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit. Its surfac ...

. At 45 or 46 square kilometers, Rusnė is often considered Lithuania's largest island.

Geography

The island's age has been estimated at 1,100 years. It was formed when the Neman River deposited its sediments before flowing into the Curonian Lagoon (see

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...

). Therefore, its elevation does not exceed 1.5 metres. One point in the island is 0.27 metres below sea level, which is the lowest point in Lithuania (an earlier measurement placed it at 1.3 metres below sea level). The island is subject to frequent flooding, particularly in spring due to ice dams. Floods and regular river flow deposit new sediments increasing the area of the island. Floodwaters are removed by pumping, using an extensive system of canals and

polders A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

. The polder and embankment system has not always been able to contain floods such as the one in 1958. The island contains several distributaries of the rivers Atmata and Skirvytė (Pakalnė, Vorusnė, Skatulė, Rusnaitė, etc.). In addition, it has two rivulets (Naikupė and Ulmas) that are not part of the distributary system. Its natural values are protected by its inclusion within Nemunas Delta Regional Park.

Human history

Recorded history includes its settlement by fishermen and subsequent

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the ...

control. Its location near the junction of the Nemunas and the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

lent it some strategic importance as a point on trade routes and during the battles for control of

Samogitia Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

. A church in the town of

Rusnė Rusnė (german: Ruß) is a border town in Šilutė district, Lithuania, located on the Rusnė Island in the Nemunas Delta, 9 km south-west from Šilutė. History Rusnė was first mentioned in historical sources in the 14th century. In 1419 ...

dates to 1419. The main businesses in the island are sailing, canoeing tourism, and fishing. The town of Rusnė, with 1,600 inhabitants, is the largest populated place on the island. The only bridge between the mainland and the island leads to Rusnė. The first bridge was completed in 1914 but was destroyed during World War II. The current bridge was built in 1974.Architektūros vertybės
/ref> Rusnė Island Cultural and Information Office operates in Rusnė. After Lithuania re-established its independence in 1990,

collective farming Collective farming and communal farming are various types of, "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member- ...

on the island ended and individual landowners lacked the resources to use the machinery needed to clear the fields. This led to the growth of vegetation that was inhospitable to migratory birds, an internationally problematic issue since the island lies within the East Atlantic Flyway. An

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

, The Lithuanian Fund for Nature, successfully spearheaded a drive to restore the meadows that had been used by various bird species. The initiative was supported by local farmers.

Settlements

* Šyškrantė * Pakalnė * Uostadvaris * Skirvytė * Vorusnė File:Rusne-Memeldelta01.jpg, Bridge between island and mainland File:Rusne from Nemunas.JPG, Rusnė Town File:Syskrante.jpg, Šyškrantė File:Uostadvariosvyturys.jpg, Uostadvaris

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusne Island Islands of Lithuania