Kintai

Kintai is a small, coastal town in Klaipėda County, in Lithuania. It is the center of the Eldership (Seniūnija) Kintai and is part of the Šilutė District Municipality. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 616 people.

Kintai is located in the southwest of Lithuania, in the former known Lithuania Minor, at the Curonian Lagoon. There are three roads to Kintai, coming from Šilutė, Ventė and Priekulė. To the north of Kintai is the 800 ha wide forest of Kintai. To the southeast is the Nemunas Delta Regional Park. Europes second highest Giant Cedar, with a height of 18m, is located in Kintai.

This is the centre of gravity for coastal culture – it is where the Kintai Music Festival is held every year, and it is also home to the Vydūnas Cultural Centre, where you can learn about the history of the seaside people and the famous philosopher and writer that the centre is named for. Kintai also has an enamel gallery which holds workshops that bring together the best masters of this craft. Kintai is also famous for its fishing traditions – the townspeople have long “competed” with the fishermen from Rusnė over who has the best recipe for smoked fish.
Not far from Kintai, on the Minija River, is the village of Minija (Mingė), which is known as the Venice of Lithuania. The main street here is a river, and the locals living on either side take a boat to visit each other.