Zelenogradsk

Zelenogradsk was Cranz, a Prussian sea-bathing resort from the early nineteenth century, and it kept a good deal of it - villas, a spa hall, a water tower of 1905 now with a viewing platform, and a promenade along the sand. Unlike Svetlogorsk, which sits on a bluff, Zelenogradsk is at sea level, so the beach is directly off the town. The cats are the town's own invention: strays were adopted as an emblem, there is a cat museum in the water tower, a warden employed to look after them, feeding boxes on the streets, a cat crossing sign, and a small tower built for them to shelter in. It is deliberate branding and it works, in that the animals are visible everywhere and treated well. The town is also the gateway to the Curonian Spit, so traffic passes through in summer, and it has grown busier and more built up in the last decade.

What you actually see

• The cat town - a civic emblem with a museum, feeding boxes and a warden.
• The German resort fabric - villas and a spa hall from the Cranz period.
• The 1905 water tower - now a viewing platform and the cat museum.
• The flat beach - sand directly off the promenade, unlike the bluff resorts.

When to go

May to September for the beach; the town works out of season and is quieter. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The Baltic here is cold and the summer weather unreliable. Weekend crowds from Kaliningrad and Curonian Spit traffic fill the centre. New building has crowded parts of the seafront. The cat theme is charming or twee depending on your tolerance.

Nearby

The Curonian Spit begins north of the town; Svetlogorsk is west along the coast.