The sign of Juodkrantė, Lithuania. In the 19th century, Juodkratė, as fishermen's village on the Curonian Spit which then was a part of the Kingdom of Prussia, was granted a sign with the black cross on a white background for weathervanes of fishing boats marking. Other fishermen's villages on the Curonian Spit also received different signs in black and white (e.g. Nida ― black and white rectangles). This was done to prevent illegal fishing on a not designated for particular village area of the Curonian Lagoon. During the Soviet Era Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit became the Town of Neringa with the coat of arms, formed from the signs of villages located within its territory. However, the sign of Juodkrantė was not included, probably, because its resemblance to the Teutonic Order coat of arms and association with symbols of Germany, and the sign was reinstated only after Lithuania re-established its independence.