Liv's Road

Kaltene features several homes where shipbuilders used to live – Caurnāši, which was home to the Bertliņi family, Ilmati, where six ailing ships were built, Maizītes, where the Stahl family of ship builders built 16 two-mast and three-mast ships, and Dambekalni, which was once one of the first canned fish factories on the coastline.  To the side of the sea are the old boat piers of Kaltene.  In 1936, a board pier was built by the Freijs family from Roja.  It was 200 m long and had room for some 50 boats.  All that is left are wooden poles that have been eaten away by the sea and time.  If you want to learn about the specifics, difficulties and challenges of fishermen today, visit Ervīns Vilciņš in Ķirķrags.  He will tell interesting stories on the basis of his experience.  You can watch as he fishes in the morning and then taste the fish that he has caught. (Source: Roja TIC)

Valdemārpils is a small and quiet town along the shore of Lake Sasmaka.  A village of craftsmen and merchants was established on the land of the Sasmaka Estate in the 17th century.  There were quite a few Jewish merchants and craftsmen in towns in Kurzeme during the mid-19th century, and Sasmaka was known as their capital city.  The city was named Valdemārpils in 1926.  Its historical 19th century centre is a monument to urban construction.  The town has a Lutheran church, an Orthodox church, a former synagogue, a monument to Krišjānis Valdemārs, and an outstanding linden tree.

(formerly Pize and Pizā in Livonian).  The current name of the village comes from a lighthouse (Mihailovskii majak) that was built during the age of the Russian Empire and named for the nephew of Tsar Alexander II.  The lighthouse that is there now is the third one to be built on the site.  It was built in 1957 and is the highest lighthouse in Latvia (57 m, can only be viewed from the outside).  The Lutheran church in Mikeļtornis was built in 1893, and nearby is the Pize Saloon (1857), which is terrible condition.  The saloon has a typical design from the 19th century and is the only venue of its type on the Livonian coastline.  The first Livonian cultural activist, Jānis Princis (1796-1868), was born in Miķeļtornis, and he and son Jānis translated the Gospel of Matthew into the Western Livonian language.  The two of them also wrote a collection of poetry, "Holy Songs and Prayers for Sailors."  The only poetry book in Latvia prior to that was published by Blind Indriķis.  A student of Vilhelms Purvītis, Livonian painter Andrejs Šulcs (1910-2006), was born at the Olmaņi homestead in Miķeļtornis.  A monument to Livonian poets was installed at the local cemetery in 1978 and was the first monument dedicated to Livonians.  There are plans to open an environmental object by artist Ģirts Burvis, "Century of Sailing Ships", in 2019.

is seen as the newest village along the Livonian coastline.  It was established during the 17th century.  Košrags had 78 residents in 1826.  The first reading school for Livonian children in the Dundaga seashore villages was opened at the Žoki homestead in 1832.  One of the teachers was Nika Polmanis, who was the first Livonian to have completed a professional education.  He also translated the Gospel of Matthew into the Eastern Livonian dialect.  Košrags had a windmill, water mill and boat building facility.  During the spring, job seekers from Saaremaa stopped here.  A port was installed in 1932, and a breakwater to collect sea fertiliser followed in 1938.  During the 1930s, Košrags was regularly visited by Finnish and Estonian linguists to study the folklore of the Livonians.  The Norpiedagi homestead was built by Livonian activist Didriķis Volganskis (1884-1968).  His son, Livonian cultural worker and pastor (in Finland) Edgars Vālgamā (Volganskis, 1912-2003) was born there.  He translated the Andrejs Pumpurs epic "Lāčplēsis" into Finnish.  Košrags today is a cultural monument of national importance.

The Kaltene Lutheran Church dates back to 1567, when Duke Gotthard Kettler of Courland ordered the construction of new churches in Kurzeme.  One of them was in Kaltene, and was known as the Church of St Catherine.  In 1848, a clay church was built in place of the old wooden church.  A sacristy was added in 1880, and the church was rebuilt and expanded in 1896.  It suffered much damage during World War I because a Russian mine ship attacked it.  The church was restored during the first half of the 1920s.  The altar painting, “Christ and St Peter on the Sea” was painted in 1898 by M Pohl after a panting by R. Richter.  The pulpit and organ date back to the 18th century and are cultural monuments of national importance.  The organ was built by August Martin in 1843, and it was initially in a church in Gulbene.  The instrument was brought to Kaltene in 1943 and is the oldest surviving instrument by Martin.  The bell was manufactured in 2006 by the Liepājas Metalurgs company, and a new building for the congregation was built in 2012 and 2013.  The first scenes of the feature film “Long Road to the Dunes” and the film “Forest of Bulrush” were filmed outside the gates of the church.  Nearby is the Putniņi homestead.  In 1921, Culture Minister Rainis visited the homestead.  At that time there was a store there.  The Germans burned down the homestead during World War II. (Source: Roja TIC)

The largest town in the region dates back to the 19th century, when three local fishing villages – Neibāde, Pēterupe and Katrīnbāde – became a popular location for leisure and swimming.  This led to the construction of many summer homes, and the development of the spa was facilitated by the opening of a rail line between Rīga and Saulkrasti in 1905.  New spas and restaurants were opened, and the spa infrastructure was developed.  During the summer there were various entertainments, including balls and concerts featuring orchestras from Rīga.  Also facilitating the development of the spa was a road and railroad line between Rīga and Saulkrasti that were installed during the 1930s.  During the Soviet occupation, leisure homes, sanatoriums and new summer homes were built in Saulkrasti, which was given the status of a city.  Today Saulkrasti is attractive because of its white sand beach, as well as various annual events, the Saulriets trail, the White Dune, the unique bicycle museum, Sea Park, the “Centrs” swimming facility, Sun Square, etc.

is the second oldest navigation structure in Latvia and the only one that is five kilometres from the shore, at the upper edge of the ancient Lake Baltic Ice.  Since 2000 the lighthouse has not served its initial purpose, and now it is the home to the Nature Education Centre "Slītere" of the Slītere National Park.  The centre offers exhibitions about lighthouses in Latvia and the history of the Baltic Sea.  From the upper floor (102 m above sea level) one can see the coast of Saaremaa (approximately 33 km away).  Alongside the lighthouse is the 1.2 km Šlītere nature trail. 

The owner offers groups of various sizes a chance to go to the sea in a fisherman’s boat and to watch shoreline fishing, as well. The lamprey eel weirs that are on the Svētupe River differ from those on the Salaca River in terms of their structure and the fishing principles. During the season, the owner prepares tasty smoked lamprey eels.

The first building of the church was built in 1641. The fourth building of the church was only built in 1856 – during the times of Pastor Johann Wilhelm Knierim. Its altar painting – The Crucified Christ (Golgotha) was painted in 1856 by Jozeps Millers, who was influenced by the altar piece in Munich Louis Church created by his teacher Peter Cornelius. An epitaph of Baroness Auguste Amalija von Pistohlkros, the sister of the owner of Bīriņi Manor and the patroness of the church, was immured in the memorial wall. Construction of the tower was completed on 11 June 1856, as evidenced by a memorial plaque on the wall of the church with an inscription “Erbaut von August Pistolkors 1856”. The church was consecrated in 1864. And a year later an organ by Martin Company with 8 registers, which was extended to 14 registers in 1903, was installed in the church. Unfortunately, the organ was destroyed in WW2. Saulkrasti (Pēterupe) Evangelical Lutheran Church survived both World War 2 and the Soviet period. The Soviet era was one of the most difficult times for the church, because many churches in the area were destroyed, pastors were discharged and the congregation fell apart. The Pēterupe congregation remained. As an architectural monument the church was lucky enough to undergo roof repairs of the tower even during Soviet times. Funds were granted by the Chairlady of the Executive Committee Ņina Manzūrova. 

It is said that Krišjānis Valdemārs began to dream about a port at this location when he was a child, but a so-called protective port was only established in Roja in the early 20th century, with a protective dam 500 metres from the shore that was 213 m long.  The dam gradually disappeared, and the port was shut down in 1933.  Work on straightening the Roja River began in the 1930s, using a French machine to create berms and build rock dams and pile-based breakwaters that were subsequently extended several times.  In 1932, fishermen built a 107 m breakwater.  Reconstruction of the breakwaters was completed in 1972.  The fishing kolkhoz Banga used to be active here, merging shoreline fishermen’s homesteads. (Source: Roja TIC)

If you have a desire to escape from the urban crowd and noise, to enjoy the sun and the sea, to get a breath of pine forest, to watch lamprey fishing in the river Svētupe to go out for picking up mushrooms, to ride a bicycle or go skiing, to be inspired by the Svetupe flood-time, to feel odour of  fresh and smoked fish then plan your holidays accompanied by) your family and friends and come to the sunset beach – „Vējavas”.

Vējavas is located at the Svētupe`s  fall into the Rīga Gulf,  on the motorway Rīga – Tallinn 90th km, 10 km before Salacgrīva.

This is the ancient shore of the Baltic Ice Lake.  We can only imagine the landscape 10,000 years ago, when the Kurzeme peninsula was covered with vegetation reminiscent of a tundra, and waves from the icy lake dashed against the ancient shoreline.  We know that the lake was full of icebergs of various sizes.  Today the cliff is more than 20 km long (some 9 km of it are in the Slītere National Park), and it is as much as 42 m high.  It is the most impressive cliff of its type in all of Latvia.  At the foot of the cliff are the Irve flatlands (the name comes from the Liv 'īrva' or 'īra', both of which refer to deer).  The flatlands are the former bottom of the Baltic Ice Lake.  The Blue Hills are crossed by many small streams and rivers (Pitragupe, Lorumupe, Kaļķupe, Mazupe, etc.).  Their valleys are the basis for a branched and very complicated system of waterways which look particularly impressive when the trees are bare.  In many places the cliffs and valleys display small areas of sandstone from the Narva suite.  These are Latvia's oldest sediment cliffs that can be seen above ground.  Although the Blue Hills are very impressive in scope, there are only a few places where there are important viewing areas (a viewing tower at the Dundaga-Mazirbe road, the view from the Šlītere lighthouse, the view from Mežlīdumi).  The mightiness of the ancient shoreline can truly be enjoyed from the Cirste-Mazirbe road, the Cirste-Riepaldi road, Mežlīdumi and the Vīdala-Melnsils road).  It is worth visiting the area in the springtime, when the slopes of the Blue Hills seem to be sinking under the fresh greenery.

The museum was established in 1954 and features the traditions of Latvian and Livonian fishermen, sailors and farmers and their lives and residences.  There are fishermen’s homesteads with net huts, smokehouses, granaries, etc.  There is a collection of fishing boats and the largest assemblage of anchors in the Baltic States (more than 100 anchors, the heaviest one weighing 22 tonnes).  The windmill was transported from the Užava Parish.  The 19th century Smiltnieki home features authentic household objects.  The newest thing at the museum is the Lielirbe Baptist Prayer House, which is nearly 100 years old.  A narrow-gauge railroad runs down the 1.3 km Mountain line from May 1 to October 31 every year, and at its end is its turntable.  The building of the museum was designed on the basis of the Mazirbe train station.  The museum is in the Jūrmala park, with playgrounds for children and the Anchor trail.

During the latter half of the 19th century, one of the largest ship building facilities was located here between the Dzeņi and Lielkalni homesteads.  It was known as the Ķirbiži and then the Vitrupe shipyard, though nothing remains of it.  28 ships were built here between the 1860s and 1929.

This may be an ancient cult object, and today it is a little hill in the dunes that is a bit larger than other local hills.  It is said that a church once sank into the dune.  This tale suggests that there was a Christian or pagan prayer place here at one time. (Source: Roja TIC)

The craftswoman uses clay, rocks and other materials to produce dishware and various interior design objects, finishing them in an open kiln. Visitors can take an informational tour, watch the craftswoman at work, and sit down to produce their own cups. Guests are welcome to attend the opening of the kiln.

The cosy land road along the sea is 1 km long, and it offers a look at the wonderful aspects of the village.  To the right are rocks from the sea, as well as miniature flower gardens on the seashore with tempting benches and overturned boats.  On the side of the shore is the Kaltene library, which is more than 100 years ago.  It was initially a summer home for Baron Nolken, and it was built in 1899.  Later it was rebuilt several times and took on new roles.  An elementary school was installed here in 1926, after which it became a club and then, in 1992, a primary school once again.  The path runs along beautiful seashore homesteads, among which one can find the former homes of old fishermen and ship builders such as Burliņi.  At one time, the Žulnieki portage at Smilgas was the site of  the kiln of blacksmith Pēteris Valdemārs.  He was the main blacksmith for ships between Kaltene and Upesgrīve. (Source: Roja TIC)

This is a beautiful farm that is friendly to the environment and has some 300 hives of bees. There is a shop along with a tasting hall where you can enjoy honey made of various flowers, pollen (including pollen in honey), propolis (also in honey) bee bread, wax and souvenirs. Taste beekeeping products (including honey wine) and take a tour of the farm, as well.

This farm uses traditional hives to extract honey, and it offers a look at hives that were used in the past. The owners are happy to talk about the development of beekeeping in Latvia and their experience in this regard.

Laimonis and Ilga Veidemanis lived in Roja 20 or 30 years ago.  They were deaf and loved to produce models of sailing ships of various sizes.  This was based on a dream about the big ships of their ancestors and the wide seas upon which the couple could not sail.  The models are very precise, designed with much care and love.  The couple never learned the secrets of ship models, but their collection has been inherited by Laimonis’ granddaughter, who wants to display the wonderful collection and her grandfather’s careful work to the public.  The hostess welcomes visitors and tells her story about how the models were produced. (Source: Roja TIC)

was first recorded in documents in 1582.  The shallow water around the village contains many sunken ships.  In 1826, Pitrags had 11 farms and 190 residents.  A saloon was opened in the mid-19th century.  In 1937, the village had 12 old farms and 38 fishing operations (mostly new farms).  There were several fish processing plants in the village.  One of the local residents was the distinguished Livonian language storyteller Marija Šaltjāre (Bertholde, 1860-1930).  She shared more than 200 fairy tales and legends, more than 90 songs and games, etc.  The Pitrags Baptist Prayer House was built in 1902.  It was burned down during World War I, rebuilt in 1925, and renovated in the late 20th century.  The Krogi homestead in the centre of Pitrags has a collection of 27 old types of Livonian coastline fencing.  The owner also offers a chance to help with the smoking of fish and then to taste the resulting product.

Holiday House "In Pitrags by Andris" is near Kolka and Mazirbe, in the small fishermen village Pitrags. Holiday house are with kitchen, bathroom, 1 double bed, 1 bunk bed on the first floor and 2 single beds on the upper floor. Both holiday lodge and camping area situated in a quiet forest, undisturbed atmosphere from the rest of the neighborhood, only about 800 m from the sea coast. Camping area can accommodate about 50 tents and 3 trailers. There is also a chance to see the variety of ways the ancient fence in one place, as well as a walk along the 1 km long forest path. 
Owners are also doing smoked fishes according the old fishermen traditions, offer the fish tasting for individuals and groups.

1.2 km to the south of the centre of Ģipka and on the side of the Jūrmala-Kolka road (P131), this church makes it hard to believe that the rock church was built very recently – after 1992, because it was burned down during the Soviet occupation in 1979.  Ironically, the Dundaga forestry fire safety post was housed in the steeple of the church after World War II.  The ornate altar and organ were destroyed in the fire, but the altar painting, “Christ on the Cross,” was saved.  The church is now once again open for business.

The Kolka group of the Liv Association (est. 1989) established the Liv Centre in 1993, and it features a collection of Liv ethnographic objects.  The centre hosts exhibitions and various thematic events.  The work of the centre is based mostly on volunteers, and it is mostly open during the tourism season.

The saloon is at the edge of the Murjāņi-Limbaži road (P9) and alongside the Igate Castle. It is built on the foundations of a former windmill, and the wheel of the mill has been preserved. The old watermill is still hard at work and is used to mill grain for traditional porridge and buns. The saloon works with local farmers.

Latvian cuisine: Mushroom soup, barley porridge with meat, barley buns, grit sausage with lingonberry sauce, crepes with jam, potato pancakes, fried plaice or pike, stacked rye bread.

Special foods: Sautéed rabbit, stuffed filet of turkey.

This is a pergola that is owned by Līga Reitere, who offers medicinal grasses and saunas for adults and children.  She will show you how to tie together sauna switches, fire up the oven in the sauna and create steam inside it.  You can also learn how wild plants can be used for tasty teas or salads, as well as to weave lovely crowns or grass carpets.  Master classes, creative activities, educational seminars, evening sessions and sauna sessions are all available, with Līga also being well informed about local linguistic issues and traditions.

This is a very interesting monument to the history of fishing in the region.  These areas had docks and areas where fishermen built huts to store their nets and other inventory.  The areas also had a social role – men came together to discuss work that had to be done, while women and children wove nets.  The huts at Bigauņciems were eventually washed into the sea, and the areas at Ragaciems have been partly destroyed.  The ones at Lapmežciems are the ones which are best preserved.  One of the net huts has been restored, but the others are in very poor condition, indeed.  That may be why you should focus on these huts as you walk along the beach.  Make sure that you take some pictures of this historic location.

In the Berzini homestead they bake exceptionally tasty wheat and rye bread in accordance with the old folk recipes. The taste and smell is the result of baking bread in a special oven which is more than 70 years old. It is possible to order bread, or, having booked a visit beforehand,  to make and bake your own bread loaf. The owners will teach you bread baking traditions and use recipes from their ancestors to bake loaves in a true bread oven.

Dzirnupes is a traditional Vidzeme farm where visitors feel the true romance of Latvia’s countryside. This is an excellent leisure venue for couples or families with children. Guests are accommodated in a granary that was built in 1924 and is now a romantic building with a sauna. The owner manufactures drums from tree stumps and is prepared to teach visitors who to forge a nail at the farm’s smithy, as well as to use a bow and arrow. The lady of the house will teach future or young wives to produce programmes that are in line with Latvian traditions in terms of learning skills and knowledge that are necessary for Latvian wives.

Roman Catholic Church of Divine Grace – On 19 April 1998, the so-called “White Sunday” or the Day of Divine Grace, Saulkrasti Roman Catholic Church of Divine Grace was consecrated. The building is 24 m long and its tower is 16 m high. The 300-seat church was designed by the architect Jānis Šrēders. The image of Christ on the altarpiece was derived from the vision of the saint, Sister Faustina, of 22 February 1931 in a monastery in Poland. The altarpiece was created by the artist Ēriks Pudzēns. 14 paintings on the walls of the church depict Christ’s path of suffering from conviction to resurrection. The altar is built of ash. On 2 August 1998, a 7.38 m tall cross was consecrated by Saulkrasti Roman Catholic Church of Divine Grace. At night this cross is illuminated. The cross is similar to the cross of Golgotha in Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified.

In 1888, the building, provided for a doctor’s needs, was donated by Baron Alexander Alexei von Pistohlkors to the parish of Pēterupe Lutheran Church. Along with the building, Baron Pistohlkors also donated 6 hectares of land and 10 000 roubles for the doctor’s use. Arvēds von Engelhards became the first medical doctor in Pēterupe. In 1890, the first pharmacy was opened in one room of the clinic, serving people from a wide area; it remained in the building until 1895. This outpatient clinic was the very first stone building in Saulkrasti, the first health authority in a wide area, as well as the first pharmacy. Through its entire lifetime, the house was maintained from voluntary donations – at first by Alexander Alexei von Pistohlkors, then by churchgoers of Pēterupe Parish – therefore by the money of the villagers.
This house also played a role as the place of establishment of the Saulkrasti development society, which was actively supported by many celebrities such as the opera singer Herberts Ozolītis, actresses Tija Banga, Mirdza Šmithene, Lilija Štengele and Malda Gruzevska, composer Alfrēds Kalniņs and many other cultural professionals, artists and writers of that time, who used to spend summers in Saulkrasti. In 1933, the parish converted the outpatient clinic for the needs of a school.
Saulkrasti Primary School was transferred to the building of the former outpatient clinic.

Back when the Baltic Sea was part of the ancient Littorina Sea, the coastline emerged as a small and shallow shore that was formed 4,500 to 5,000 years ago.  The coastline has little rocks and gravel that have preserved typical examples of fauna from the Littorina Sea.  The ancient cliff is best seen at the Dobeļi homestead in Kaltene.  This is one of a few parts of the shore of the Bay of Rīga where there was an abrasion coastline during the era of the Littorina Sea.  The shallow bay is popular among birds which feed and rest here during migrations. (Source: Roja TIC)

The restored mansion of the Dunte Estate is now a museum featuring the adventures and life of the legendary king of lies, Baron Munchhausen.  The first floor is devoted to the barn and his stories, while the second floor has a collection of wax models of people who are distinguished in terms of Latvia’s history.  Also there is the largest collection of beer mugs in Latvia.  There are three circular trails in the forest with wooden sculptures.  The longest one leads to the sea.  A wooden model of a ship is interesting to children.

The former name of the house was “Forstei” (Forester’s House). It was built using logs of the old Bīriņi Castle. The first owner of the building was Alexander Alexei von Pistohlkors, the baron of Bīriņi Manor. It used to be a house of the manor’s chief forester Pauls Moltrehts. The building served as the chief forester’s work place and residence, as well as the Manor’s hunting base. The building was rebuilt several times. It obtained its current appearance and also the symbolic deer antlers in 1891. During the times of the Independent State of Latvia the house obtained a Latvian name – “Meža māja” or “Forest House”. Ownership of the house has repeatedly changed. In the 1930s, the house became a recreation place for cultural professionals and artists. In 1937, the composer Alfrēds Kalniņš spent the summer in the house working on an interpretation of the score for the second staging of the first Latvian opera “Baņuta”. During the post-war period – from 1945 to 1956 – the building housed Saulkrasti Village Council, and during the times of Saulkrasti District it was the location of the People’s Education Department. Later the children’s sanatorium “Ugunskurs” was transferred from Jūrmala to this building and was renamed “Saulkrasti Children’s sanatorium”. Now the building is privately owned.

The museum at Valdemāra Street 47 was opened in 1969 in the building of the maritime school that was opened in 1864 at the suggestion of Krišjānis Valdemārs.  The school trained more than 1,000 sea captains and helmsmen.  The exhibition at the museum relates to the operations of the school, as well as the building of sailing ships on the Vidzeme shoreline during the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century.  There is a collection of anchors, as well as the top of the Ainaži lighthouse, which was once washed away by the sea, but has been restored.

This is one of the few places in the world where lamprey eels are caught at the industrial level and with a fishing method that has been used for the past 150 years – a weir that stretches across the river and has creels along it. There are three weirs in all on the Salaca River. A local fisherman will teach you about the process and allow you to taste and purchase roast lampreys.

SIA "Limbažu Tīne" ir vilnas pārstrādes uzņēmums ar senām mājas tekstila tradīcijām, kas dibināts jau 1914. gadā. Šobrīd uzņēmumā tiek ražota vilnas dzija, austi augstvērtīgi vilnas un linu audumi, segas, parklāji, pledi, galdauti, dvieļi, lakati un citi tekstilizstrādājumi. Limbažu Tīne ražo etnogrāfiskos audumos pēc autentiskajām Baltijas reģiona kultūrvēsturiskā mantojuma paraugiem.  

In Limbazi, in the crossroads of Cesu and Dailes streets, there is a monument dedicated to the author of Latvian anthem. The monument was designed by the sculptors Zigrīda Rapa and Juris Rapa.  It was unveiled on May 16, 1998, when Limbaži was celebrating its 775th anniversary.

This is an ancient Liv village, known as Mustanumm is the last village in the south-easterly direction, and during the mid-20th century, just a few Livonians lived there.  Of 307 inhabitants in 1935, only 15 were Livonians.  At the beginning of the 19th century, there were six farms and a lagoon here, but at the end of the century there were 63 farms.  The valley of the Baķupīte River and the sea had remnants of pilings that provided evidence about a Medieval port.  Legends say that the sea robber Trommel had a castle on the left bank of the river during the 14th century.  Sailing ships were once built in the region, as well. Two locations of cultural and historical importance in Melnsils are the ancient cult location that is the Baķi castle hill, and the castle hill of a sea pirate Trommel.

This is one of the most important destinations in Northern Kurzeme, offering a wealth of information about the history of the region and the shoreline, its cultural and historical values, the building of sailing ships, fishing traditions, local residents and their work and achievements.  The museum was opened in 1968, and right now it has permanent exhibitions about Krišjānis Valdemārs, the Roja maritime school and the building of sailing ships in the 19th century.  There is also information about the history of fish processing from the 19th century to the present day, the Liv Shore, and the Soviet contributions toward the development of the coastline.  The museum features three women from Kurzeme from different historical periods – Mildiņa, who is a simple fisherman’s wife, Mrs Pauliņš from the era of sailing ship building, and Anna Petrovna from the Soviet era.  The three women offer attractive information about objects that are not exhibited at the museum, also displaying the naughty sense of humour that people in Kurzeme have. (Source: Roja TIC)

A small fishermen’s house preserved in the original style, situated not far from the sea in Berzciems, offers 2 comfortable rooms for peaceful rest, with a fireplace and a small kitchen. The family of the owners through many generations try to preserve old fishermen’s traditions, including those in fish processing and smoke curing. The guests have an opportunity to buy local products – smoked fish from the Engure lake and the Baltic Sea.

was first mentioned in written form in 1582.  A census in 1736 found two farms, Lekši and Žonaki.  A census in 1935 found that there were 106 people in Vaide, including 40 Livonians, 60 Latvians and a few Estonians and Germans.  In 1939, there were 21 homesteads in the village.  Nika Polmanis (1823-1903) was born at the Lāži homestead.  He was the first educated Livonian and lived in the region for all his life.  Livonian poet Alfons Bertholds (1910-1993) wrote a poem about a noble oak tree that grows alongside the homestead.  The vast Berthold family is linked to Žonaki -- Livonian storyteller Marija Šaltjāre, yacht captain Andrejs Bertholds (USA), his son, library scholar Artūrs Benedikts Bertholds (USA), Livonian poet Alfons Bertholds, Livonian language specialists Paulīne Kļaviņa and Viktors Bertholds, Swiss doctor Marsels Bertholds, globally renowned pianist Arturs Ozoliņš (Canada), and Livonian language storyteller and poet Grizelda Kristiņa (1910-2013), who was the last native speaker of Livonian.  The Ozolnieki homestead is also linked to the Bertholds family.  Paulīne Kļaviņa (1918-2001), a specialist in the fields of Livonian traditions and language, and her mother, Livonian storyteller Katrīna Zēberga, both lived there.  Paulīne collected ethnographic objects that can be seen at the Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum in the granary of the Livonian Dēliņi farm.  The Purvziedi homestead in Vaide is owned by forest ranger Edgars Hausmanis, who has a collection of forest animal horns and antlers.

Near the place where the Kilmiņupe River flows into the sea is the legendary Trommel castle hill, which was a Medieval fortification.  It is some 100 m from the Kraujas homestead.  An archaeological dig in 1977 found fragments of bricks and pot-bellied stoves, which suggests that the fortifications date back to the Middle Ages.  The location also is linked to stories about a pirate, Trommel, who buried his loot here.  The holes in the area have been left behind by treasure hunters.  Trommel supposedly robbed ships in the Bay of Rīga from the shores of Kurzeme to Roņu Island.  Many ships docked here in ancient times, waiting for better winds so that they could pass by Cape Kolka.  The pirate made use of this fact, also pillaging property from sunken ships.  It is said that Trommel lived in a stone castle. (Source: Roja TIC)

Visitors can help to smoke fish, including plaice, bream and garfish, taste the resulting food and listen to stories about seashore fishing traditions. The homestead also features some 20 type of shoreline fencing that are typical of the so-called Liv Shore.

A cemetery has been found in this location since 1773, and among those who are buried there is the outstanding Latvian poet Ojārs Vācietis (1933-1983).   A monument commemorating him is here, as is the Carnikava Estate repository that was built in the 18th century.  The gravestone of a lessor of the estate, Falck, is also in the cemetery.

Was mentioned in 1387, where it was called Domesnes.  That was the name until the early 20th century.  A ledger at the Irbe-Ģipka church states that there were four farms in Kolka in 1770 -- Krogi, Ūši, Vecvagari and Kabriki.  In 1844, a school for vergers was established, and Nika Polmanis worked there as a teacher.  Kolka's first school was built in 1881, and Livonian Kārlis Bernšteins (1881-1951) worked there for nearly half a century as a teacher.  The Dundaga riots that began in 1859 were led by Livonian Nika Šūbergs (1833-1884), the son of the owner of the Sārnasti farm.  At the end of the 19th century, there were 392 residents in Kolka, and in 1935, 145 of the 343 residents were Livonians.  During the mid-1980s, 13 Livonians spoke their language freely.  Kolka is the only coastal Livonian village that continued to develop during the frontier regime of the Soviet Union, because it was the centre of a fishing kolkhoz.  The number of residents increased rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s because new homes, a school, a people's centre, a kindergarten and several fish processing factories were built there.  Today Kolka has 700 residents and is the largest village along the Livonian coastline.  The "Līcis-93" fish processing factory is there, and local fishermen and smokers of fish work in the village.  The Kūolka Livonian Centre and the Livonian ensemble Laula operate there, as well.  The Ūši farm offers tastings of Livonian foods.

This is one of the oldest Livonian villages, recorded in documents for the first time in 1387.  The old road from the Dundaga Estate to Sīkrags existed in the Middle Ages.  During the 17th century, Sīkrags was one of the most important small ports in Northern Kurzeme, receiving ships from England, Holland and Lubeck that carried coal, grain and other products.  Before World War I, there were five sprat smokehouses in the village, and some 55 fishermen lived there during the 1920s and 1930s.  Among those to have been born in Sīkrags was the Livonian cultural activist Hilda Grīva (Cerbaha, 1910-1984), seafaring captain Kārlis Anbanks (1884-1937), Baptist preacher Kārlis Lāceklis (1904-1970), linguist and tradition specialist Pēteris Dambergs (1909-1987), and graphic artist Baiba Damberga (b 1957).  Today the village is a cultural monument of national importance.  It is crossed by a bike route, with a commemorative stone where the narrow-gauge railroad station once stood.  Sīkrags, like neighbouring villages, is in the Slītere National Park.

You will feel the beauty, power and energy of nature here, ensuring harmony with nature and a good sense of the energy of rocks, plants, Latvian plants and underground streams.  Rocks here decorate the garden, which offers a good view of the sea and a cascade of waterfalls that are delightful in the spring and the fall.  During the summer, it is a rock river.  The site is one km to the north of the bus stop in Tūja and has 28 types of coniferous trees, 14 decorative shrubs, 13 kinds of rhododendrons, and winter plants.  The interesting collection of stones may mean that there is an energy field, and the garden is quite esoteric.  The rocky seashore of Vidzeme is nearby, and the garden has received many prizes from the Salacgrīva Administrative District and Latvia as such.

On 14 June 1991, this sign sculpted by Zezostrs Ķēde in memory of the repressions of 1941 and 1949 was unveiled in the garden of Pēterupe Church.

Lamprey catching and processing traditions started long ago in Carnikava, in the place where the River Gauja enters the sea. On the tour you can find out about lamprey and their preparation methods, as well as enjoy them grilled, jellied or in the form of lamprey sushi.

Latvian cuisine: Grilled lamprey, jellied lamprey, lamprey sandwiches.