The port and breakwaters of Roja

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)