Raunas Staburags

The Staburags cliff of Rauna has been Latvia’s most distinct travertine cliff since the great Staburags cliff of the Daugava River sank under the waves during the construction of a hydroelectric power plant nearby. The cliff is approximately 8,000 years old and is still being formed as lime settles on moss and other plants. The Staburags cliff of Rauna is cited as the only location in Latvia of the Alpine butterwort, but it has not been seen there for the last 15 years. That is probably because of the many people who tramp across the cliff each year. The streams which deliver lime to the cliff are a biotope that is of priority at the EU level.