Ventspils: Baltic Coast, Bogs and Historic Places

The Ventspils Municipality is located in northwestern Latvia in the Kurzeme region on the Baltic coast and has a coastline approximately 97 kilometers long. Forests cover 64 percent of the municipality.

The regional overview includes the subregions of Dzirnavas, Pope, Užava, Ventspils, Pasiekste, Vendzavas, Ziras, Ventava, Jūrkalne, Lielirbe, Miķeļtornis, Usma, Leči, Zūras, Akmeņdziras, Liepene, Ugāle and Vārve.

Coast and Nature

The landscape includes the avenue of the Zūri manor, which is considered the longest double-row avenue in Latvia. The Moricsala Nature Reserve encompasses Moricsala, covering 83 hectares, Lielā Alkšņu Island, covering 33 hectares, and Luziķērte Bay in Lake Usma, covering 702 hectares. Moricsala is home to more than 100 rare and protected species as well as a distinctive, rare primeval forest landscape; the Usmas Elkrags nature trail offers a view of the island, which belongs to the Moricsala Nature Reserve founded in 1912.

The Ance Bogs and Forests area is a Natura 2000 nature reserve in the parishes of Ance and Tārgale. It contains largely unaltered forest, bog and lake habitats that are important for rare and endangered breeding bird species. The Stiklu purvi bog complex is the largest bog complex in western Latvia and is particularly important for breeding and migratory birds.

A 2-kilometer-long sandbank forms at the mouth of the Irbe where it meets the sea. The Baltais kalns dune between Jaunciems and the mouth of the Irbe is 23.6 meters high.

Trails

The Usmas Elkrags nature trail is 700 meters long and is located on Lake Usma. It is specially adapted for people with reduced mobility, seniors and families with small children. “TAK-Ugāle” is an approximately 6-kilometer-long, surfaced circular walking route through Ugāle, a hundred-year-old forest and ravines formed during the Ice Age.

The footbridge over the Irbe was renovated in 2020 to make travel for pedestrians and cyclists along the former narrow-gauge railway line easier and safer, and to connect Miķeļtornis with routes for active tourism.

The Jūrkalne Nature and Recreation Park includes a wind park, a fire pond and two nature trails leading to the central beach. The “Rīvas loki” hiking trail begins at the Ulmale-Labraga Lutheran Church in the Jūrkalne parish and offers views of river bends and steep coastal outcrops. The Jūrkalne bluff reaches up to 20 meters above sea level in places; there is a viewing platform, benches and stairs along the bluff.

The Vasenieki Bog has a boardwalk where visitors can learn about the flora and fauna of a raised bog. Near Rīva there is a scenic site with a waterfall and a fish passage constructed in 2020.

Culture

Zlēku Karātavu kalns is a state-protected cultural monument with a recreation park, the environmental objects “Fēnikss” and “Visuma acs”, and a landscaped walking path. Nabeļkalns is a state-protected archaeological monument and marks the historic boundary between the territories of the Livonian Order and the Bishopric of Courland.

Ovišu Lighthouse is considered the oldest surviving navigational structure in Latvia. The cylindrical brick tower is 33 meters high. Tours of Ovišu Lighthouse should be booked in advance.

One of the three historic churches of the Suiti region is part of the Suiti cultural space, which has been included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List. The “Vētru muzejs” local history museum in Jūrkalne tells the story of victims of the destructive forces of the Baltic Sea, as well as antiquities found on the beach and recovered from the depths.

Cuisine

The local history exhibition in Zūri presents old tools and work processes and offers guided tours and master classes. The Pasiekste windmill is a place where families can enjoy a meal together.

A farm offers slowly raised, fresh poultry meat as a 100 percent Latvian regional product. A small family business maintains the tradition of home-smoked products and makes them according to recipes passed down through generations.