Livonian Coast Villages

Lībiešu krasts

A string of tiny former fishing hamlets like Mazirbe and Košrags preserving the heritage of the vanishing Livonian people. Visit for the Livonian People's House, wooden net barns and a deeply remote coastal atmosphere.

Things to do

• Livonian People's House — Visit the Lībiešu tautas nams in Mazirbe, opened in 1939 with Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian support, which serves as the cultural heart of the Livonian community.
• Košrags fishing village — Wander the perfectly preserved single-street hamlet of Košrags with its old wooden farmsteads and net barns set back from the dunes.
• Boat cemetery at Mazirbe — Walk to the atmospheric 'graveyard of boats' near the shore where old wooden fishing vessels were traditionally left to rot away.
• Slītere Lighthouse — Climb the tall lighthouse at the edge of Slītere National Park for panoramic views over the forests and the meeting of the sea and gulf.
• Slītere National Park nature trails — Explore the Blue Hills forest cliff and boardwalk trails through ancient dune ridges and swampy woodland behind the villages.
• Cape Kolka — Stand at the wild windswept tip where the Gulf of Riga meets the open Baltic Sea, one of Latvia's most dramatic coastal points.
• Wooden net barns of Sīkrags — See the traditional timber fishing sheds and quiet dune-edge homesteads in the northernmost Livonian village of Sīkrags.
• Livonian flag and heritage markers — Spot the green-white-blue Livonian flags and bilingual signs marking this string of protected coastal villages.

Food to try

• Sklandrausis — A sweet traditional pie of rye dough filled with carrot and potato paste, a distinctive dish of the Latvian and Livonian coast.
• Fresh and smoked Baltic fish — Seek out locally caught and smoked fish like flounder, herring and lamprey, reflecting the villages' fishing heritage.
• Smoked flounder from roadside stalls — Along the coast road small sellers offer golden smoked flounder, a beloved local snack straight from the smokehouse.
• Rye bread and fish soup — Hearty dark rye bread paired with simple fisherman's fish soup is a staple of the remote coastal kitchen.
• Foraged berries and mushrooms — In late summer and autumn the surrounding forests yield bilberries, cranberries and wild mushrooms sold or served locally.

Local customs & good to know

• Livonian is a dying language — The Livonians are a Finnic people whose language has almost no native speakers left, so signs are bilingual and the culture is fiercely protected.
• Come prepared for remoteness — Shops, fuel and restaurants are extremely sparse, so stock up in Ventspils or Talsi and expect quiet villages with limited services.
• Respect private homesteads — Many picturesque farmhouses and net barns are private property, so admire them from the road and stay on marked paths.
• Visit during the Livonian Festival — On the first Saturday of August Mazirbe hosts the annual Livonian festival with singing, folk costume and community gatherings.

Nearby

• Cape Kolka — 16 km
• Talsi (Kurzeme) — 41 km
• Lake Engure — 50 km
• Sabile (Kurzeme) — 63 km