Saulkrastu Municipality: Coast, Nature and Culture on the Gulf of Riga
File:Saulkrasti, Saulkrastu pilsēta, Latvia - panoramio (3).jpg
Photo: alinco_fan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Saulkrasti is located in Saulkrastu Municipality on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Riga. The coastal section of Saulkrasti is 17 km long, while Saulkrasti is located approximately 50 km from Riga. The internationally significant VIA Baltica highway also runs through Saulkrastu Municipality.
Coast and Nature
The “PiejÅ«ra†Nature Park was established as a protected area in 1962 to preserve coastal ecosystems as well as protected habitats and species; at the same time, it supports educational and recreational opportunities. The nature park has a high proportion of protected habitats and great biodiversity. The White Dune on the right bank of the InÄupe near its mouth into the sea offers a particularly beautiful view of the Gulf of Riga. The White Dune is 18 m high.
There is singing sand on the coast near Lilaste. SÄ“ja Oak is considered one of the largest oaks in Latvia and the Baltics. The Lojas River is 26 km long and a right-bank tributary of the Gauja in Saulkrastu Municipality.
Walking and Cycling
The “Piejūra†Nature Park has developed paths and rest areas for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as car parks and information boards. The Sunset Trail is approximately 4 km long and runs from the White Dune towards the centre of Saulkrasti. Along the way, it passes a wide sandy beach, foredunes, the Pēterupe and tall pine trees.
The Ķirezera Trail is an approximately 1.2 km long nature trail around Ķirezers, marked by blue markings on the trees. Saulkrasti Forest Park has wide paved paths that are considered safe and unobstructed for travel. The Saulkrasti Bicycle Track includes the Velozinis course, which recreates typical conditions and obstacles of the urban traffic environment for children learning to cycle.
Water and Bicycle Culture
Water sports and other water-based recreational activities are available at Lake Pabaži, with the option of renting appropriate equipment. The Saulkrasti Bicycle Museum houses Latvia’s only collection of historic bicycles. The collection includes technically interesting examples found in Latvia from the history of bicycle development. Guided tours are offered at the museum in Latvian, English and Russian; they last between 20 minutes and 1.5 hours.
History and Architectural Heritage
At the beginning of the 19th century, Baron Karl von Reutern of LÄ“durga had the first summer houses built and established a new seaside resort called Neubad (NeibÄde). By the middle of the 19th century, NeibÄde had developed into a spa resort.
The SÄ“ja Manor Water Tower, built in 1903, is a rare neo-Gothic engineering structure of Latvian manor architecture and has the status of an industrial heritage monument of regional significance. SÄ“ja Manor House dates from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries and received neo-Gothic decorative elements during reconstruction from 1883 to 1885.
The first building of PÄ“terupe Lutheran Church was erected in 1641; the fourth church building, which survives today, dates from 1856. Construction of SÄ“ja School began in 1914, and the school was inaugurated on 26 November 1922. In summer, Saules Square in the centre of Saulkrasti hosts evening open-air concerts and film screenings. In the 19th century, Zvejniekciems developed as a fishing village on the coast of Skulte.
The Saulkrasti Tourist Information Centre is located at Ainažu 13b in Saulkrasti.
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