Livonian Coast

The Livonians were a Finnic people who once held much of the Latvian coast and were reduced over centuries to twelve villages on the northern Kurzeme shore: Luzna, Miķelbaka, Lielirbe, Jaunciems, Sikrags, Mazirbe, Kosrags, Pitrags, Saunags, Vaide, Kolka and Melnsils. The last native speaker of Livonian died in 2013, though the language is taught and used by a small revival community, and Livonian culture has protected status. Mazirbe holds the Livonian People's House of 1939. The villages are strung along a sand and pine coast within Slitere national park, with Cape Kolka at the end where the Gulf of Riga meets the open Baltic and the two seas visibly meet.

What you actually see

• The twelve villages - the Livonian settlements along the coast.
• The Livonian People's House - the 1939 building at Mazirbe.
• Cape Kolka - the point where the gulf and the open sea meet.
• Slitere national park - the pine, dune and bog country behind the shore.

When to go

May to September for the coast and the villages; the Livonian festival at Mazirbe falls on the first Saturday of August. Winter empties the villages almost entirely. Autumn brings bird migration through Kolka.

Honest expectations

The villages are very small with few facilities and much of the housing is seasonal. Livonian is no longer spoken natively. Parts of Slitere park are restricted. The coast road is long with little between settlements.

Nearby

Cape Kolka is at the eastern end; Ventspils lies southwest.