Saulkrasti (; german: Neubad) (literally ''Sun shores'' in Latvian) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

on the east coast of the

Gulf of Riga The Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia ( lv, Rīgas līcis, et, Liivi laht) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) partially separates it from the rest of the Baltic Sea. The main c ...

and the capital of the Saulkrasti municipality. Made up of a number of historic fishing settlements, the town stretches for some 17 km from the Inčupe river in the south to the village of Skulte in the north. The town itself spans across and includes an additional of fields and forests. The center of Saulkrasti is situated about 40 km from

Sigulda Sigulda (; german: Segewold, pl, Zygwold, russian: Сигулда) is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, from the capital city Riga. Overview Sigulda is on a picturesque stretch of the primeval Gauja river valley. Because of the reddish De ...

, 45 km from

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the ...

, 47 km from

Limbaži Limbaži (, et, Lemsalu, german: Lemsal, liv, Limbaž) is a town in the Vidzeme region of northern Latvia. Limbaži is located 90 km northeast of the capital Riga. The population is 6888 people. During the Middle Ages, as part of Livonia, L ...

, and 58 km from

Salacgrīva Salacgrīva () is a town in Salacgrīva Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. The centre of the area surrounding Salacgrīva is the mouth of Salaca River, and the town's name literally means "Mouth of Salaca" in Latvian. It is famous for ...

. The territory of the Saulkrasti municipality is crossed by the

European route E67 European route E 67 is an E-road running from Prague in the Czech Republic to Estonia and by ferry to Finland. It goes via Prague, Wrocław, Warsaw, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki. The route is known as the Via Baltica ...

, known locally as Via Baltica or the

A1 road A list of roads designated A1, sorted by alphabetical order of country. * A01 highway (Afghanistan), a long ring road or beltway connecting Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar * A1 motorway (Albania), connecting Durrës and Kukës * A001 highw ...

. There are six train stations in Saulkrasti and its suburbs - Inčupe, Pabaži, Saulkrasti, Ķīšupe, Zvejniekciems, and Skulte, the latter being the final stop on the Zemitāni-Skulte Railway line. The coat of arms of Saulkrasti represents the four rivers (white stripes) of Inčupe, Pēterupe, Ķīšupe, and Aģe, and the five villages (green stripes) – Bādciems, Katrīnbāde or Pabaži, Pēterupe, Neibāde, and Zvejniekciems that make up the town. The top parts represent the sea and the sun. A part of the historic Livonian

Metsepole Mõtsa Pūol or MetsepoleThe Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
was an ancient Saulkrasti Jazz Festival.

Geography

Saulkrasti is located in Saulkrasti municipality, on the south-east side of

, north-east of Riga. It lies along a long and wide coastal forest zone from the south of Lilaste River and

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

to Zvejniekciems including. The territory is made up of four distinct populated places — Pabaži ( Inčupe River), Pēterupe (city centre, Pēterupe river), Neibāde ( Ķīšupe River), and Zvejniekciems ( Aģe River). The territory is adjacent to Carnikava, Ādaži, Sēja, and

municipalities and the closest populated places to Saulkrasti are Carnikava, Ādaži,

, and

. The direct town's borders mostly include a stretch between the railway and the sea from Inčupe to Ķīšupe rivers. The territory is , from which are town's territory and rural territory. As of 2008 are occupied by forest and are used for agriculture. There are 5,830 separate owned land territories with 1,583

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

History

The earliest data about the territory are stone axes found around Inčupe and Pēterupe, which show that the territory was populated from at least the newer ice age. The first written mention of populated places in the Saulkrasti territory are documented in the Livonian Chronicle of Henry. The territory overlapped with Livonian Metsopole and Kubesele populated place, and some today's names are inherited from the

Livonian language The Livonian language ( liv, līvõ kēļ, link=no or ; et, liivi keel, link=yes) is a Finnic language whose native land is the Livonian Coast of the Gulf of Livonia, located in the north of the Kurzeme peninsula in Latvia. Although its last ...

, for example, Līlaste, Age, Pabaži.

Metsepole Mõtsa Pūol or MetsepoleThe Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
was an ancient Soontagana territory in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

. After the 13th century Baltic Crusades, Saulkrasti lands became part of newly formed

Krimulda parish Krimulda Parish ( lv, Krimuldas pagasts) is an administrative unit of Sigulda Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. Prior to the 2009 administrative reforms it was part of Riga District Riga District ( lv, Rīgas rajons) was an adminis ...

. Before the formation of Saulkrasti, the territory was a part of Bīriņi parish. The current Saulkrasti territory gradually formed by merger of several populated places on Inčupe, Pēterupe, and Ķīšupe river banks. In 1823 the Neibāde territory formed next to Ķīšupe River and was mostly Vidzeme's noblemen recreation and swimming spot that became quite popular after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. In 1898 Katrīnbāde swimming spot formed as Pabaži Manor estate was divided into summerhouse territories. In 1920 construction plans were conceived for Neibāde and Pēterupe towns.

Pēterupe

After World War I and coastland town reforms during the 1920–30s, unions, cooperatives, and various associations were established across Latvia. After World War I the fishermen village Pēterupe gathered the vicinage's economic life, including markets and association life. In 1919 ''Pētērupe Fishing Association'' ( lv, Pēterupes Zvejniecības biedrība) was established to represent interests of the fishermen, and purchase land and fishing tools. In 1923 the association moved into ''Bīriņi Manor Pub'' ( lv, Bīriņu muižas krogs), illegally sold by Neibāde resort manager Paul Moltrecht. The pub was renovated, renamed ''Enkurs'' ( en, Anchor), and became the local fishermen social gathering place with regular shows, concerts, and lectures. The association had plans to build a port on the mouth of Pēterupe River, however construction never started. The association was closed on May 1, 1938, by ''Fishermen's Central Union'' ( lv, Zvejnieku Centrālbiedrība), whereby many fishermen joined Skulte's Zvejniekciems cooperative.

Neibāde

Neibāde at the time was a quiet summer resort location preferred by Rigans for its quiet region between Pabaži and Skulte. The major local activity was at the local pub ''Āķu krogs'' ( en, Hook pub) that housed public services, such as, a shop, a conference room, hairdressers, and a library. During the 1920s the pub exerted particular cultural influence and was supported by the ''State Cultural Fund'' ( lv, Valsts kultūras fonds) on numerous occasions. That year ''Pēterupe Cooperative Consumer Association'' ( lv, Pēterupes kooperatīva patērētāju biedrība) was founded to provide their members with discount groceries and manufacturing goods; the Āķu Pub rented office space to the cooperation. The cooperative organized many cultural events, such as, a drama club, a choir, and lectures. In 1927 a separate location was allocated for construction of a new headquarters building, however it was never finished due to ineffective governing and the cooperative almost going bankrupt. The cooperative prominently sold merchandise on debt to workers, especially fisherman, and soon exhausted its resources and in 1932 held a public auction. After the May 15, 1934

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

by Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis the cooperative was suspended, forbidden, and on April 9, 1935 — disbanded. That year Neibāde was renamed Saulkrasti. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Saulkrasti and Inčupe workers village territory stretched along a wide maritime territory north of Inčupe. Saulkrasti as a town was established in 1945. The town's executive committee led by Mārtiņs Lasmanis settled in Baron Alexis von Pistohlkors' previous cottage. During this time former guesthouses, restaurants, pubs, larger cottages, as well as a

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically o ...

were

nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...

. The territory remained quiet in the 1930–50s and was given worker town rights in 1950.

Skulte Port

At the start of the 20th century there had been several ports in

Courland Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia ...

, but none in Vidzeme. Various ports were being built across Latvia and In 1911 the Ministry of trade and industry ( lv, Tirdzniecības un rūpniecības ministija) began researching Neibāde and Pēterupe beaches for a suitable port location. Neibāde at the time was a busy cultural and commercial location and Skule village was the largest fishing centre in Vidzeme with 100 fishermen and 40 motorboats, who in 1932 they joined ''Sea Fish'' ( lv, Jūras zivs) cooperative. The mouth of Aģe, which had served as a port before and was then used for boat towing, was selected as the most suitable and cheapest location for port construction. After years of inactivity, On May 21, 1937, president Kārlis Ulaminis decided to build the port. The construction started in autumn 1937 with building of south mole and afterwards north mole. On September 30, 1938, port coastline plans were conceived. Along the port construction, nearby fish smoke-house was built. The port was opened on October 7, 1939.

Saulkraste region

In 1950 the ''Saulkraste'' region was formed by joining 19 local counties and 42

kolkhoz A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz., a contraction of советское хозяйство, soviet ownership or ...

es under the

Latvian SSR The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Latvian SSR), also known as Soviet Latvia or simply Latvia, was a federated republic within the Soviet Union, and formally one of its 16 (later 15) constituent Republics of the Soviet Union, republics. Th ...

decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...

"On the formation of countrysides in Latvian SSR" ( lv, Par lauku rajonu nodibināšanu Latvijas PSR sastāvā). Many of the kolkhozes were merged and renamed after Party functionaries. Sulkrasti town became the centre of the region that coordinated a wide territory led by M. Slosmanis. Party and

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...

Committees, and the ''Saulkrastu Stars'' ( en, Saulkrasti Ray) newspaper editorial were formed in the ''Stirnu pub'' ( en, Doe Pub), now the hospital building. Finance, culture, and education departments and municipal administration were located in the Saulkrasti Town Hall, together with the ''Saulkrastu Stars'' typography. The region's paperwork was now handled locally instead of through Riga. Saulkrasti village was the center of Saulkrasti Region until January 1957. The only public transport to Riga was the often full intercity bus, as railway lines had been detonated by Germans at the end of World War II. On July 3, 1952, a railroad line to Saulkrasti was restored and electrified in 1958. During this time new establishments and workforce increased demand for shops, catering, and other public services. Saulkraste region Consumer Society opened and began a trade organization within the region. In 1950 the town market was opened at the planned location of Pēterupe Cooperative Consumer Association's headquarters. However, public services developed slowly and had poor customer service. Later in 1952 there were several canteens, teahouses, two shops and a meat product shop. In 1952 a regional hospital was opened. On July 16, 1950, Saulkraste Region held its first ''Song Festival''. ''Saulkrastes Stars'' reports it as a colourful and solemn with many participants. On July 8, 1951, the state's first ''Fisherman Day'' ( lv, Zvejnieku svētki) was held with thousands of participants. In autumn 1950 a high school and night school opened, and next year a renovated kindergarten. In 1953 a new high school project was approved and construction began autumn 1954 until the school opened September 1, 1956. The construction was one of the biggest region's buildings costing 2 million roubles. Saulkrastu pilsētas dome 2000-04-09 - panoramio

Saulkrastu pilsētas dome 2000-04-09 - panoramio

The culture saw a decrease in 1952, choir and dance collectives disbanded and Culture House management was being constantly changed. Zvejnieks also saw cultural decline with finances missing for musical equipment. The wall newspaper ''Zvejnieks'' now had irregular publishings. However, soon a traveling cinema and library opened at the end of 1952 and 1953 respectively. Several dance and singing collectives were organized in Zvejnieks in 1954. On July 18 Saulkrasti Song Day ( lv, Saulkrastu Dziesmu diena) was organized with visitors from many regions. On July 5, 1955, Saulkrasti Song Festival ( lv, Saulkrastu Dziesmu svētki) was held with 600 singers and dancers and over 7,000 spectators. At the end of July 1956, the first Latvia SSR's young tourist rally takes place with participants and visitors from many USSR republics. The region, village, and local newspaper carried "Saulkraste" name for almost two years from 1950 to middle of 1952 until ''Saulkrasti'' name was restored in 1952. In 1957 a new territorial reform in Latvia disbanded the Saulkrasti region.

Rise of fishing industry

Vidzemes beaches had long been housing fishing industry. In 1945–1946 fishermen started joining into unions and in 1946–1948 into

artel An artel (russian: арте́ль) was any of several types of cooperative associations and (later) corporate enterprises in the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union. They began centuries ago but were especially prevalent ...

s. There were 16 artels in Latvia, and 5 in Vidzeme — the largest being ''9. maijs'' ( en, May 9), ''Zvejnieks'' ( en, Fisherman), and ''Brīvais vilnis'' ( en, The free wave). Fishing kolkhozes received funds for tool production and installation. Press reported artel ''Zvejnieks'' having twice exceeded their initial plan by skillful use of new equipment and increase of their fishing fleet. The first year following region's establishment, fishermen already towed a successful catch. A lot of Saulkraste attention was directed at kolkhoz construction — allocating long-term loans, supplying building materials, and educating construction specialists. In 1950 region's kolkhoz construction was funded by 328,000

roubles The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''ru ...

. Kolkhozes competed socially in timber processing, land cultivation, grain sowing and harvesting, milking, and fish hauling. The long Aģe river creek houses the ''Skulte fishing port'' ( lv, Skultes zvejas osta), where artel's ships and motorboats anchored. Next to the port was located Vidzeme's second largest ''Skulte fish canning factory'' ( lv, Skultes zivju konservu fabrika) office. Fish salting workshop, freezer, fish smokery and cannery were one of the most modern in Vidzeme. The factory served all local fisherman. Big catches prompted expansion and construction of new of Skultes fish processing workshops (Skultes zivju apstrādāšanas cehi), and factory expanded yearly. New equipment, semi-automated lines, and freezers were being built; work organization was being revamped. If the factory only made fish products before 1956, canned fish now became its primary produce. Production was exported to many countries, such as, Great Britain, France, Australia, Mexico, etc. During this time fishermen life significantly improved, new electrified houses were built in 1955–56 on the banks of Aģe. One of that time's state's biggest and modern ''Culture Houses'' ( lv, Kultūras nams) opened on November 8, 1956, in Zvejniekciems on Aģe's left side and cost 2.5 million rubles. Soon Culture House opens a drama club and library.

Population

As of beginning of 2008, there are 6,089 Saulkrasti residents, 2,771 of which live in rural areas. 57% (3,487) residents are of working age and 26% (1,611) beyond working age. 82% of the population are

Latvians Latvians ( lv, latvieši) are a Baltic ethnic group and nation native to Latvia and the immediate geographical region, the Baltics. They are occasionally also referred to as Letts, especially in older bibliography. Latvians share a common L ...

and 11% are

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

, the remaining Belorussian, Polish, Lithuanian and

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...

nationalities make up 7% of the population.

Economy

Tourism

Skats no Saulrieta takas - panoramio (1)

Saulkrasti attracts local and foreign tourists during the summer period. In 2011, most visitors were from Russia, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland. In addition, 2011 has seen increase in bicycle touring through the city.

Skulte fishing port

The port is currently being funded from European Fisheries and European Regional Development Funds for over 5 million lats for construction of two new piers and a warehouse complex. With the completion of these constructions, the port will have completed reconstruction started in 1997. Currently one of the pier has been completed and work is under way to finish the warehouses by 2010/11.

Education

''Saulkrasti high school'' ( lv, Saulkrastu vidusskola) was attended by 360 pupils in 2008/2009 and employed 38 teachers in 2007/8. ''Zvejniekciems high school'' ( lv, Zvejniekciema vidusskola) was attended by 395 pupils in 2008/2009 and employed 27 teachers. ''Vidzeme Music and Art school'' ( lv, Vidzemes jūrmalas Mūzikas un mākslas skola) was established in 1968 as ''Zvejniekciems Children Art school'' ( lv, Zvejniekciema Bērnu mūzikas skola). The school started its Art department in 1995 and was renamed to its current name in 1997. The school had 288 student in 2008. Students participated in several competitions and some of their work has been shown in international exhibitions. ''Pre-school educational establishment "Brownie"'' ( lv, Pirmsskolas izglītības iestāde „Rūķītis”) had 160 children and employed 22 teachers in 2008.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Saulkrasti is twinned with: *

Gnesta Municipality Gnesta Municipality (''Gnesta kommun'') is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Gnesta, with some 5,000 inhabitants. The present municipality was created in 1992, when Nyköping Municip ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

References

Citations

Notes

Bibliography

* ) , location= Rīga , ref=

External links

Saulkrasti Jazz Festival website
* {{Latvian regional cities Towns in Latvia Populated coastal places in Latvia Gulf of Riga Populated places established in 1991 1991 establishments in Latvia Saulkrasti Municipality