Ventspils

The village was developing and in 1378 it was granted town privileges. In the 17th century the town was a part of the Courland Duchy and it was blooming. The harbour, the piers and the docks were built at that time. At present, Ventspils is the largest and most important Latvian harbour. The historical core of the town, the Old Town, is an architectonic monument. The castle used to be a prison (1827 until the fifties of the 20th century) . The castle is under reconstruction. Other important monuments are the Town Hall (19th century) and the classicist Lutheran Church of St. Nicholas (1835) . Ventspils is known for the Errant Stone, memorial dedicated to fishermen and sailors who died in the sea. There is an open-air museum dedicated to seaside fishing, with fisherman houses, boats and equipment that was used at everyday routines. In addition,there is a windmill and a part of a narrow gauge railway. Neat and clean beaches lined with forests are both in the town and in the surroundings. To the south-east from Ventspils you may come across Usma Lake, which is 27 m deep. There are 7 islands in the lake. In 1912, one of them, Moricsale, was declared a nature reserve. At present, the population of Ventspils is about 45 thousand..

GPS: 57.3931841637, 21.5678787231  Edit

Altitude: 8 m  Edit

Foundation (year): 1378  Edit

Ventspils Castle 0.7 km

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