The forgotten coast of Livonia
The last Livonian villages on the northwestern coast of Latvia were systematically destroyed and declared a forbidden zone by the Councils since 1950. Only a tiny handful of this people survived in 12 fishing villages, and they are currently experiencing a kind of cultural renaissance.
The Forbidden Shore (1941-1990)
The decades of Soviet occupation were fatal for the Livs. Like the Latvians, Lithuanians, and Estonians, the Livs were not protected from deportation. Many emigrated. The coast was declared a Soviet border zone. Villages were bled to death. Fishing, the backbone of the traditional economy, was forcibly collectivized, local fishing crews were liquidated. The Liv language was banned. Now watchtowers and army bases stood in this coastal area, where life once thrived. Empty land.
Before the war, there were 60 houses in Lielirbe. In 1969, there were still 19, in 1986 – five. In 1959, there were still 185 Livonians, of whom 87 also spoke Livonian. Only a handful of them – who did not want to or could not leave – stayed here. Alfons Bertholds, 82, a fisherman from Vaide: “Access to the sea was prohibited. From 18:00 there was a general ban. Fishing was not allowed. Fishing was centralized 60 km south, to Roja. Many left their homes and went to Roja or elsewhere. The entire coast from Ventspils to Kolka was a prohibited zone, where you could only enter from the outside with a special pass.”
translation from the German magazine "Pogrom" November and December 1992 issue - "BANGA" (a newspaper for the North Kurzeme coast) March 5, 1993; sent by Inese Roze (Talsi region Tourist Information Center)
