Stendese jaama oluline koht kuningriigi raudteevõrgus

Ventspilsi Mereäärses Vabaõhumuuseumis saab kitsarööpmelisel raudteel sõita veduriga Mazbānītis kahel liinil: ringliini pikkus on 1,4 km ning mäeliini pikkus on 3 km. Vedur Mazbānītis vedas aastatel 1916–1963 reisijaid ja kaupa 600 mm laiusel kitsarööpmelisel raudteel. Raudtee on Esimese maailmasõja aegne pärand, mis etendas olulist rolli Põhja-Kuramaa kultuurilises ja majanduslikus arengus, sest ühendas asulaid ja lõi töökohti.

600 mm kitsarööpmelise raudteevõrgu ehitamist alustati Esimese maailmasõja ajal, kui Saksa armee hakkas 1916. aastal okupeeritud Läti territooriumil ehitama nn Sõjaväe Väliraudteid (saksa keeles Heeresfeldbahn). Nende raudteede ehitamine käis kiiresti, neid oli lihtne lammutada ja teistele rindejoontele viia. Läti kitsarööpmelist raudteevõrku kasutati pidevalt ka Teise maailmasõja ajal. Ligi 60 aastat oli kitsarööpmelisel raudteel sõitev rong ainus kindel veok reisijate, põllumajandustoodete ja puidu transportimiseks suurematesse linnadesse nii talvel kui suvel.

Mazbānīti on nimi, mis anti Põhja-Kurzemes rongile, mis vedas aastatel 1916–1963 reisijaid ja lasti mööda 600 mm laiuseid kitsarööpmelisi raudteed. See on sõjaajaloo pärand Esimesest maailmasõjast, mis omal ajal mängis olulist rolli kogu Põhja-Kurzeme, aga eriti Liibüa kalurikülade kultuurilises ja majanduslikus õitsengus, pakkudes ühendusi asulate vahel, pakkudes töökohti.

Loodusrada viib Mazirbest Sīkragasse mööda endise Stende - Ventspilsi kitsarööpmelise raudtee rada ehk nagu kohalikud ütlevad - Mazbānīši rada. Raudtee ehitamist alustati 1916. aastal ja see töötas kuni 1963. aastani. Kitsarööpmeline raudteeliin ühendas Ventspilsi sadamalinna Dundase rannakalurikülade ja Stande peamise raudteesõlmega, aidates sellega kaasa piirkonna majandus- ja kultuuribuumile Esimese ja Teise maailmasõja vahel.

Nõukogude Liidu ajal oli rannik "suletud tsoon", mistõttu rannakülad olid majanduslikult isoleeritud ja elanike arv vähenes, vastvalminud salaarmee rajatiste olemasolu aitas kaasa ka sellele, et eelmise sajandi kuuekümnendatel aastatel. , raudteeliiklus peatati.

Rajal on väike ring 15 km ja suur ring 19 km.

GPX kaart on saadaval siin:

https://www.kurzemesregions.lv/projekti/turisms/unigreen/dabas-takas/mazbanisa-dabas-taka/

Oviši tuletorn asub Kuramaa rannikul Tārgale vallas Oviši külas ja on vanim tuletorn Lätis (ehitatud 1814. aastal). Oviši tuletorn on 37 m kõrge. Tuletorni konstruktsioon on kahesilindriline: selle läbimõõt on 11,5 m ning kiviseina sees on teine torn, mille läbimõõt on 3,5 m. Selliseid kahesilindrilisi tuletorne kasutati 18.–19. sajandil Euroopas ka kaitserajatistena vaenlase rünnaku vastu. Oviši tuletornimuuseumi majakavarustuse ja navigatsiooniseadmete kollektsiooni peetakse Läti majakamuuseumite kogude seast suurimaks. Sobiva ilma korral võib Oviši tuletornist näha Irbe majakat.

Teise maailmasõja lõpus paiknes Oviši tuletorni lähedal Saksa sõjaväe pataljonistaap ja 530. mereväe suurtükidiviisi 4. patarei ühes mitme õhutõrjesuurtükiga. Võimalik, et tuletorni jalamil asus raadiolokatsiooni ja infrapunakiirguse avastamise seade Donau Gerät. Hiljem asus tuletorni lähedal Nõukogude piirivalvekordon, kuid ükski nõukogudeaegne hoone ei ole tänaseni säilinud. Tuletorni territooriumil asub endiselt Oviši jaamahoone.

Mazirbe, historically known as the largest Liv centre, is notable for the only fishermen's boat cemetery on the Latvian coast. It was built in the 1960s, the last boats were brought in 1976. The boats ended up here as a result of both fishing restrictions and age.

Today, Mazirbe has less than ten wrecks of fishing boats, but historically there have been many more. Boats have been laid to rest in other seaside villages, but it is in Mazirbe's boat graveyard that this is most evident today.

The Mazirbe Boat Cemetery is the only one of its kind on the Latvian coast.

The Soviet border defence post was located in the building that used to be a maritime school, and next to it is a well-preserved Soviet border guard watchtower. The second watchtower is located right on the shore next to a parking lot. These watchtowers are a reminder of the Soviet occupation and the times when Mazirbe was a closed border area and civilians were allowed on the shore only in specially designated places and only during the daytime. This border guard watchtower is one of the best-preserved objects of its type on the coast of Latvia. However, it designated is dangerous to climb it.

The Soviet Border Guard Tower in this complex is one of the best preserved of its kind on the Latvian coast. Unfortunately, the condition of the buildings is poor, there is a rifle loading/unloading site on the site, and a drive and fragments of trenches have been salvaged. 

The Coast Guard post was located in the former Marine School building. In the post-Soviet period, accommodation was offered in parts of the buildings.

The second tower of the Soviet Border Guard is located about 400 m from the beach, but unfortunately it is in a state of disrepair. However, the Mazirbe boat cemetery is located not more than 500 m from the beach tower towards Sīkrags.

At the end of 1943, the Nazi German occupation authorities, planning to expand the SS motorised weapons units, started to build a training ground called "Seelager" (Sea Camp) in the vicinity of Dundaga. The inhabitants of the parishes of Dundaga and Arlava were evacuated to set up the training ground. 

In order to build the infrastructure for the camp, several branches of the concentration camp "Kaiserwald" were located in the vicinity of Dundaga, where around 6000 Jews from various European countries (including Latvia) and around 1000 prisoners of war and partisans were imprisoned. Many prisoners died as a result of executions and poor living conditions. Some of the dead were buried in the "Čiekuri" branch camp, which according to some accounts was also the murder site of a group of Jews who were building a narrow-gauge railway towards Mazirbe.

At the beginning of August 1944, after the Soviet invasion of Zemgale, the training ground was liquidated, several thousand untrained SS recruits were sent back to Germany, and the SS motorised brigade Gross was formed from the command, instructors and trained soldiers, named after the commander of the training ground, SS Standard-Sergeant Martin Gross. The Brigade took part in the Battle of Tukums in August 1944, and in the Battles of Iecava and Baldone in September 1944.

After the departure of the SS units, the infrastructure of the training ground was used to accommodate Jews evacuated from Riga and other regions of Latvia, who continued to be used as slave labour.

The railway line Ventspils - Mazirbe, as well as the Stende - Dundaga extension to Mazirbe with a branch to Pitrags, were intended only for strategic military needs. During the construction of these lines, and afterwards, all civilians were evacuated from the region. The main task of the military railways in the Irbe Strait area was to provide the German army's coastal defence positions with guns and ammunition.

These military-only military railways also connected the three most important lighthouses, located in Oviši, Mikeltornis and Šlītere.

Nevertheless, passenger transport was also provided as early as the years of World War I.

A memorial stone (1989) to the deported Latvians of 1941 and 1949 is located at the Stende railway station.

On 30 October 1919, Stende railway station was occupied by Bermont troops. On 17 November, soldiers of the Latvian army led by K. Šnēbergs attacked the station, driving away a wagon with weapons, war materials and grain. 6 soldiers were awarded the Order of the Order for these battles: K. Bumovskis (1891-1976), P. Strautiņš (1883-1969), R. Plotnieks (1891-1965), E. Jansons (1894-1977).