The forgotten shore of Livonia
The area of the last Liv villages on the northwest coast of Latvia has been systematically destroyed by the Council since 1950 and declared a restricted area. In 12 fishing villages, only a small handful of this nation survived, which is currently experiencing a kind of cultural renaissance.
Forbidden Shore (1941-1990)
Fatally, the Livs had decades of Soviet occupation. Like Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Livs were not protected from deportations. Many emigrated. The coast was declared a Soviet border zone. The villages bled. Fishing, the backbone of the traditional farm, was forcibly collectivised, and local fishing crews were abolished. The Liv language was banned. Now the watchtowers and army bases were in this coastal area, where life once flourished. Empty land.
Before the war there were 60 houses in Lielirbe. In 1969 there were still 19 houses in 19.1986 - five. In 1959, there were another 185 Livs, 87 of whom also spoke Liv. Only a handful of them - who did not want to or could not leave - remained here. Alfons Bertholds, 82, a fisherman from Vaide: “Access to the sea was forbidden. From 18:00 there was a general ban. Fishing was not allowed. Fishing was centralized 60 km south of Roja. Many left their homes and went to Paradise or elsewhere. The entire coast from Ventspils to Kolka was a forbidden area, which could be entered from the outside only with a special pass. ”
translation from the November and December 1992 issue of the German magazine "Pogrom" - "BANGA" (newspaper for the coast of North Kurzeme) on March 5, 1993; sent by Inese Roze (Talsi region TIC)
