If planing your trip to Latvian coastal town of Pāvilosta don't forget to plan a trip to Pāvilosta piers, grab your camera and make some stunning sunset photography here.
I first visited the piers of Pāvilosta and the town at the end of Summer 2015, and let me express my desire to acquire a small summer cottage here, thus I you plan to make some investments here - hurry up, a lot of foreigner have already bought real-estate at this Latvian coastal town and the prices might be up (haven't checked actually).
It might sound a little bit overstated, but allow me to say - Latvians have their own Portofino (hmm, should we call it part of Latvian Riviera?)
Pāvilosta pier
Pāvilosta is a popular destination for surfers as well - I'm not a surfer dude, but seems locals are pretty excited about wind and waves here. You can try to lend a yacht if you prefer more calmer relaxation.
Boat decks in Pāvilosta
Much of the Pāvilosta history and foundation is related to harbor here - Information about the history of Pavilosta dates back to the period of Duke Jekabs (1642-1682) when ships could enter the Saka River and Pavilosta served as Aizputes harbor. This harbor was used to export wood, grain and other products to various other harbors in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Trade agreements with Danish merchants were especially prosperous.
White Sand beach near Pāvilosta
After the war between the Swedes and Poles in 1660, the Saka River was dammed per the Swedish occupants to guarantee the growth and development of Riga’s harbors. Boulders were placed on the ice during the winter months. In the spring when the ice melted, the sunken boulders narrowed the path for sea vessels.
Pavilosta piers
In 1855 during the Crimean War, Russian boarder guards built their cordons in Pavilosta to protect this strategic location.
In the winter of 1878 the German Baron Otto fon Lilienfeld, owner of a large portion of land in this region, commissioned the building of the first wooden pier. The pier cost 8000 gold rubles. That spring when the river thawed, the extreme melt water dredged the river’s bed enough that the first large ships could harbor in Pavilosta.
Pāvilosta lighthouse
With the building and grand opening of Pavilosta Marina on May 20, 2006, the harbor has been reborn and a new and meaningful period in Pavilosta’s history has begun.
Yacht between Pāvilosta piers