Steep coastline of Staldzene
The steep coastline of Staldzene is a natural monument.
The outcrop Staldzene is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, 4km northeast from Ventspils. It is a typical abrasion type coast 4 till 8 m high and it reveals different sediment stages of the Baltic Sea. The outcrop is exposed to the erosion from the sea and it is also related to the impact of the nearby Ventspils port. According to the monitoring data of the sea coast, it is estimated that each year the coast is receding by an average of 1 m. Therefore the duration of this outcrop is limited. In the last decades, the height has reduced as well. In the 70`s the steep coast could even reach 12 meters in the highest places.
Staldzene steep coastline was set up as a geological and geomorphological nature monument only in 2001, but its magnificence has long enticed the lovers of nature and coastal idyll. At the northern sea border of the Ventspils City area there is an approximately 400 metres long steep coastline of the Baltic Sea, the height of which, depending on the chosen location, is between 4 and 8 metres. We agree – this is not the only steep coast we know in Latvia, but it is very special to distinguish it from others – there are exposed sediments formed in the various stages of the Baltic Sea. In addition to the blue clay sediments, here is also located the Courland icing moraine, the clay of the end of the ice phase of Latvia as well as 10,000-year-old wood remains were found and more and more. Staldzene steep coast is a place to enjoy the landscape, the various layers of steep outcrops and the coastal forests.
www.daba.gov.lv
Staldzene – an old fishing village with some homesteads surviving from the 19th century, lies to the North of Ventspils on the way to the Kolka point.
Here fishermen can still be seen going out to sea, and on calm evenings the scent of dry-cured Baltic plaice wafts through the air. Staldzene is popular with both townsfolk and tourists alike for its walking paths, swimming beach and its dramatic steep coastline. In 2001 after the storm at Staldzene steep coast, the bijouterie and the artefacts of the Bronze Age (7th century B.C.) have been exposed being the biggest such type deposit in the Baltic States, presently exhibited in the Ventspils Museum of the Livonian Order castle.
www.visitventspils.com
Since I live near Ventspils, I often visit the seaside near Staldzene. Sometimes my family and me go swimming at Ventspils Beach, sometimes driving to Staldzene. Every time I'm with the children and we have finished our work in Ventspils, we visit Staldzene before driving home. Enjoy watching and photographing sunsets in Staldzene.
This autumn we began a very healthy entertainment with children. A few times a week we did quite long walks (up to 10 km), along the coast of the sea in Staldzene. Of course, it takes time. The walk alone takes 2.5 hours, but it's healthy, and since we're working on computers, it's also a much needed relaxation.
It's interesting to go along the steep coastline and watch it, the height of the coast changes from time to time, many fallen trees, and a lot of outcrops of blue clay. When we get to a steeper place, we climb up, which is interesting and difficult. It is a pleasure to watch the sea from the top of the steep coast.
We have started to drive along the forest road parallel to the sea, and then we take one of the paths to the sea. The terrain is hilly and interesting. In the autumn, as we walk along the sea, the water is washed up to the steep shore and it is impossible to walk so we must climb the steep shore and go up, where the fallen trees and terrain often make it difficult to walk.
Aivars Gulbis
