Kolkasrags

Kurzeme

Listen to the landscape

Kolkasrags (the Kolka Horn) is the most conspicuous promontory on the coast of Latvia. It is a unique place not only in Latvia, but also in all of Europe, because the waves of two seas mingle at Kolkasrags – those of the great Baltic Sea and of the smaller Gulf of Rīga. One can watch both sunrise and sunset from the sea. The climate is harsh here and it is the last place spring arrives. A sandbank stretches six kilometres into the sea from Kolkasrags. Waves from the two seas frequently clash on the shoal, forming dangerous cross waves. The red Kolka lighthouse is located on an artificial island at the tip of the sandbank to help ships navigate the Irbe Strait.

The name Kolka comes from Finnish and Estonian: Estonian kolgas, kolk, Finnish kolkka – corner, nook, crook.
At the Kolka seashore, the sea removes an average of 0.5 to 2.5 metres of land annually.
During the spring and autumn migrations of birds, around 60 000 birds fly over Kolkasrags every hour.