"Foggy Ventspils" Ventspils by Airpunk

One morning, I woke up quite early without being able to sleep again. Meeting all the guys, coming back from their parties at 6 am, I went to the coach station. Without any idea where to go, I just decided to look at the timetables and catch the first bus going to one of Latvia’s larger cities. Less than half an hour later, I boarded a coach service to Ventspils.

Somwhere in this picture is a ship. Try to find it

Ventspils plays an important role in Latvias economy. It is the country’s main port for oil and oil related products. As a harbour town, it has profited from the uprising economy in the 1990s. Today, it is a large industrial center. Unfortunately, it means that Ventspils has not many attractions to offer. The tiny old town does not offer many interesting buildings, so that it is possible to see Ventspils in less than a day. Almost all interesting places are located along the Venta river, including a boulevard with view on the harbour and the South Mole walkway. With most attractions being outside and coast-related, your trip may depend on the weather. I really enjoyed the trip, although I probably saw the most dense fog of my life…

At the harbour

Officially, Ventspils’ history starts in 1244 when a castle was founded here by the Livonian Order. But at that time, a small cour settlement had already existed for centuries. From the 14th to the 16th century, it was a member of the Hanseatic League. Like many other cities in the Baltic area, also Ventspils experienced many changes of ownership. Wars and treaties made the city change between Poland, Russia and other powers until it became part of the independent country of Latvia. During Soviet time, Ventspils began to establish its role as an oil port and many russians settled down here to work in the harbour industry. After Latvias independence in 1991, Ventspils is playing its key role stronger than before.

• Pros:Closer to reality than Riga
• Cons:Not much to see
• In a nutshell:Could someone turn off the fog machine, please?