Saunags

Saunags (Livonian: Sǟnag, Russian: Саунагс or Саунаг. Other names: Saunagdtsiems, Saunaga, Saunaga Ciems, Saunaguciems) is a populated place in Kolka parish, Dundaga municipality, Latvia, located 11 km from the Cape Kolka, within the borders of Slītere National Park. It is one of the oldest of the twelve Livonian villages on the Līvõd rānda - the Livonian Coast. It consists of two parts - Saunags and Dižsaunags (from Latvian - Great Saunags). Located along the coast of the Baltic Sea and formerly inhabited by Livonian people or Livs.

Saunags is positioned on crossing of parallel going via Goteborg (Sweden) and meridian going via Turku (Finland), both are important ancient regional trading and cultural centres.

Name derived from Livonian Sǟnag, meaning pike-perch (scientific Latin name: Sander (genus), Russian: судак), a local fish.

There is a former site of USSR border guards tower, projector light and small security house (the only one still standing). The former Saunagciema lighthouse is now converted into navigational sign. Behind the dunes lies the site of the coastal narrow gauge railway, which was left unfinished during World War I (see Livonian coast). Straight road or passage still runs behind the dunes parallel to the coast line from Pitrags to Vaide along abandoned German and Soviet military bunkers. On the outskirts of the village in direction of Vaide is the site of a Medieval burial ground, next to it lay the ruins of the first Soviet military base built soon after World War II.

In the past, Saunags was mainly populated by fishermen and farmers; today, historic wooden properties are mainly used as summer houses (or dachas). Akacijas estate (former Rupnieki) is the site of former local fish processing and salting plant owned by Kārlis Tilmanis, well known canned fish brand in Latvia between two World Wars. Tilmanis family fled by boat to Sweden in 1944. Only an ice storage inside dune and skeleton wooden pier still remain. The other large estates are Jaunpakalni (include former Pakalni), Niglini and Krumini. There is a restored old local fishing boat as well as a small private ethnographical museum on the Jaunpakalni estate (viewings are by appointment only).

In 2010 Saunags, possibly the oldest village out of 12 Livonian villages, celebrated its 700th birthday (since first mentioned in documents). To mark this anniversary some local residents followed old Livonian routes by sea on motor yacht "Kolka" from Riga via Ruhnu and Saaremaa islands and Kolka to Saunags, where they disembarked from anchored boat. Memorial sign "DIŽSAUNAGS" was placed on the top of a sand dune nearby.

See also

• Saaremaa
• Livonian people
• Livonian coast

1. Travel notes and photos [1] 2. Saunags short history [2] 3. Kolka site [3] 4. Cape Kolka [4]