Mouth of Gauja at sea

Gauja is Latvia’s longest river (452 km), it starts in Vidzeme Heights, and concludes by meeting the sea in Carnikava. Gauja wraps Vidzeme Heights in wide circles, highlighting sandstone outcrops with caves, while the bottom is sandy, bends are sharp, and the shores have collapsed in many places. A lot of water is taken from springs and small creeks, so after heavy rainfall at the upstream of the river, the water level is also rapidly rising downstream. Gauja is one of the rare great rivers of Latvia, which has maintained its natural appearance, and the mouth of Gauja is a great place to watch the interaction between the river and the sea.
In the history of the county of Carnikava, Gauja is mentioned as an important place for sailors. While the ancient Livesians called Carnikava “Sarnikau”,the Germans called it “Koivemundi” (the mouth of the river) to emphasize the mouth of Gauja. Carnikava was originally formed as a fishing village in which Gauja, with its mouth at sea, served as an important source of profit for fishermen, particularly the lamprey fishing, has grown wealth for the former Manor of Carnikava. In the past, trees were floating along Gauja, thus becoming an important water path.