People in the dunes

The areas of Bolderāja and Daugavgrīva hold significant historical importance for the city of Riga; however, that importance has decreased and they have swiftly turned into neglected peripheries with remarkable swiftness.
For many centuries the only road that connected Riga to the whole region of Kurzeme ran through these dune territories. The Daugavgrīva Fortress which is located on the eastern part of the island next to the estuary of Daugava was erected to protect Riga from enemy ships. The Fortress remained of military importance right up to the First World War when new military technologies were introduced that made fortresses somewhat useless.
Several fishing villages were located near the Fortress; shortly before the First World War the inhabitants of Riga followed the trends of the time and summer houses started to appear in the region.
The Second World War brought dramatic change. When it ended, Daugavgrīva became a closed territory used by the Soviet Naval Forces—the fishing shacks were replaced by high-rise buildings and gardening and garage cooperatives were introduced in the rich bottomlands of Buļļupe.
Years have passed since Latvia restored its independence and the Soviet Army has left, but the areas have not yet recovered. Their predominantly Russian-speaking inhabitants remain stuck somewhere between the Soviet past and the ever-changing present. Bolderāja has one of the closest beaches to the Baltic Sea and yet most of Riga’s inhabitants choose to ignore it and search for resorts, sanatoriums and plots of land for their summer houses elsewhere. Text: Pauls Bankovskis