jump to the content

Livs' village "Kosrags"

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.

Latvia (Europe and North America)

Date of Submission: 30/01/1996
Criteria: (iii)
Category: Cultural
Submission prepared by:
Ministry of Culture National Cultural Monuments' Protection Committee
Coordinates:
Kosrags is a populated area in Courland (Kurzeme) on the shore of the Irbe strait of the Baltic Sea
Ref.: 396

Description

Kosrags appeared at least in 1680 when its farm "Kukini" was mentioned in chronicles for the first time. By 1770 there were already 4 old farms in Kosrags (Kine Diki, Kukini, Tilmaci and Zoki). We know of two tenant-farner habitations that existed there in 1896, and were joined by another 7 habitations after 1905. The village was populated by Livs - a small ethnos that belongs to Balto-Finns and speaks an ancient Finno-Ugrish language. Little by little thay assimilated with Latvians who entered the village gradually.

The houses in the village were built rather densely along the two roads:

1) the old littoral road connecting all 16 Livs' fishermen villages at that time:

2) the fishermen s road leading from the littoral road - it connected the villages with the working place near the sea. These roads have preserved their ancient shape till the present day.