Abava

The Abava is a river in Latvia and the largest tributary of the Venta. It flows through Tukums, Talsi and Kuldiga districts. Fifty percent of the basin is covered by forests.

Abava
The Abava by Sabile
Location
CountryLatvia
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationLestene swamp, Latvia
 • elevation47 m (154 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Venta
Length134 km (83 mi)
Basin size2,042 km2 (788 sq mi)

Its valley was submitted for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.[1]

Characteristics of the river

The river begins at the Lestene-ENAV marsh, on the eastern side of the Eastern Highlands at an elevation of fifty-four metres (177 ft) above sea level. The upper Abava is straightened, and flows in a northerly direction. At Kandava, it turns westward and follows a winding course. It descends through a height of 51 metres (167 ft). The river has a number of dolomite rapids with a velocity of 2 metres per second (6.6 ft/s). The second largest waterfall in Latvia, the Abava Waterfall (Latvian: Abavas rumba), is on this river.[2]

The Abava is crossed by an unusual "Bridge to Nowhere" (Tilts uz nekurieni)[3] in the village of Irlavas, near Sāti.[4] Built in 1940 as part of a planned railway between Tukums and Kuldiga, it was completed but the railway linkage construction was halted by World War II. During their occupation of Latvia, the Germans made initial plans to complete the railroad, but were unsuccessful in carrying the plans to completion. The concrete span is 55 meters in length.[5]

References
  1. Abava Valley, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  2. Abavas Rumba Archived 4 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Sāti, Latvia (Google Maps, accessed 6 February 2020)
  4. The isolated bridge lies 135 meters north of Highway P121.
  5. Bridge to Nowhere - Irlavas Pagasts, Latvia (Atlas Obscura, accessed 6 February 2020)


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