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There is no probably other place in the world with such white sand, amazing pines and stars like Jūrmala. It’s the collective name for 30-km beach and pine forest proudly stretching from Riga along the quiet and warm Baltic Sea. Each of the variety of cozy places along the coast can boast of something unique. Still they are united by beauty and oneness. Jūrmala’s beaches have an international blue flag award – a sign of pure water and sand.
My life will become exalted,
I fall on the warm dunes,
With the great silent pines
I start conversations.
Drunk on the youthful wind,
The dawn blazes boldly.
Give me a keepsake, Jūrmala,
A bit of amber!
So Alexandra Pakhmutova used to sing at her time. She is not the only one who brought glory to Jūrmala. The city has traditionally attracted celebrities from all over the world. Here, to this day, every country house has a special history and it’s impossible to walk in the street without meeting a familiar face: a singer, a writer or a poet… On the beach or at a club it’s easy to take pictures with vacationing stars. And, of course, you can visit “the very same” Dzintari concert hall, the traditional venue of the Club of the Cheerful and Quick-Witted and music contests. Jūrmala’s popularity started, as the story goes, in the days of the Napoleonic Wars, when the great general Barclay de Tolly built a recreation center on the Baltic seashore and planted an oak (which has survived to the present day, by the way). Since then Jūrmala has become a spa center: Russian soldiers came here after the war to recover their health. Then the place became popular among the Russian Empire and Europe aristocrats; they brought their own style, traditions and architecture. Resort homes, holiday cottages and special places for swimming started to appear in Jūrmala, and it became a full-fledged rival to European resorts.
In the time of the Soviet Union, Jūrmala was considered to be the most prestigious of the permissible holiday destinations. It was here that the first variety show in USSR appeared starring Laima Vaikule and the first bowling club. At present, Jūrmala is an entertainment center offering every opportunity for rest. And not only this: here you can have unique spa procedures with Baltic white silica sand (psammotherapy) and amber, which is very good for the bones, joints and overall condition of the body. There are many healing mud treatments and sulfur springs here, and the pine-scented air itself enhances treatment for many diseases.
In the off-season the city offers the wonderful Livu waterpark, which is famous throughout the Baltic countries.
The huge advantage of Jūrmala is that it’s located within easy reach of Riga. A trip from Moscow (including flight) to the amber coast takes only two hours: like any Moscow suburb. The local population is traditionally cordial to Russian visitors. There is a good tradition of look for amber droplets while walking along the tidal line. Amber is pine resin that has hardened in salt water for a thousand years into a semiprecious stone. Jūrmala generously presents its guests with amber, and together with it – the bright soft sun and smooth gentle surf, where it is safe for children to swim, and clean air saturated with marine and pine scents. It’s prohibited to smoke, walk pets and litter on the beaches of Jūrmala – not every European resort can boast of such cleanliness.
Jūrmala is the perfect place for all-season rest, a traditional resort that is growing in popularity.
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