This is the widest water fall in Latvia – 249 metres wide and up to 1.75 metres high. This is an interesting natural, cultural and historical object in that it is linked to various events and legends. Duke Jacob of Courland invented equipment to catch fish. It was fastened to the cliffs of the waterfall, and this created the tale of a city where salmon and other fish who were leaping across the waterfall fell into the nets and were thus caught in the air. During Jacob’s rule, there was talk about digging a canal around the waterfall to ensure shipping, and work began on the project. During the early 18th century there was the idea that the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea could be connected via the Venta, Nemuna and Dnieper rivers. Turkish prisoners of war continued to dig the canal, but the local dolomite cliffs were a problem. Attempts to blow up the cliffs led to damage to nearby buildings, so the work ended. The impressive ditch can still be seen today. In 2012, a wooden pathway was installed on the right bank of the Venta to offer a good look at the waterfall. It is worth visiting here during various seasons of the year, when different types of fish migrate.
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