Ķūļciems Rural Territory
Population: 513
Density: 8 per 1km²
Area: 67.7 km² (forests - 43 km², agricultural land - 16 km² (1603.7 ha), other (roads, ditches etc.) 8 km²)
Administration of Ķūļciems Rural Territory:
“Druvas” 7, Ķūļi, Ķūļciems Rural Territory, Talsi County, LV – 3283
Phone: 63254399
Email: kulciems.parvalde@talsi.lv
Chairperson of Administration of Ķūļciems Rural Territory: Pēteris Bekmanis
„In old days Ķūļciems was called Gala (the end of the road) Village. Here all the roads found their end. Here men, who couldn’t hide anywhere else, found their shelter. Those were powerful men, mostly those on whom the landlords seeked revenge. Here they had a world of their own. None could get to them here. Everywhere just swamps and bogs.” so Vilis Veldre, in 1938, wrote in his book “Life at Sea” (“Dzīve pie jūras”).
Ķūļciems is one of smallest rural territories of Talsi Municipality, located far from others, in the east at the western coast of Engure Lake and in the west in northern part of wooded coastal lowlands of Courland Peninsula. The fifth of total area of the parish is a part of Engure Lake Nature Park.
The distance from Ķūļciems Rural Territory to Talsi, the centre of the municipality, is 32 km and the distance to Mērsrags Rural Territory is 14 km and to Lauciene Rural Territory is 20 km. The nearest railway station is in Town of Stende which is 45 kilometres away and closest port is Port of Mērsrags – 15 km.
Ķūļciems was formed in 1949 by uniting Kūļi Village (Mērsrags Rural Territory) and Dzedri Village (Lauciene Rural Territory).
From all sides parish is surrounded by smaller or larger forests, were you can find wild animals, including 17 huntable animal species, as well as, various sorts of berries and mushrooms. Ķūļciems Rural Territory has sand and gravel deposits and one of two polders of the whole municipality.
Along the eastern border of the rural territory stretches the third largest lake in Latvia –Engure Lake; it was formed approximately 4000 years ago, when Littorina Sea was in decline. Lake’s area decreased in 1842 when Mērsrags Channel leading to the sea was excavated. In drained lands a lot of amber was found, some even weighed as heavy as two ponds. In the lake there are seven islands, approximately 40% of the territory is covered by reeds, bulrushes and clubrushes. .
Engure Lake and its surrounding pine forests and swamps are rich in nature with more than 860 higher plant species and specially the bird fauna (186 bird species are nesting here). During bird migration it is possible to see all bird species (35 of whom are huntable) whose route goes through Latvia. There is no fish shortage in the lake because pikes, perches, tenches, orfes and other fish species have found their home here.
Engure Lake is best accessed from three boathouses – “Mazsaliņa”, “Dzeldri” and “Briežragi”. Boathouse “Mazsaliņa”has a bird observation tower and camping sites, and visitors can rent a boat. Grazing cows and horses can be found in Krievragciems. Rabbits and other domestic animals can be seen in farm “Pūņas”, but different variety of rabbit and poultry species can be found in “Apsīši” vacation home in Ķūļciems.
In 1892 Orthodox Church was established in Ķūļciems and some years later church of Saint Arseny was built. In Dzedri one of youngest Latvian pre-war Lutheran churches, Dzeldri or Mārtiņbaznīca, is located, which was consecrated in 21st July of 1940.
The only manufacture in the Ķūļciems Rural Territory is “Avoti” Ltd and their field of business is livestock farming. They bread cattle, young stock and pedigree pigs. Inhabitants of the rural territory work in fish processing plants in Mērsrags, forests or in other places outside of the parish
Inhabitants of Ķūļciems Rural Territory are very active in their cultural life, as well as, in different kinds of sports. The centre of local history studies and variety of social clubs are very popular, like ladies club “Intra”, senior club “Atblāzma”, youth club “Ritmi” and hunters club.
At the end of the summer Lake Festival is celebrated and it gets more and more popular with each year.
