Irbenstrasse
| Irbenstrasse | ||
|---|---|---|
| Connects waters | Gulf of Riga | |
| with water | Baltic Sea | |
| Separates land mass | Saaremaa | |
| of land mass | Courland | |
| Data | ||
| Geographical location | 57 ° 48 ' N , 22 ° 12' E | |
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| length | 35 km | |
| Smallest width | 27 km | |
| Coastal towns | Would | |
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The Irbenstrasse (also Irbestrasse , Estonian Kura kurk , Latvian Irbes jūras šaurums ) is the main exit of the Gulf of Riga to the Baltic Sea .
The strait is named after the river Irbe , which flows into the Baltic Sea near the Latvian town of Lielirbe ( Ventspils district ).
The Irben Strait lies between the Sõrve (Sworbe) peninsula , which forms the southern end of the Estonian island of Saaremaa (Ösel) , and the northern coast of Courland in Latvia at Cape Kolka (German: Cape Domesnäs). At its narrowest point, it is 27 km wide.
The sea depth is on average 10 to 20 meters. The fairway was deepened along the Courland coast to allow ships with a greater draft to pass through.
History
On August 8, 1915, there was a sea battle between the Russian liner Slawa and the German large liner SMS Nassau and SMS Posen in the course of the German advance into the Bay of Riga on Irbenstrasse .
In the early autumn of 1917, the strait was the scene of " Operation Albion ", the occupation of the Baltic islands of Ösel, Dagö and Moon by German forces.
On May 4, 2008, due to a maneuvering error, the cruise ship Mona Lisa ran aground at the Irbe estuary in Latvian territorial waters.
Individual evidence
- ^ The "Mona Lisa" is being evacuated (tagesschau.de archive), accessed on October 19, 2016.