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==History==
The first time Salacgrīva was known as a locality in the early 5th century, when [[Livonians]] created their settlement of '''Saletsa''' near the mouth of [[Salaca River]]. Several centuries later the [[Salacgrīva fortress|knight's castle]] was built in honor of [[Bishop Albert]] on the right bank of Salaca River. It was attacked several times during the [[Livonian war]], and for this reason by the end of the 17th century the castle had been severely damaged and it subsequently collapsed. The canal where the vessels sailed around the castle mound can still be seen in Salacgrīva.
The evolution of Salacgrīva went hand in hand with the development of coastal shipping in the Gulf of Riga. To improve the accessibility for larger vessels, the riverbed of Salaca was deepened and a pier of boulders was built in the mouth of the river. Salacgrīva became an important transhipment point for the production of Northern Vidzeme – timber, linen, different crops – for it to be transported to [[Pärnu]] and Riga. Around this time, about 200 vessels entered the port, consequently promoting growth of the town and increase in the number of its inhabitants. Therefore, by the end of the 19th century there were more than 70 residential buildings and 40 warehouses. At the beginning of the 20th century, the flow of goods to Salacgrīva decreased, due to the rail infrastructure that was developed in Vidzeme and the fact that the majority of products was transported through the newly built port in Ainaži, which had a directly connection to the railway.
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