Subate residents adapt to distant services and limited transport

Life in Subate offers quiet, natural surroundings but often requires residents to travel for work and everyday services, LSM reports. Public transport is limited, and locals say living in the small border town means adapting to the distance.

Nearly 500 people are registered in Subate, making it Latvia’s second-smallest town by population after Durbe. Inga Ušacka moved there about 10 years ago after visiting for an amateur theatre festival. She now runs the Kaimiņi partnership, whose office is in the former primary school building.

The school closed in 2024 after 342 years of operation. The nearest schools are in Ilūkste and Aknīste, about 25 kilometres away in either direction. The municipality provides transport for children to both towns, Ušacka said.

Subate marked its 456th anniversary this year, with about 400 people attending the town celebration concert. Cultural organiser Gunta Semjonova, who has worked in the field for more than 20 years, said the town is home to Latvians, Russians, Lithuanians and people of other nationalities. Organising events therefore requires both funding and an understanding of the audience.

Lithuania lies across the lake from Subate. Residents can travel there to shop, or, as locals joke, even swim across.