The Legend of the 'Yellow Tavern': Tales of Horror on the Road to Jūrmala

In the early 20th century, along the road leading from Riga to Jūrmala, stood a building with a dark reputation — the so-called Yellow Tavern. In local memory, it remained a place surrounded by unsettling events.

Near the tavern, several murders and traffic accidents reportedly took place over the years. Stolen pianos were once hidden inside the tavern itself, pointing to its ties with criminal activity.

A Strange Society

Particularly unusual was a society that operated out of the tavern, called 'Crow's Feet' (Vārnu kājas). Its members shot crows both in nearby cemeteries and in the town itself. The bodies of the killed birds were then burned, while their hunting trophies were kept along the roadside.

A Mysterious Fire

In 1935, the Yellow Tavern burned down under mysterious circumstances, and the true cause of the fire was never fully established. The event further fueled the mysterious and eerie reputation that had grown around the tavern.

Today, Slokas Street near Babīte station is still associated with the story of this old tavern, which over time has turned into a peculiar urban legend about a place where crime, superstition and unexplained events once intertwined.