Mazsalaca (; , , ) is a town in Valmiera Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It has 1269 inhabitants. History The area includes the largest known Stone Age burial site in Northern Europe and was first settled ca. 5000 BC. The present town began to develop in 1864, when a bridge over the Salaca river was constructed. During World War II, Mazsalaca was under German occupation from 4 July 1941 until 25 September 1944. It was administered as a part of the Generalbezirk Lettland of Reichskommissariat Ostland. In October 2009 a meteorite crater was found near the town, which later turned out to be hoax as part of marketing campaign of telecommunication company Tele2. People People who were born, lived in Mazsalaca: Gustavs Ērenpreiss (1891 - 1956) - bicycle master Augusts Kirhenšteins (1876 - 1963) - microbiologist and educator Valters Hirte (1913 - 1983) - craftsman Ansis Epners (1937 - 2003) - film director Oskars Perro (1918 - 2003) - soldier and writer See also List of cities in Latvia References External links Mazsalaca Municipality portal Towns in Latvia 1928 establishments in Latvia Populated places established in 1928 Valmiera Municipality Kreis Wolmar Vidzeme