Liepaja

Places of Interest - Latvia

introduction

Liepaja, third city of Latvia was founded by the Latvian order-rights in the 13th century. This coastal town on the Baltic Sea is located in the west of the country and is the largest city in the region Courland. The area has always exhaled a German atmosphere; in German the city is called Libau.

The city has never belonged to the Hanze cities but has had contacts. But Liepaja only became really important when it was chosen by Tsar Alexander III in the early 19th century as a location for a Russian port. Because this harbor was ice-free, the tsar ordered the port to be excavated and a marine complex to be built. It became the basis for the first Baltic fleet with Russian submarines. Through this injection, the city grew into a commercial industrial city.

Karosta, the old naval port of the Russians is nowadays a strange mix of tsarist buildings and post-war Russian apartment buildings and is a highlight to visit as a tourist. You can visit a realistic prison from the Cold War and have yourself locked up. The city itself is still searching for its own identity; it is a mix of old and new, conservative and modern.

highlights

Karosta

Because this was (is) an ice-free port and quite close to the Russian border, Tsar Alexander III had a gigantic military complex built here in the beginning of the last century, which he named after his son. First a canal was dug and forts were constructed with underground bunkers that you can now visit in the form of an organized candle tour.

The tsar gave orders in 1908 to blow them up and to melt or move the guns, but fortunately this did not go as well as expected. Then the city was built, of which the Russian Orthodox Church, the pigeon building, the water tower, the suspension bridge and the two kilometer long pier are the most remarkable buildings. You can also make a tour in the northern partly underground bunkers.

During the first independence period of Latvia it became known as a war-port (Kara osta). The complex was an autonomous area and was inhabited by some 20,000 people at its peak. During Soviet times this area was closed, even for the residents of Liepaja - sending a postcard to the city that was about 4 kilometers away was as pricey as to for example Vladivostok. Today the area is a tourist attraction; a mix of red brick buildings that testify to the tsarist architecture and “fake” Russian apartment blocks that were put here after WWII.

The military prison is a must for tourists interested in the military background of the neighborhood (see below). There is even a beautiful Russian Orthodox cathedral St. Nicholas. Bunkers have sank into the Baltic sea water and the whole area is very wooded. Artists, junks but also hippies, drunks, yuppies and many poor families live in the very strange neighborhood that should not be missed on your itinerary.

Karosta prison

On the site of the large area known as Karosta (see above) an old military prison has been re-used as a very interactive and unique museum. Built in 1900 to function as a hospital, the then hospital was soon turned into a military prison.

Here were revolutionaries, fishermen and non-commissioned officers of the tsarist army, deserters of the German Wehrmacht, and enemies of the people in Stalin's time, soldiers of both the Soviet army and the Latvian army and other rebels confined.

A minor misconduct irrevocably led to extra days. On the prison walls notes of prisoners from 1997 have been found!

Other attractions:

The occupation- and regime museum and Festung Libau.

history

Liepaja was already seen by the Russians in the 19th century for a good location to build a port mainly because it was ice-free. Tsar Alexander III ordered the digging of the harbor and the construction of a marine complex large enough for the first Baltic fleet.

When the Germans invaded Russia, Liepaja became a popular target because of their important port. The population was also seen by the Nazis as very sympathetic to Communism. The goal was to occupy the city on the first day of operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941. The defense led by the Red Army and other Soviet divisions would stop the Nazis until the 29th, while snipers would still be active for days in the city. The city was fairly destroyed during the fighting and fires would last for days.

When Liepaja had fallen, the Germans immediately started with the gathering of Jews from the city. Thousands were collected by Einsatzgruppen, the SD but also Latvian militias and en-masse shot, many in public or semi-public places. Communists, gypsies, mentally disturbed and "hostages" were also shot down. Some 5 to 6,000 were shot at places such as the central city park, the harbors, the Olympic stadium, the dunes and close to the lighthouse. A second difference with many other mass slaughterings from WWII (besides that it was to be seen in public places) is that a lot of film material has been preserved.

Secretly copied, the rolls were buried and presented as evidence after the war to expel the biggest criminals. Only in June 1942 a very small ghetto was set up, consisting of 11 houses in four streets. More than 800 Jews would live here to work for the Germans. In October 1943 the ghetto was dissolved and the surviving residents were taken to the ghetto of Riga. During WWII, Koerland was defended to the last man and bullet by the so-called Courland regiments of the German army against the Russian Red Army (Kurlandregiments). After all, the area was German-oriented. In addition, there was a bunker-ring around the city laid out by the Nazis and the large lake gave a natural protection.

After the war, the city "Russian" was rebuilt and is once again an important port for industrial and pleasure craft. There are also many ferry connections to Sweden and Germany.

Liepaja-Prison-Truck-Army-Latvia-Red-Bricks-Museum

tips & advice (2012)

The small bus- and train station is located about 1 kilometer outside the city center on the north side of the city. You can easily walk to the center where you are treated on both sides by beautiful old houses in an atmosphere that takes you back to the beginning of the last century. But you can also take an old-fashioned tram (0.40 Lt per trip).

TIP: Buy a ticket in the tram because there is a strict inspector around who is guaranteed to check.

Liepaja - Karosta (neighborhood): Bus 4 or 7 will take you to the neighborhood Karosta (0.40 Ls) - ticket you buy in a kiosk. Ask where you have to get out to the driver and / or people on the bus. It is about 4 kilometers and the district itself is a revelation to walk around. Tip is to get out as far as possible and then take enough time to visit and then take the bus back.

Liepaja - Kuldiga: the time of the bus ride varies from 2 to 3 hours and you get a good picture of what life and the country looked like and still see during the ride that takes you through the countryside of Koerland. There are 8 buses per day but check the times. The ride costs 3.40 Ls.

Name: Karosta prison

Address: Invalidu 4

Open: Every day from 10:00 to 18:00 (May to September - other months by appointment only)

Price: 3 Ls

Time: 0.5 hours - 1 hour

Transport: Bus 4.7 from the center

Website: www.karostascietums.lv

Content:

A guided tour of one (half) hour in an old Russian military prison with guide in Russian uniform; the information you get by the good English speaking guide is more than sufficient, although for me personally the over the top “circus” act can be taken away.

The building itself is already a museum in itself and inside not much has changed since the time that the Russians left Liepaja for good in 1994. Really spectacular as the KGB prison in Vilnius it is not and the nightly "overstays" I find somewhat exaggerated. But as a part of the neighborhood, its history is certainly worth it.

Name: Museum Occupation & Regime Department

Address: K. Ukstina Iela 79

Open: Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00

Price: free

Time: 1 hour

Transport: walking (center)

Content:

What can you expect from a free museum. As an English speaking person you get a copied folder with information that matches the numbered glass showcases. History is heartbreaking and is well explained in the stencils and photographs, utensils and letters endorse this even though the museum is somewhat static.

Everything is on display in four rooms that are connected to each other and in the latter a realistic cabin has been imitated including woman and child. If you are interested in history, you should visit it but don’t expect too much.

Liepaja-Latvia-Truck-Army-Streetlife-Old-Buildings

If you are a Rock music lover you should definitely look for a bar in the center. The city has a reputation to hold.

N.a.v. a tip from the girl from the information center I went to the popular Doc-pizza restaurant; Applicable is near the "pasta-street" this almost running-buffet restaurant that cost excellent quick bites for about 2.90 Ls. It is located behind the university.

Name: "Private house" (incl. Kitchen, TV etc)

Address: Viduscela nr. 35

Price: 6 Ls

Content:

A neat house just outside the center that is large enough to share in a rental area and one that is used by the owners itself. My room has three beds, a table, chairs, TV, refrigerator, wardrobe and there are three spots above the individual beds. The linen is clean and there are two towels and an extra thick blanket if it gets cold.

Because I am alone and there is no one else tonight, I also have the toilet and shower, kitchen and sitting area in the hall for myself. The WIFI works well in the corridor. The daughter of the owner speaks English fluently and it is the cheapest option in the city while you do not have to go to the dormitory. The back of the house is located on a large garden and the front on a gravel road - in other words very quiet.

TIP ask information center to call for an appointment

Liepaja-Sovjet-Building-Architecture-Windows-Latvia

Liepaja

Places of Interest - Latvia

introduction

highlights

history

tips & advice (2012)

see also:

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