Liepāja

Amber clock

Actually a sundial-shaped design object, is on the promenade, and is created from thousands of pieces of amber, donated by anyone who wanted to do so. The sundial shows time every hour on the hour, by a special light performance. The performance can be seen much better, when it is dark outside.

Contemporary Art Gallery

gallery k.Māksla

Modern, a bit weird, but always original and interesting exhibitions. You can also rent bicycles here.

Craftman's house

The House of Craftsmen

Latvian craftwork in the former home of the mayor Schröder. See the longest amber necklace in the world (123 m or 403 ft), weighing almost 20 kg (44 lb). You can also watch weavers working a creating beautiful tablecloths, skirts etc. Also, craftsmen workshops, demonstrations of crafts, and exhibitions.

Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00. Usually closed on weekends.·Donation appreciated

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Liepājas Svētā Trīsvienības Evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca

Has a 55 m (180 ft) high tower, which is a perfect sightseeing place. It also has a huge church organ, made of more than 7000 pipes, which was the biggest organ in the world till 1912. It is still the biggest in Latvia and one of the biggest and most beautiful in Europe.

Horse Arena

Manēža

A roofless building, which was once used for soldiers' training to ride horses, as well as for official celebrations for up to 4000 people who could fit there. These days the building is not used, except for one nice event, when Liepāja symphony orchestra made an open-air concert here.

Karosta Prison

Karostas cietums

A real military prison until 1997 and now for tourists. You are treated like a prisoner in a reality show and, if you are brave enough, can even stay overnight. Military heritage, show, prison cells, prison buffet, tours, lodging, museum, adventures.

Karosta Water Tower

Liepājas Karostas ūdenstornis

The water tower is part of the formerly Russian Tsar Alexander III Mořských city. The construction is assumed to have happened between 1903 and 1905.

Thu-Sun 12:00-18:00

Karosta beach

There is a "beach" in Karosta. There you will find some pebbles and the sand might not be that soft as in the previous beach. On the seashore of Karosta you can also see a "breakwater", the longest of Liepāja's breakwaters, stretching 1.8 km into the sea, and you can go on it by car for approximately half of its length. Just be careful of waves in windy weather. And wind is famous in Liepāja. A Latvian expression says "the city where wind was born". And as any Latvian would tell, it's Liepāja. On the shore you can also see two fortresses. This is a wild beach with steep coasts, unlike the central beach with dunes.

Northern Forts

Ziemeļu forti

The ruins of a 1908 fortress. Military heritage, tours with torches, underground labyrinths, fortifications, seashore, history of Karosta. It was not blasted up. So, it has much more underground labyrinths and tunnels to explore, but it is not as scenic and dramatic from the outside as the first one. Nearby the Northern Forts you can see nature-friendly energy being made by a huge wind power generator, which can be seen from far in the distance.

Saint Anne's Church

Liepājas Svētās Annas Evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca

Built of red brick and the oldest of Liepāja's churches. The organ is the third biggest in Latvia. First mentioned in 1508 with a 9.70 m high wooden baroque altar from 1697. The tower can be climbed.

St. Joseph's Cathedral

Liepājas Svētā Jāzepa Romas katoļu katedrāle

The biggest Catholic church in Liepāja. Built of yellow bricks, with many small towers. There is a ship model in the church, which was believed to bring good luck for fishermen.

St. Meynard's Church

Meinarda baznīca

Very different from all the others, because it is much newer. It was a gift from Vatican. It was the Vatican's pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany, and brought here in 2002. The church is not in the city centre.

St. Nikolai Orthodox Cathedral

Liepājas Sv. Nikolaja pareizticīgo jūras katedrāle

An impressive church in a depressing place. Just nearby Soviet-style apartment buildings surround the church, making it very surreal and contrasting. It was used as a cinema and a gym for soldiers during the soviet occupation years. Nowadays, the St. Nicholas maritime cathedral is a church again and the sound of its bells can be heard from afar.

Submarine Accumulator Fence and Hangar

The remains of a submarine base that was once here. There are also former dormitories, beautiful red brick buildings. All are abandoned and partially demolished.

The Oskars Kalpaks Bridge

Kalpaka Tilts

This iconic swinging metal bridge to Karosta is often opened to make way for ships. Designed by the German engineer Harald Hall and built in 1906. Check out the times at the bridge when the bridge is closed and ships are let through.

Open: 01:00–03:00, 05:00–06:30, 10:30–12:00, 14:30–15:30, 19:30–21:00

Twinned town of Chernobyl

Empty Soviet style apartment buildings, left in 1994. Some are already destroyed, some 10 are still there. Many older houses are empty as well.

Eight fortresses

They are all around the city, but the most scenic and interesting ones are these two on the shores of Karosta. The one closer to the breakwater (you can even see a small part of it from the breakwater), is the Nearby Forts. The other one, further to the north, is the Northern Forts.

Liepāja During Occupational Regimes

Liepāja okupāciju režīmos

Klāva Ukstiņa iela 7/9

Wed–Sun 10:00–18:00

Liepāja Museum

Liepājas muzejs

Kūrmājas prospekts 16

daily 10:00–18:00

Nearby Fort

Tuvējie forti

It was blasted up shortly after being built.

Museum of Fishing and Navigation

Zvejniecības un kuģniecības muzejs

Features scale models of various seafaring vessels.