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Liepaja () is a city in western Latvia on the Baltic sea and the administrative center of Liepaja district. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme (Courland) region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port. As of 1 January 2007, Liepaja had a population of 85,132.
The city structure was constructed to resemble a moth. Liepaja is located directly at 21°E.
Liepaja is known throughout Latvia as "the city where the wind is born", possibly due to the constant sea breeze.
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Encyclopedia
Liepaja () is a city in western Latvia on the Baltic sea and the administrative center of Liepaja district. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme (Courland) region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port. As of 1 January 2007, Liepaja had a population of 85,132.
The city structure was constructed to resemble a moth. Liepaja is located directly at 21°E.
Liepaja is known throughout Latvia as "the city where the wind is born", possibly due to the constant sea breeze. A song of the same name ( ) was composed by Imants Kalninš and has become the anthem of the city. The reputation of Liepaja as the windiest city in Latvia has been further endorsed as the biggest wind power plant in Latvia (33 Enercon wind turbines) was constructed nearby.
The Coat of Arms of Liepaja was adopted four days after it gained city rights on 18 March 1625. These are described as: "on a silver background, the lion of Kurzeme with a divided tail, who leans upon a linden tree with its forelegs. "The flag of Liepaja has the coat of arms in the center, with red in the top half and green in the bottom.
History
The original settlement in the place of modern Liepaja was founded by Curonian fishermen and known by the name Liva (from the name of the river Lyva on which Liepaja was located, which in turn originated from Livonian word Liiv meaning "sand"). The oldest written text mentioning the name is dated 4 April 1253. The Livonian Order under the aegis of the Teutonic Order established the settlement as the village of Liba(u) in 1263. In 1418 the city was sacked and burned by the Lithuanians. In 15th century, through the Liva, passed a trade route from Amsterdam to Moscow, part of which was named the "white road to Lyva portus". By 1520 the river Liva became too shallow for easy navigation, and this negatively influenced the development of the city.
In 1560, Gotthard Kettler loaned all the Grobina district including Liepaja to Albert, Duke of Prussia for 50,000 guldens. Only in 1609 after the marriage of Sofie Hohenzollern, princess of Prussia, to Wilhelm Kettler did the territory return to the Duchy. During the Livonian War, Liepaja was attacked and destroyed by the Swedes. In 1625, Duke Friedrich Kettler of Courland granted the town city rights, which were affirmed by King Sigismund III of Poland in 1626. The name Liepaja was mentioned for the first time in 1649 by Paul Einhorn in his work "Historia Lettica". Under Duke Jacob Kettler (1642-1681), Liepaja became one of the main ports of Courland as it reached the height of its prosperity. In 1637 Courland colonization was started from the ports of Liepaja and Ventspils.
Jacob was an eager proponent of mercantilist ideas. Metalworking and ship building became much more developed and trading relations developed not only with nearby countries, but also with Britain, France, the Netherlands and Portugal. In 1697-1703 a canal was cut to the sea and a port was built. In 1701, during the Great Northern War, Liepaja was captured by Charles XII of Sweden, but the end of the war saw the city in Polish possession. In 1710 an epidemic of plague killed about a third of the population of Liepaja.
In 1780 the first Freemasonry Lodge "Libanons" was set up in the port of Liepaja by Provincial Grandmaster Ivan Yelagin on behalf of the Provincial Lodge of Russia and was registered with a number 524 in the Grand Lodge of England.
Courland passed to the control of Russian Empire in 1795 during the third Partition of Poland and became the Courland Governorate of Russia. Growth during the nineteenth century was rapid. In 1857 the engineer Heidatel developed a project to reconstruct the port of Liepaja. In 1861-1868 the project was realized - including the building of a lighthouse and breakwaters.
Between 1877-1882 the political and literature weekly newspaper Liepajas Pastnieks was published - the first Latvian language newspaper in Liepaja. In the 1870s the rapid development of the Russian railways and the 1871 opening of the Libava-Kaunas and the 1876 Liepaja-Romni railways ensured that a large proportion of central Russian trade passed through Liepaja.
By 1900, 7% of Russian exports were passing through Liepaja. The city became a major port of the Russian Empire on the Baltic Sea, as well as popular resort. On the orders of Alexander III Liepaja was fortified against possible German attacks. The Libava fortress was subsequently built around the city, and in the early 20th century a major military base was established on the northern edge, including formidable coastal fortifications and extensive quarters for military personnel. As part of the military development a separate military port was excavated. This area became known as Kara Osta (War Port) and served military needs throughout the twentieth century.
Early in the twentieth century the port of Liepaja became a central point of embarkation for immigrants traveling to the United States. By 1906 the direct service to the United States was used by 40,000 migrants a year. Simultaneously, the first Russian training detachment of submarine navigation was founded. In 1912 one of the first water aerodromes in Russia was opened in Liepaja. By 1913, 1738 ships entered Libava with 1,548,119 tones of cargo passing through the port. The population had increased from 10,000 to over 100,000 within about 60 years.
World War I
During World War I, German dirigibles bombed Liepaja in January, 1915. Liepaja was occupied by the German army on May 7, 1915; in memory of this event, a monument was constructed on Kurmajas prospect in 1916 (destroyed in 1919). On 23 October 1915, the German cruiser was sunk by the British submarine , 37 kilometers west of Liepaja. In 1915, Liepaja's local government issued its own money - Libava rubles.
During the war, words of The Jäger March were written in Liepaja by Heikki Nurmio.
1918-1940
After the war, when the independent state of Latvia was founded, Liepaja became the de facto capital of Latvia for six months when the interim government of Latvia, headed by Karlis Ulmanis, fled from Riga on a ship "Saratov". In 1918 Libava was renamed Liepaja. In 1935 KOD started to manufacture the light aircraft KOD-1 and KOD-2.
World War II
The ports and human capital of Liepaja and Ventspils were targets of Stalin and part of the reason for the signing of Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. In 1940 upon annexation by the Soviet Union the private property was nationalized and many thousands of former owners were arrested and deported to Siberia; and thousands also fled to North America, Australia and western Europe. In 1941 Liepaja was among the first cities captured by 291 division of Army Group North when Nazi Germany began the war with the Soviet Union in 1941. The local Jewish population, which numbered about 7,000 before the war, was virtually exterminated by German Nazis and Latvian collaborators. Most of this mass murder took place in the dunes of Škede north of the city. Fewer than 30 Jews remained alive in Liepaja by the end of the war. Film footage of an Einsatzgruppen execution of local Jews was made in Liepaja. In 1944-1945 years Liepaja was located in the "Courland Pocket" and was only recaptured by the Soviet army on 9 May 1945. World War II devastated the city, most of the buildings and plants were destroyed.
On 25–29 March, 1949, a second mass deportation to Siberia occurred from Liepaja. In 1950 the monument to Stalin was erected on Station square but was dismantled in 1958.
During 1953-1957 the city center was reconstructed under the direction of architects A. Kruglov and M. Žagare. In 1952-1955 the Liepaja Academy of Pedagogy building was constructed under the direction of A. Aivars. In 1960 the Kurzeme shopping centre was opened.
During the Soviet occupation, Liepaja was a closed city and even nearby farmers and villagers needed a special permit to enter the city. The Soviet military set up its Baltic naval base and nuclear weapon warehouses there; sandpit Beberlinš was dug out for extraction of the sand used for construction of underground warehouses. The port was completely closed to commercial traffic in 1967.
One third of the city was taken up with a Soviet naval base with 26 thousand military staff. In Liepaja the 14th submarine squadron of the Baltic Fleet of USSR (call sign "????????") was stationed with 16 submarines (613, 629a, 651); as was the 6th group of rear supply of Baltic Fleet, and the 81st design bureau and reserve command center of the same force.
In 1971 the script of the one of the most popular Soviet comedies Gentlemen of Fortune was written in Liepaja by Georgy Danelia.
In 1977, Liepaja was awarded the Order of the October Revolution for heroic defense against the Nazi Germany in 1941. In Liepaja 5 people were awarded the honorary title Hero of Socialist Labor - Anatolijs Filatkins, Arturs Fridrihsons, Voldemars Lazdups, Valentins Šuvajevs and Otilija Žagata.
Because of the rapid growth of the city population, a shortage of apartment houses became an issue. To solve this, most of the modern Liepaja districts - Dienvidrietumi, Ezerkrasts, Ziemelu priekšpilseta, Zala birze and Tosmare - were built. The majority of these blocks were constructed of ferro-concrete panels on standard projects of Latgyprogorstroy . In 1986 the new central city hospital in Zala birze was opened.
In 1987 the script of the film Frenchman was written in Liepaja. A part of the film Moonzund was filmed in the town in the same year.
1990-present
After Latvia regained independence, Liepaja has worked hard to change from a military city into a modern port city (now marked on European maps after secrecy in the Soviet period). The commercial port was re-opened in 1991. In 1994 the last Russian troops left Liepaja.
Since then, Liepaja has engaged in international co-operation, has been associated with 10 twin and partner cities and is an active partner in several co-operation networks. Facilities are being improved as the city hosts Latvia's largest naval flotilla, the biggest warehouses of ammunition and weapon in the Baltic states and the main centre of supply of the Latvian army.
In the beginning of the 21st century many ambitious projects were planned for construction in the city, including building of the NATO military base, the biggest amusement park in Baltic states - Baltic Sea Park and modern concert hall "Lielais Dzintars"; but most of them haven't been realised because of economic and political motives.
In 2006, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, a direct descendant of Jacob Kettler visited Liepaja.
In 2008 Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia decided to build the coal cogeneration 400 MW power plant near Liepaja.
Climate
Liepaja is located in a zone with a temperate marine climate. The major factor influencing the weather in the region is the Baltic Sea, providing a mild winter and a cool summer. During the winter the sea around Liepaja is virtually ice-free. Although occasionally some land-fast ice may develop, it seldom reaches a hundred meters from the shore and does not last long before melting. The sea warms up fully only in the beginning of August, so the best bathing season in Liepaja is from August to September. Regular meteorological observations in the city have been conducted from 1857.
- February: -3.1 °C (26.4 °F)
- July: +16.0 °C (60.8 °F)
- Absolute minimum of temperature: -33 °C (-36 °F)
- Absolute maximum of temperature: +34 °C (93 °F)
- Number of sunny days per year: 196
- Average speed of wind: 5.8 m/s (13 mph)
- Average annual norm of precipitation (mostly rain): 692 mm (27.2 in)
- Winter: south
- Summer: western
Geography
Liepaja is situated on the coast of the Baltic Sea in the south-western part of Latvia. The westernmost geographical point of Latvia is located approximately 15 kilometers to the south thus making Liepaja Latvia's furthest west city. Liepaja is situated between the Baltic Sea and Liepaja Lake with residential and industrial areas spreading north of the lake. The Trade Channel connects the lake to the sea dividing the city into southern and northern parts, which are often referred to as the Old Town and the New Town respectively. The city center is located in the southern part and, although called the Old Town, is relatively more developed. Most of the administrative and cultural buildings are found here as well as the main leisure areas. Along the coast the city extends northwards until it reaches the Tosmare Channel . North of the Tosmare Channel is an area called Karosta which is now fully integrated into Liepaja and is the northernmost district of the city. Liepaja's coastline consists of an unbroken sandy beach and dunes as does most of Latvia's coastline. The beach of Liepaja is not as exploited as other places (e.g. the Gulf of Riga, Jurmala and Pärnu in Estonia) but also lacks the tourist infrastructure needed for a fashionable, modern resort.
The closest city to Liepaja is Grobina located about 10 km away along the way to Riga. Other main cities in the region are Klaipeda (approx. 110 km to the south), Ventspils (approx. 115 km to the north) and Saldus (approx. 100 km to the east). The distance to Riga (the capital of Latvia) is about 200 km to the east. The nearest point to Liepaja across the Baltic sea is the Swedish island of Gotland approximately 160 km to the north-west. The distance to Stockholm is 216 nautical miles.
Jurmala Park
Jurmala Park (Seaside Park) was developed at the end of the 19th century. The park is 3 km long with a total area of 70 ha and is one of the largest planted parks in Latvia.
At the end of Peldu Street are Latvia’s largest drums – one of the objects of Liepaja’s environmental design which reminds one that Liepaja is the music capital of Latvia.
The open-air concert stage Put, vejini! (Blow, wind, blow!) was built in 1964. It has been the venue for a good many concerts and festivals, with the festival "Liepajas Dzintars" ("Amber of Liepaja") being the most famous among them, as it could be regarded as the oldest rock festival of the former Soviet Union. It was held for the first time in 1968.
Alongside the stage is an interesting building, the former Bath House built in 1902 and designed by Max Paul Bertschy. At the beginning of the 19th century Liepaja was a renowned health resort and the Russian tsar and his family had been visiting Liepaja. This all encouraged other aristocrats from Russia and Europe to spend their summers in Liepaja as well.
Libava's fortress
Liepaja neighbourhoods
Suburban settlements
Architecture and Sights
Liepaja is rich in different architecture styles. Wooden houses, Jugend (Art Nouveau) buildings and Soviet-era apartment buildings and lots of green parks and waterfronts are characteristic of Liepaja. The main areas of interest for tourists are the city centre with many churches and the seaside park with white, soft sandy beaches; as well as Karosta, which is the northern suburb and used to be a secret military town, now a place for tourists and artists. Karosta boasts beaches with scenic blasted fortresses, a big orthodox cathedral, a prison now operating as a hostel and many other things. Another area for tourists might be the Ezerkrasts (Lakeside), which is near the Liepaja lake.
Monuments and Memorials
Former monuments
Notable buildings
- Rose square
- Swan Pond (remnant of river Liva)
- Hotel "Libava"
- Peter The Great house - the oldest house in Liepaja
- Graudu 45 - Graudu nams (Jugendstil)
- Graudu 42 - Former "Bonic Café"
- Petertirgus - Central market
- Liepajas teatris
- City council building - Former District court
- Restaurant "Vecais Kapteins"
- Liela 14 - LPA building
- 1st Latvian Rock Café
Churches
- St. Anna's Protestant Church (1587)
- Holy Trinity Lutheran Cathedral (1758)
- St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral (1762)
- Holy Trinity Orthodox Church (1867)
- St. Nicholas Orthodox Naval Cathedral (1901-1903)
- St. Meynard's church
Museums
- The Liepaja Museum
- The Liepaja Museum Department "Liepaja during the occupational regimes"
- Museum "History of Liepaja Community of Jews"
- Museum "Liepajas Metalurgs" (founded in 2007)
- Museum "Karosta Prison"
Transport
The urban transport network of Liepaja relies mainly on buses and minicoaches. There are 11 bus routes and 6 minibus routes in Liepaja. The city also has a single two-way 6.9 km long tram line running through some parts of the city from north-east to south-west, which also provides a vital transport link. The tram line was founded after the opening of the first Liepaja power plant in 1899, which makes it the oldest electric tram line in the Baltic states and now operated by municipal company Liepajas tramvajs.
The Port of Liepaja has a wide water area and consists of three main parts. The Winter harbor is located in the Trade channel and serves for the small local fishing vessels as well as medium cargo ships. Immediately north of the Trade channel is the main area of the port separated from the open sea by a line of breakwaters. This part of the port can accept large ships and ferry lines. Further north is Tosmare harbor also called Tosmare channel which formerly was a military harbor, but now is used for ship repairs and other commercial purposes. Liepaja also welcomes yachts and other leisure vessels which can enter the Trade channel and moor almost in the center of the city.
Liepaja has a railway connection to Jelgava and Riga and through them to the rest of Latvia's railway network. There is one passenger station in the New town, but the railway extends further and links to the port. There is also a northward railway track leading to Ventspils, but in recent decades it has fallen in disuse due to economical reasons. The railway provides the main means of delivering cargo to the port.
Two main highways A9 and A11 lead out of the city providing another important transport link to the port. A9 road leads north-west towards Riga and central Latvia. A11 road leads south to the border with Lithuania and its only port Klaipeda and to Palanga International Airport.
City also hosts Liepaja International Airport, one of the three international airports in Latvia, which is located out of city limits north of the Lake of Liepaja in a little town named Cimdenieki. Regular daily flights to Riga, Hamburg and Copenhagen are available by the Latvian national airline AirBaltic.
Communications
Communications in Liepaja are quite developed. Liepaja is connected to global Internet by two optical lines owned by Lattelecom and TeliaSonera International Carrier and radio relay line owned by LVRTC. In Liepaja are located 5 Lattelecom telephone exchanges and LVRTC TV station and tower, from which are translated 4 national TV channels, 1 local TV channel "TV Dzintare" and 6 radio stations. City also has two local cable TV operators with total number of clients about 15000 and 3 local ISP. City also has its own amateur radio team and city-wide wireless video monitoring system. In 2008-2009 is planned to start digital TV (DVB-T and DVB-H) broadcasting and install city-wide Wi-Fi network. All 4 Latvian mobile operators have stable zones of coverage (GSM 900/1800, CDMA) and client service centers in Liepaja. City also hosts 14 post offices and DHL, UPS and DPD depots.
Economy
In the second half of 20th century under the USSR rule Liepaja has become industrial city and big number of high technology plants has been founded, including:
- Mashzavod
- Liepajselmash - 1954 (now Hidrolats)
- Sarkanais Metalurgs (now Liepajas Metalurgs)
- SRZ-29 (now Tosmares kugu buvetava)
- LBORF - 1964
- Bolshevik - 1949 (now Kursa)
- Perambulator factory "Liepaja"
- Mixed fodder plant
- Sugar plant
- Match factory "Baltija" - 1957
- Ferro-concrete constructions plant - 1959
- Oil extraction plant
- SU-426 of BMGS (now BMGS)
- Lauma - 1972
- Linoleum plant
- Shoes factory
After collapse of USSR's centrally planned economy, only a small number of these plants continue to work.
Within Latvia Liepaja is well know mostly by coffee brand Liepajas kafija, beer Livu alus and sugar Liepajas cukurs.
In 1997 the Liepaja Special Economic Zone was established for 20 years providing a low tax environment in order to attract foreign investments and facilitate the economic development of Liepaja, but investments growth slows down shortage of skilled labor force. The main industries in Liepaja is the steel producer Liepajas Metalurgs, building firm UPB and the underwear brand Lauma. Economy of Liepaja also relies heavily on its port which accepts wide range of cargo. Most notable companies working in Liepaja's port are Baltic Transshipment Center, Liepajas Osta LM, Laskana, Astramar and Terrabalt. After joining European Union in 2004, most Liepaja companies was faced with strict European rules and terse competition and was forced to stop production or to sell enterprises to European companies. In 2007 were closed Liepajas cukurfabrika and Liepajas serkocini; Livu alus, Liepajas maiznieks and Lauma has been sold to European investors.
Roads
Electricity distribution and generation
Gas
Sewer & Water
Heating
Waste management
Society and Culture
Literature, theater and films
In Liepaja now located one cinema "Kino Balle" (in 1985 was 5 cinemas), one theater "Liepajas teatris", one puppet theater and issued two regional newspapers "Kurzemes Vards" with circulation of about 10000 and "Kursas laiks" with circulation of about 6500. City also has 3 regional internet portals. Internet forums, IRC, online games and social networking sites are very popular among young people.
Music
Liepaja is often called the capital of Latvian rock music. Many famous composers and bands have been inspired by Liepaja, including Livi, Credo, 2xBBM and Tumsa. In the very heart of Liepaja you can find the 1st Latvian Rock Café and Latvian Musician's Walk of Fame. The city features the regionally acclaimed annual music festival Liepajas Dzintars presenting bands from Baltic states as well as internationally famous guests. The city is also a place of the annual Baltic Beach Party which features a stage for rock bands raised directly on the beach and draws thousands of fans each year. Liepaja is also a place of Organ Music festival and Piano Stars festival.
Sport
In 1998 an ice hall was built in the city which has since hosted regular ice hockey games including two youth World championship games. In the Liepaja also located Daugava Stadium and Olimpija Stadium - the home stadiums of FHK Liepajas Metalurgs and tennis courts. On August 2, 2008 a new multifunctional sport center was officially openned. The city is also a place of international rally Kurzeme and chess tournament Liepajas Rokade.
Leisure and entertainment
Liepaja encourages tourism the main attraction being pristine Blue Flag beach with white sand and rolling dunes, but it also offers number of historical sites including Protestant and orthodox churches and the ruins of military fortifications from the times of the Russian Empire. Another historical place is a surprisingly well preserved wooden hut, where the Russian tsar Peter the Great lived for some time while traveling through the area during the Grand Embassy in 1697.
Demographics
With 85,345 inhabitants in 2007, Liepaja is the third largest city in the Latvia, though its population has been on the decrease since 1991. The most notable decrease of population was due to the withdrawal of Soviet army personnel and emigration of many Russian speaking families to Russia in 1991-2000. Other causes include movement to EU countries after 2004 and low birth rates. Some have estimated that the population may fall by as much as 50% by 2050.
According to the 2007 data, native Latvians make up 52.0% of the population of Liepaja (by comparison, proportion of Latvians countrywide is 59%). Russians form a considerable minority.
| Year | 1638 | 1800 | 1840 | 1881 | 1897 | 1907 | 1914 | 1921 | 1940 | 1950 | 1959 | 1970 | 1975 | 1989 | 1995 | 2000 | 2007 |
|---|
| Th. people | 1.0 | 4.5 | 11.0 | 29.6 | 64.5 | 81.0 | 94.0 | 51.6 | 52.9 | 64.2 | 71.0 | 92.9 | 100.0 | 114.5 | 100.3 | 89.1 | 85.3 |
Religion
Liepaja has a number of churches, as would be expected in a city of its size. As elsewhere in central and western Latvia, Protestant churches — mostly Lutheran and Baptist — are predominant. The congregations of St. Anne church (Lutheran) and St. Paul church (Baptist) are among the most well-established. Due to the regional importance of Liepaja during the last decades of the Russian Empire a number of Russian Orthodox churches were established in the city early in the twentieth century, and are still attended mainly by the Russian speaking population. Catholic faith is represented in Liepaja by a well established church, Catholic primary school and the Catholic centre established in a pavilion, which represented the Vatican in Expo 2000 in Hanover and was transferred to Liepaja after the event. Several other Christian churches such as Old Believers, Adventist, Pentecostal, Latter Day Saints and Jehova's Witnesses are also represented in the city by single congregations.
Government
Fourteen deputies and a mayor make up the Liepaja City Council. City's voters select a new government every four years, in March. The Council selects from its members the Chairman of City Council (also called City Mayor), the First Vice Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson (Deputy Mayors) which are full time positions. City Council also appoints the members of four standing committees, which prepare issues to be discussed in the Council meetings: Finance Committee; City Economy and Development Committee; Social Affairs, Health Care, Education and Public Order Committee; Culture and Sports Committee. The City of Liepaja had an operating budget of LVL 31 millions in 2006, more than half of which comes from income tax. Traditionally, political leanings in Liepaja have been right-wing, although only about 70% of city population have voting right. The Liepajas partija have dominated the polls.
Former city mayors
- Johanns Ruprehts (about 1631-1638) - the first city burgomaster
Russian Empire
- Karlis Gotlibs Sigismunds Ulihs (1878-1880) - the first publicly elected city mayor
- Adolfs fon Bagehufilds (1882 - 1886)
- Hermanis Adolfi (1886-1902)
- Kristians Cinks (1902-1906) and (1908-1910)
- Viljams Dreiersdorfs (1906-1908)
- Alberts Volgemuts (1910-1914)
- Teodors Breikšs (1914-1915)
- Andrejs Berzinš (1918-1919)
Independent Latvia (1918-1940)
- Ansis Buševics (19.01.1919-17.02.1921)
- Jekabs Cincelis (02.1921-08.1921)
- Janis Baumanis (29.08.1921-27.02.1922)
- Evalds Rimbenieks (1922-1928) and (1934-1940)
- Leo Lapa (1928-1934)
USSR
- Bilevics (1940-1941)
- Matiss Edžinš (10.05.1945-05.10.1945)
- Rodions Ansons (05.10.1945-21.04.1950)
- Peteris Ezerinš (27.12.1950-18.06.1953)
- Voldemars Lejinš (1953-1956)
- ???
- Karlis Strautins (09.11.1965-09.1.1971)
- Egils Ozols (19.03.1971-29.06.1977)
- Janis Liepinš (29.06.1977-07.03.1985)
- Alfreds Drozda (1985-1990)
Independent Latvia (1990-present)
Education and Science
Liepaja has wide educational resources and long traditions of Soviet education, but most well educated young people leave the city because of lack of high-technology and prospective firms and low wages. City has 21 kindergartens, 8 Latvian schools, 5 Russian schools, 1 school with mixed language of education, 1 evening school, 2 music schools and two internat schools. Interest education for children and youth is available in 8 municipal institutions: Children and Youth Centre, Youth Centre, Centre for Young Technicians, Art and Creation Centre "Vaduguns", Complex Sport School, Gymnastics School, Tennis Sports School, Sports School "Daugava" (football, track-and-field athletics) and Basketball Sports School.
Higher and professional education in Liepaja represented by:
- University of Liepaja
- Riga Technical University Liepaja branch
- Baltic Russian Institute Liepaja branch
- School of Business Administration Turiba Liepaja branch
- Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy Liepaja branch
- Liepaja Applied Art School
- Liepaja Marine College
- Liepaja Medical College
- Liepaja 48 College
- Liepaja 31 College
Liepaja Central Library has 6 branches and audio record library. Literature fund consists of about 460000 copies and online catalog. Average annual number of visitors - 25000.
- Percent of resident population with only primary education (2001) - 14%
- Percent of resident population with secondary education (2001) - 40%
- Percent of resident population with tertiary education (2001) - 9%
Notable natives
Sister cities
Liepaja maintains sister city relationships with the following cities:
| Nynäshamn, Sweden (1990) | Elblag, Poland (1991) | Bellevue, Washington, USA (1992) | | Darmstadt, Germany (1993) | | Homyel, Belarus (1999) | | Karlshamn, Sweden (1997) | Klaipeda, Lithuania (1997) | Gdynia, Poland (1999) | | Rogaland county, Norway (1999) | Bergen, Norway (2001) | Palanga, Lithuania (2001) | | Helsingborg, Sweden (2005) |
Gallery
See also
Bibliography
External links
- - Liepaja City Council official website
- - Liepaja news in Russian
- - Liepaja news in Latvian
- - Port of Liepaja
- - virtual tour of Liepaja
- - Liepaja Symphony orchestra
- - Liepaja regional newspaper
- - Liepaja district newspaper
- - Webcam showing "Rose square" in Liepaja
- - Photos Of Liepaja
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