Hafen
Liepaja

Liepaja is a city defined by its contrasts – a place where sweeping historic trends and powerful geopolitical crosscurrents have translated over time into its art and architecture. This expert-led walk focuses on important examples, both classically old and dramatically new, for an in-depth perspective.

Concentrated along Graudu and Liela streets within Liepaja’s Old City core, a collection of some 70 Art Nouveau buildings stands among the foremost examples of this style in Europe. Not only will you encounter historically accurate residences reflecting the Nouveau design aesthetic, but schools, cinema houses, office buildings, and even the oldest professional theatre in Latvia, considered its most beautiful by many. During this 90-minute tour segment, your guide will take you inside several houses with notably well-preserved interiors – from authentic staircase ornaments to the paintings on their walls.

But bold contemporary architecture thrives equally in Liepaja, as you’ll see clearly on an in-depth tour of a modern design marvel, the Great Amber Concert Hall inaugurated in 2015. Standing 8 stories tall and clad in glass the color of its name, this Internationally acclaimed gem contains multiple performance and display spaces. During your hour stay, you’ll visit all the Great Amber halls – from the 1st-floor Civita Nova Art Space and intimate 2nd-floor Chamber Hall to the main 972-seat Great Hall and Civita Nova 6 and Experimental Stage spaces on the 6th floor – and learn much about their designers. Afterward, enjoy 30 minutes at your leisure in Rose Square before the brief coach drive back to the port.

The charm of Liepaja lies in its unique contrasts – in some ways, a city of quiet restraint; in others, a town whose rebellious nature swirls like the Baltic waters that wash its stunning shoreline. Lace up your walking shoes and step out for a few hours to capture some of its atmosphere and most significant sights with a local guide in the lead.

A brief drive from the port brings you to Holy Trinity Cathedral, principal church of the Diocese of Liepaja and home of the world’s largest unreconstructed mechanical organ. Follow your guide inside to tour this towering landmark and after, enjoy a 20-minute Organ Music Recital that demonstrates the amazing tone of this archaic instrument.   

From here, it’s a short walk to Rose Square, the traditional heart of the city. Over the next 90 minutes, encounter monumental buildings as well as quiet lanes lined with inviting one-story houses as your guide threads a path through Old Town, Liepaja’s sizable historic district. One of the highlights is Kuršu Square, a 16^th-century market square where an ornate Art Nouveau pavilion still serves as the town’s central shopping destination for everything from produce to fashion. The oldest church in Liepaja, St. Anne's, is another standout; its massive High Baroque altar is a carved-wood masterpiece from 1697.

Returning to Rose Square, take 45 minutes to continue exploring at your leisure. Don’t miss the simple beauty of the square’s geometric rose garden with symbols of sister cities adorning its edges. Souvenir-grazing abounds here, too, if that’s on your to-do list

The Latvian port of Liepaja is renowned for its unusual contrasts, and none is more dramatic than the array of sights you’ll encounter on this coach-driven excursion commencing in the northern third of the city known as Karosta.

The largest historical military territory in the Baltics, Karosta remains a unique “city within the city” of Liepaja – and a spectacular paradox in global history and architecture, reflecting the interaction of elegant Tsarist Russian style with brutalist Soviet militarism. The first official order to construct massive fortifications and a military camp here came in 1890, directly from Tsar Alexander III. As Imperial Russia succumbed to the Soviet era, the character and texture here changed dramatically. But handsome vestiges of the past remain.

Your 1.5-hr Karosta drive includes a stop and possible inside visit at St. Nicholas Cathedral, the dominant visual and spiritual symbol of Karosta. Consecrated in 1903 with Tsar Nicholas II and his family in attendance, it embodies the iconic design of 17^th-century Russian Orthodox churches, with its central and side cupolas symbolizing Christ and the four Apostles. Several other historical sights will be seen or briefly visited, such as the Manege, a huge red brick ruin that was once a grand military equestrian compound; the crenelated Water Tower, and chilling Karosta Prison, an edifice you’d never want to be invited to stay at for long.

The panoramic drive continues in Liepaja, with stops at its broad Baltic beach, its aptly named Amber Concert Hall (2015), and other sights within Old Town. Free time at the city’s social epicenter, Rose Square, allows for solo exploring, grabbing a bite, or souvenir shopping before the return to the ship.