More To mark the occasion Latvian Television broadcast a large concert on April 20 featuring many of the country's most popular performers under the title "Personal Code: Liepāja" The program included the song cycle "Lake and Sea" created by composer Uldis Marhilevičs and poet/musician Guntars Račs in honour of Liepāja's 400th anniversary the Liepāja Music Golden Fund with songs by composer Imants Kalniņš and the group "Līvi" as well as special arrangements by composer Jānis Strazds The concert performances included actors Agnese Jēkabsone and Mārtiņš Vilsons You can watch and listen to the whole thing in the video above Select text and press Ctrl+Enter to send a suggested correction to the editor Select text and press Report a mistake to send a suggested correction to the editor The deadline for the completion of the prison is September 22. In total are to be spent on the construction of the prison so we are confident that the prison will be put into operation in September We will be able to hand over the prison to the Prison Administration to equip and start getting to know it," said the builder Citrus Solutions Ltd executive director Dāvis Eniks an open prison stands where there are no cells but rather rooms and a kitchen available "The open prison provides for them to have paid work in the city They have the opportunity to earn," Kaļins explained The prison cells will have metal beds and windows with bars Each cell will also have a table and a shelf for a TV The living area has an area of ten square metres several walking areas have already been created on the roofs of the wings for the prisoners as well as protection from the rain and the sun.  The modern prison will have a well-thought-out warden's position from which the larger area can be overlooked We are planning an info kiosk if you need to visit government websites and watch TV," said Kaļins, the head of the Prison Administration 1200 prisoners will be accommodated in the Liepāja prison This is about a third of all prisoners in Latvia the situation in Latvia with the number of prisoners is stable with a slight upward trend due to legislative changes The prisoners are scheduled to be transferred to the new Liepāja prison in early 2026 but the prison staff will start preparing for work after the prison is built It is estimated that 450 staff will be needed for the new Liepāja Prison All 150 employees of the existing Liepāja Prison will transfer to the new one.  The prison covers an area of 305 thousand square meters with buildings of almost 36 thousand square meters Actual construction work at the Karosta could start in 2028 The first tender for expert services for port and naval design was launched earlier this year State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Aivars Puriņš said The call for tenderers will close this week They will develop the technical documentation for further design within half a year but the actual construction could take place in 2028 according to the plan," Puriņš said the Port of Liepāja is considered one of the strategically important objects Latvian and NATO funds will be invested in the development of the military base in Karosta. The project will include the construction of new berths Liepaja Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Manager Uldis Hmieļevskis (Liepaja Party) explained that the work is being done in close cooperation with the Navy to find the best solutions for ship movements for a development project of this scale with military infrastructure being reinforced in the Liepaja Karosta it is the area from the Karosta Canal to Katedrāles Street There are already a number of military facilities there - the Naval Diving Training Centre This area is already wisely being developed year after year for military functions It is planned to build completely new piers on the coast where the Soviet army used to be and where various military facilities were located in the times of the Tsar and infrastructure for aviation was created," Hmielevskis explained Although more attention is being paid to maritime infrastructure and piers the development of land will also be important "We have talks and agreements with both the Ministry of Transport and Liepaja on a wider transfer of this territory both for the National Defence Service and for the development of the needs of the Navy all the naval units in Karosta will be relocated and merged ships are now also docked in the city canal," said Puriņš The development of any major military infrastructure in the future would also change the capabilities of the Karosta itself There could also be interest in restoring historic buildings for housing and developing various services "The next five to ten years will be important for the development of the Port of Liepāja as several large investment projects will be implemented both private investment projects and this naval project; it will significantly change the way the port looks today and how it will be in ten years," said Hmieļevskis a decision was taken to remove Vaļums from the list because he had indicated his place of work as a board member of a non-governmental organisation which does not meet the requirements of the Law on Elections to the Local Government Council Vaļums had indicated that he was a board member of the Association of Critical Raw Materials Producers The law requires that on the date of submission of the list the candidate must either have been continuously registered as a resident of the municipality for at least the last ten months or have been employed or self-employed in the municipality for at least the last four months or own immovable property in the municipality a member of the management board of a non-governmental organisation shall not be considered to be an employee or self-employed Following the removal of Vaļums from the list of candidates ten people will stand for election to the Liepaja City Council from the LPV The third place on the list is now occupied by Romans Miloslavskis who is also Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Russian Community 134 candidates from 11 lists have applied for the 15 seats of the Liepāja City Council The local elections will take place on the 7 June This year the city's residents and guests will be entertained by a special walk titled "Illuminated Liepāja" as well as concerts and other celebratory events all of which wil also provide an opportunity to practise for the city's stint as a European Capital of Culture in 2027 director of the concert performance "Personal Code: Liepāja" when talking about the idea of ​​the concert program emphasizes teamwork and love for her city: "Celebrating belonging to a place that has certainly shaped us is the most important thing word or light is like a declaration of love for this city and for the fact that we can be and live here." Great importance is attached to the design of the stage which has already been erected at the concert hall "Lielais dzintars" founder of the creative association SIA "Šarmants" describes how the concept was formed: experiencing 400 years is a great honor and an even greater joy that we have the opportunity to create it we wanted to create a lasting feeling for people where the stage essentially embodies the values ​​of Liepāja and both change the atmosphere during the concert and put an accent on various symbols." As for the "Illuminated Liepāja" walk the route will wind along the waterfront promenade through Rose Square and city guests and residents of Liepāja will be able to enjoy the light walk until Saturday evening special drawings and greetings from Liepāja's young schoolchildren and kindergarteners on the occasion of Liepāja's 400th anniversary will be on display They will not be as static as on a piece of paper but they will come to life a little; I think that the little greeting authors themselves will also be happy to see it," reveals organizer Nauris Lazdāns special 400th anniversary presentation materials have been created The celebrations will continue throughout the year in cooperation with the "Liepāja 2027" foundation The exhibition features 80 images from the late 19th century to the end of the first period of independence Visitors can use the Old Libau app to see how a particular place looks today the initiator of the association "Liepāja 400" points out that people are more and more interested in the environment they live in and tourists are also increasingly using digital technologies to get to know the city "We have probably hit the target with this exhibition because people have the opportunity to see this architecture in all its beauty especially at the beginning of the last century there were good architects here who designed beautiful buildings but new technologies allow us to do it in a more interesting way," Ivanovs explains visitors can see how a particular site looks today or watch a historical video.  The exhibition "Beautiful Liepāja - 400" will be on display until March 2 but on March 18 Liepāja will celebrate its 400th anniversary the association "Liepāja 400" continues its work promising that the exhibition could travel to other Latvian cities and to neighboring countries - Lithuania and Estonia Already purchased paper tickets will be valid until autumn Residents are already actively using the electronic payment system introduced in October last year and purchasing e-cards but some people still continue to buy paper tickets Although paper tickets will no longer be sold from April passengers will always be able to purchase a ticket from the tram driver if necessary although it will be more expensive and a ticket for one trip will cost 1.50 euros The old ticket validators in Liepāja public transport will be dismantled by September 1 Several digital ticket readers can now be seen on trams there were only two ticket readers on trams because there was no need to put them in – there were a lot of paper tickets There is only one paper ticket stamper left so we are leaving the stampers for now," said Toms Malkevičs deputy director and project manager of the Liepājas sabiedrībaskais transports agency Since the introduction of the electronic payment system around 26 thousand people have registered with it People are very varied, Malkevičs explained, and even 80-year-olds, who might be assumed to be more stuck in their ways, can use technology successfully. Explanations are provided and information is available at stops, trams and buses, as well as on the website liepajastransports.lv.  "We are the first in Latvia to connect or integrate the AVIS system which is the unified information system for discounts the moment you have a personalized account your phone is authorized with a personal code you can receive a 100% or 50% discount on a transport ticket at home from your computer It's no longer like before when had to stand in a long line at one address in Liepāja and buy a ticket with a discount," said the project manager Digital opportunities are also a benefit for students emphasized a representative of Liepāja Public Transport The very beginning of the implementation of e-tickets was full of challenges but now the number of digitally registered trips and purchased tickets is increasing by approximately 30% to 40% every month The development of the new electronic payment system and e-ticket project along with the purchase of the necessary equipment for public transport An eight-year maintenance contract was signed for 399,000 euros Long-distance bus service providers are also developing digital ticket purchasing options At Liepāja and Rīga bus stations the bus transportation company "Lux Express" has installed the first long-distance bus ticket machines in Latvia There is a wealth of material available via the official LSM media portal REplay.lv where you will find all of the available archived material as well as direct links to live coverage as it is broadcast (look for the word 'tiešraide' which means 'live').      Viewers and listeners outside Latvia may be particularly interested in the 'Visiem' online TV channel which broadcasts material that should mostly be free of geoblocking issues 2025 is a special year in Latvia's third-largest city, Liepāja, which celebrates its 400th birthday. The party really got started March 18 with a spectacular concert which you can watch below. More details of the celebrations are avalable at www.liepaja.lv The celebratory mood is by no means limited to Liepāja On March 14 Latvian Radio went live from the Emīls Dārziņš Concert Hall with another special concert this time to mark the 80th anniversary concert of the Emīls Dārziņš Music School Together with the school symphony orchestra under the direction of conductor Andris Vecumnieks school graduates including the acclaimed Trio Palladio performed Beethoven's Concerto for piano Rounding things off – inevitably – is Emīls Dārziņš much loved "Melancholy Waltz" Here's another one of the excellent 'Latvian code' doumentary films for you to enjoy complete with English-language subtitles.  the postman is someone who not only delivers letters but also listens to the hearts of the locals He is welcomed as a close friend with whom to share joys and sorrows and small post offices where neighbors could meet neighbors are rapidly disappearing The filmmakers visit the Krāslava post office and follow the postmen on their daily route encountering a range of emotions in the process function () { LSM.articles.prepareVideoWithCover('vc-8971-2024-11-1176818'); });Latvijas kods In honor of the 400th birthday of the city of Liepāja this year the walk “Illuminated Liepāja” will take place for five evenings – from March 18 to 22 The "Illuminated Liepāja" walk will feature 24 light objects filling the city with a play of light that combines art and technology art and innovation will come together to allow you to see the city's streets squares and building facades in a never-before-seen form The walk “Illuminated Liepāja” will have its last two days on March  21 when it will be open from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM and then the final day More about the city's birthday events: www.liepaja.lv/400 As we've already reported, there's an excellent and innovative exhibition of unusual musical instruments currently in place at the GORS arts center in Rēzekne The focus of the exhibition is on musical instruments and music which can be created by both the visitors themselves and specially installed sensors on the exhibited instruments The exhibition is also adapted for people with visual impairments If you find yourself in the Latvian capital this weekend there are plenty of good exhibitions from which to choose. But our pick this week is the Bernar Venet retrospective at the Rīga Bourse art museum It includes a total of 28 paintings by the artist presenting both recent works and examples from the early stages of Bernar Venet’s career The central axis of this exhibition is mathematics encompasses ‘the greatest abstraction ever created’ but it also showcases his mastery of imaginative graphic design The Holocaust in Liepāja" will show the location of the ghetto in Liepāja descriptions of it and photographic evidence the leading historian of the Liepāja Museum The exhibition has been developed and researched over several years "This exhibition is special because it is the first of its kind in the museum dedicated to Holocaust research It also incorporates the latest research on the Holocaust in Liepāja," said Gīle The exhibition is divided into three parts The first part deals with the pre-war period in Liepāja when 7,379 of Kurzeme's 12,012 Jews lived in the city It is extensively illustrated with portraits of the people showing also the contribution of Jews to culture The second part is devoted to the Holocaust The name of Liepāja is written in the pages of Holocaust history with the mass murders in Rainis Park the fishing harbor area near the lighthouse The exhibition shows footage of the mass killings at the fishing harbor It is a video taken by a German sailor in July 1941 at a lighthouse in a fishing port where many Jews were shot including those who were considered disloyal to the Nazi regime - those who were considered communists "The video is harsh because we see people being led to the pit and shot We had discussions about whether we should show such a video but we decided that no matter how hard this scene is Photo: Inga OzolaPhoto: Inga OzolaPhoto: Inga OzolaPhoto: Inga OzolaPhoto: Inga Ozola The third part is dedicated to hope - the rescuers where you can find out how people from Liepaja helped the Jews to hide Many researchers have been involved in the creation of the exhibition with special thanks to the Uniting Foundation Meteņi or Metenis is a Latvian ethnic spring-waiting festival that used to be celebrated on February 6 and some sources suggest it marked the new year for Latvians whereas now it is celebrated seven weeks before Easter the Kalnciema Square (Kalnciema Street 35) in Āgenskalns will offer a semi-traditional celebration at 10:00–16:00 games and music led by folklore groups as well as food and crafts offered by local producers Approximately 180 participants have registered for the exhibition visitors will have a unique opportunity to see the products made in the Liepaja region get detailed information about the services provided as well as learn about local innovation projects and sustainable solutions the Āgenskalns market will offer a wide variety of bread to taste and buy - from naturally leavened wheat and rye to gluten-free baked with organic ingredients and in real bread ovens Nine guest traders will be present in the market's "Greenhouse" and will also be offering traditional sklandrauši which are not found on the market every day LSM+ found out about the initiative "For a Liepaja without paid parking" on Tuesday evening in the social network group of Liepaja residents two hours after the initiative was registered the legally required 400 votes had been collected the number of signatures continues to grow - on Thursday around noon the number of signatures had exceeded 1,300 told LSM+ that he had not expected such a response I parked my car in the Jūrmala Park area I was used to the fact that parking was always free And I thought - Liepaja is not such a big city that you need paid parking spaces I think that planners should think about the drivers and In his initiative and in his conversation with the portal he cited Ventspils as an example of how a city can do without paid  parking Liepājas autostāvvietas Ltd is responsible for paid parking in Liepaja told LSM+ that there are just over 500 paid parking spaces in the city center and only during the tourist season - from May 1 to September 30 and the results will be discussed by the Council in October.  Comparing Liepaja with Ventspils is not correct according to Robežnieks - the neighboring port city has significantly less car traffic and even during major city festivals you can always find a parking space "We have quite a lot of cars even without any festivals we handled more than 41,000 cars in 40 parking spaces in the center We need paid parking spaces so that we don't end up with people arriving early in the morning Charging also allows others to find a space in the city center "And it was introduced at Jūrmala Park so that people could park their cars take their children to practice or to attractions A lot of people take advantage of this opportunity The downside is that the nearest 'free' streets are full of parked cars.. In October we will discuss everything - the financial side and the demand for free spaces," Armīns Robežnieks said The initiative to abolish parking charges will also be considered - in full compliance with the Local Government Act The territory of the former "Metalurgs" is not a dead zone  - a small part has already been leased to several companies for both warehousing and production purposes Deputy Head of the Liepaja SEZ Infrastructure Department showed Latvian Radio a warehouse for grain next to which a new street is going to be built soon the site is scheduled to be handed over to the builder and soon the Brīvibas Street pass of the former Liepājas Metalurgs factory will also be dismantled where queues of factory workers used to flood We plan to organize all access to the Metalurgs territory through Meldru Street We will also use the old entrance during the construction," said Liepaja SEZ Manager Uldis Hmieļevskis (Liepaja Party) Photo: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Liepājas SEZPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas Radio The project is being implemented with funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility The program was set up for the development of industrial parks in Latvian regions with a total funding of €80 million "We took part in this tender and have attracted the first 10 million but with this first funding we built three layers of streets. We are also building an electricity supply network which will make a fairly large area accessible and affordable so that we can attract the first investors," said Hmieļevskis The Liepaja SEZ Manager said that the implementation of this project will be the beginning and the work started in the future should be continued to achieve the goals of creating another industrial park in Liepaja which will replace the territory of the former "Metalurgs" with a greener and more environmentally friendly business There is a lot of interest from companies in the energy sector "Taking into account these transformations that are taking place all over Europe and globally (...) The territory of "Metalurgs" will be the one where we will see a completely different type of manufacturing companies than we are used to," said Hmielevskis The currently planned construction of streets and all necessary utilities is to be completed by December 31 several kilometers of streets are to be built the construction of the electricity supply networks will be launched by AS "Sadales tīkls" the Liepaja SEZ Authority signed a lease agreement with Liepaja Steel Ltd which provides for the dismantling and removal of the electric steel melting furnace by the end of next year marking the end of the metallurgical era in Liepaja It is precisely from a drone's eye in the sky that it is best seen that trucks driving too close to each other contribute to dangerous overtaking maneuvers the price of being over-hasty is a fine of 80 euros Penalty points on the license are decided by the Road Safety Directorate (CSDD) Speeding is still the main offense on the Liepāja highway Often drivers choose to overtake those in front by crossing the solid central line "The highway in Liepāja is becoming more and more busy and we pay serious attention to not overtaking in places where it is not allowed There have been serious collisions [as a result of this] just this year," says Mārtiņš Brižs Chief Inspector of the Response Department of the South Kurzeme precinct of the State Police "It's for a reason that the continuous line is drawn there has poor visibility and is dangerous," adds Jānis Liepa Chief Inspector of the Response Department it turns out that there is no distance between the trucks as stipulated by the road traffic rules and the driver simply has no chance to take his correct lane again The police promise to monitor these situations as well "When drivers of heavy vehicles drive in a column and do not observe the required distance [apart from each other], and the speed is lower than the permitted one, dangerous situations arise They drive into the opposite lane and cannot overtake We pay increased attention to this," says Brižs Drivers too have also observed that overtaking maneuvers here are particularly dangerous Lots of accidents," said driver Raimonds The number of road traffic accidents is also reduced by controlling the average driving speed That is why average speed control radars will be installed on several sections of this highway in the near future Drivers should expect that checks on the Liepāja highway will be more and more frequent The prison is due to be fully completed by September 2025 at a cost of almost €126 million a large crowd of politicians and construction workers celebrated the topping out with music at the construction site The biggest challenge now will not be the construction itself A wider national campaign to attract skilled labor to the new prison is planned for next year "Today we have over 200 people on the construction site there have been more than 1000 people who have put their hand to work here and almost 100 different labor contractors," said Dāvis Eniks CEO and Chairman of the Board of SIA "Citrus Solutions" He was pleased that the works were completed within the planned budget and faster than expected boasting that most of the construction materials were made in Latvia "It is very satisfying to see that all the buildings have been built we have reached the highest point - the topping out because we have finished the work faster than we had originally planned We are celebrating this ceremony three months earlier than originally planned." The prison is due to be fully completed by September 2025 "We are now moving on to the interior work including all the equipment for the buildings we will do as much as we can manage this year and then continue next year." stressed that after the completion of the construction works the first employees will arrive at the prison "The prison will be put into operation in autumn next year then we will use the prison for about six months without prisoners because the staff have to get to know the premises how all the security systems work before we will be ready to take the first prisoners," Kaļins said While the construction is progressing smoothly the next big challenge will be attracting staff and housing "We are working closely with both the Ministry of Justice and the Liepāja City Council to find bonuses and ways to attract staff and early next year we will launch a wider recruitment and search campaign," said Kaļins The new prison is expected to have 450 employees more staff will be involved in the re-socialisation process The new prison will have 600 double cells for 1,200 prisoners The prison will be surrounded by a five-meter-high opaque fence and two four-meter-high transparent fences with barbed wire The old prisons will be gradually closed down when the transfer of prisoners from other buildings to the new Liepāja prison starts but it is not yet clear what the procedure will be for closing the old prisons This is the first cooperation agreement signed as part of the ambitious Latvian trade mission to the USA organized by the Ministry of Economics and the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) signed a memorandum with GI Termināls a company of the Liepaja Special Economic Zone KBR will offer a patented engineering solution and equipment for the construction of a renewable aviation fuel plant and CO2 export terminal at the Port of Liepāja which we have been carrying out over the past months also in Latvia "LIAA discussed in the strategic investment council the changes in the regulations that are important specifically for the production of SAF or sustainable aviation fuel in Latvia and the development of wind farms in Latvia we also see the result," said Raivis Bremšmits Economics Minister Viktors Valainis (Greens and Farmers Union) said that the entry of KBR is a huge step for Latvia's energy sector "These are the technologies we need to develop a sustainable aviation fuel business right here in Latvia Today's Memorandum also provides for a wider use of the technology than has been the case so far," the Minister said KBR has a total of 20 patented technologies for the recycling of fossil resources such as CO2 and this will be their first project in the Baltic region The project in Liepāja is planned to be completed by 2030 The design of the boiler house was provided by local company UPB which also specialises in the energy sector and has experience in implementing such projects The boilers were supplied and installed by AGB Serviss.  The construction of the prison and the provision of heat energy for it started to be discussed ten years ago and a lot has changed - both the heat supply and the prison project Chairman of the Board of "Liepājas enerģija" Ltd "We adapted and reached a common solution that this boiler house is located at 40a Alsungas Street which is in the middle between the prison and the Grīzupes Street boiler house and at the same time we will be able to provide heating for both the prison and the Zaļā birzs housing estate," said Jansons The woodchip boiler house has two boilers with a total capacity of 4 megawatts (MW) Gas can also be used as a backup fuel.  "If we calculate last year's air temperature[..] this year we have had crisis years when we couldn't get into the forests In order to ensure against emergency situations additional power generators are installed in the boiler houses Head of Technical Department of Liepāja energija Gunārs Ansiņš (Liepāja Party) believes that using wood chips as fuel was the right decision a debate with the government will be needed we see that there is a debate in the European Commission about whether woodchip is green or not but it is a national resource with which we can replace both Russian gas and other fossil fuels," Ansiņš said The new woodchip boiler house in Liepāja - like the previous one - was designed and built by UPB Chairman of the Board of UPB,  also believes that the course started should be continued: "I think that there is a funny tendency in Europe as a whole to think that wood chips are non-green and to try to include them in non-green resources where energy independence is crucial; woodchip is the resource that we can use successfully." The pedestrian bridge is not accessible to him "There is no way for a wheelchair to get there It should be in all places these days - they make it so that a wheelchair can access it but there is no possibility yet," said Ainars Mudīte also had to use a wheelchair for a while She has realized that the Liepāja station pedestrian bridge is insurmountable To get to the other side without crossing the bridge it takes a 30-minute detour - 2.5 kilometers mothers and disabled people need to be thought of I myself had a disability a few months ago we don't cross - we have to go around in circles," said Mudīte Photo: Novadu Ziņas LTVPhoto: Novadu Ziņas LTVPhoto: Novadu Ziņas LTV The overpass has been under repairs by Latvian Railways in several phases since 2020 The next stage of repairs is planned to be completed this autumn "We plan to dismantle the existing wooden plates and replace them with metal lattice structures and a metal plate This will improve both the safe operation of the bridge and its aesthetics It will also ensure that the bridge can serve the needs of pedestrians for many years to come." wheelchair users may only be able to use the bridge after the next phase of renovation works "Lifts will be built at both ends of the bridge to ensure accessibility for families with children and people with reduced mobility and lighting will also be installed on the bridge the project is still in the process of being coordinated in order to move forward and be granted European co-financing," said Līcīte The association of people with disabilities and their friends "Apeirons" pointed out that many places in Latvia including overpasses and other public spaces are not accessible to people with disabilities Where can people go if they can't get over that bridge an environmental accessibility expert at the association The Liepāja railway overpass was built more than 20 years ago providing a link between a residential area and another part of the city The winner of the competition was determined by a jury commission taking into account also the results of the public voting on the public media portal LSM.lv It should be noted that Liepāja has won this title for the second time Liepāja City Municipality and Sigulda Municipality competed for the title in the second round A total of five applications were received in the first round of the competition with the municipality of Ogre and the municipality of Rīga also competing in the first round The aim of the competition "Latvian Youth Capital" is to promote youth work in local governments to strengthen cooperation between local governments in the field of youth and to continue the established traditions in youth work Jelgava was selected as the first Latvian Youth Capital in 2016 followed by Liepāja in 2017 and Madona in 2018 the title went to a combination of two municipalities - Ikšķile and Olaine Ventspils won the Youth Capital title no Youth Capital was selected in 2021 and 2022 but an online vote was held as part of the "Best in Youth Work" competition where Rēzekne (2021) and Jūrmala (2022) were named the Municipality for Young People the title went to the municipality of Bauska while the municipality of Līvāni where a wide range of activities have been organized so far and will continue until the end of the year was recognized as the Latvian Youth Capital for 2024 Cruise companies were looking for new and unusual European cruise stops before the pandemic Interest in Liepāja has been partly driven by the geopolitical situation which has excluded St Petersburg in Russia as one of the destinations Liepaja currently uses freight terminal berths to accommodate cruises and has no alternative for the time being Tourists are offered to visit the Old Town and the Naval Port Liepāja has been visited by 10 cruise ships operated by US companies in the last three years a cruise ship with 684 passengers docked in the Port of Liepāja about half of them taking the opportunity to visit the city a certified guide from the City of Liepaja met the passengers at the bus and then joined them on a tour of Liepaja's architecture and art She talked about her experiences and conclusions: "People are generally interested in this region as cruise passengers are often visiting the Baltic States for the first time There are a lot more good things than they expected they are very pleasantly surprised by what they see in Liepāja They are impressed by Paul Max Bertschy's architecture such as the new 17th-19th century interior museum." Cruise Ship Service Manager at Riga Cruiseship Agency said that the US company has been visiting Liepaja for three years now and this is the result of a purposeful cooperation with the Liepaja Regional Tourism Office to have another interesting stop in addition to Riga: because when people come here they expect almost nothing We see a better future with more ships in Liepāja We have attracted the interest of several big cruise lines also in combination with the Karosta Naval Port The art and architecture tour is very popular Liepaja is famous for its architecture and there is a lot to see here." Vilciņš said that the Liepaja Regional Tourism Office is coping well with its tasks and provides both guide services and other necessary services but there will be challenges in the future if the share of cruise ships increases: the challenge could be the availability of guides There are enough English speakers; if there are Spanish or Italian speakers coming I would like to be able to compare Liepāja with Klaipeda." Photo: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Aija Kinca / Latvijas TelevīzijaPhoto: Aija Kinca / Latvijas TelevīzijaPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas Radio Head of the Liepaja Regional Tourism Office "Some ports are shifting after the Russian invasion of Ukraine Liepaja definitely benefited when cruise ships stopped sailing to St Petersburg but the number of foreign tourists in Liepaja was up by almost 14% because June has always been a quiet month due to the unpredictability of the weather." the Liepaja Special Economic Zone (SEZ) manager said that initially it seemed that the port of Liepaja was not suitable for cruise ships and they would not want to dock here because there was no special berth for cruise ships Even now the challenge is to make sure that when a cruise ship comes "We are in the active commercial part of the port among the grain terminals where Latvian farmers tranship their grain where some tractors and machines are about to arrive from Germany cruise companies are looking for new locations to take their passengers and clients," said Hmielevskis He pointed out that the construction of a berth is not a cheap pleasure and should attract a private investor A specific location has not yet been chosen nor has the investor and the necessary investment 10,400,000 cigarettes (520,000 packs) of Marlboro cigarettes were hidden in a truck on its way to Germany the cargo should have contained electric heaters while checking vehicles before boarding a ferry from Liepaja to the German port city of Travemünde an officer of the Liepaja Port Customs Control Point diverted a Scania vehicle for examination with a cargo X-ray machine According to the accompanying cargo document customs experts suspected that other goods were being transported Having detected signs of a criminal offense during the customs control the officials of the Port of Liepāja Customs Office handed over the case files to the Tax and Customs Police of the VID.  Photo: VIDPhoto: VIDPhoto: VIDPhoto: VIDPhoto: VID The amount of excise duty unpaid on these cigarettes is approximately €1.6 million Pre-trial investigations are ongoing in the criminal proceedings and no further information is provided in the interest of the investigation The company said that the cancellations – which are likely to cause serious travel problems to many people – have been canceled due to a lack of bus drivers the company also informed that several departures within Liepāja city will not be operated on Tuesday due to sick employees Full details of the cancelled joureys are avaiable at https://lap.lv/ The company apologised for the inconvenience caused.  the program is to attract another €12.5 million from EU funds and other external financial sources State budget funding of €10 million is to be invested in the implementation of the content of the 28 projects of the (un)rest program (€5.5 million) Latvia's image and international campaigns (€1.3 million) €2 million for the administration of the program €1 million to cover the costs of related activities of other state institutions and €160,000 to support research and monitoring work It is planned that the program of the project "Liepāja - European Capital of Culture 2027" will consist of more than 500 different events A target has been set: each euro of public funding invested in the implementation of the entire program generates a return of 3 - 5 euros With the implementation of Liepāja 2027 the objective is to achieve at least a 15% increase in the number of overnight stays compared to the previous year (at least 20% if the occupancy rate of short-term rental accommodation is also taken into account in the statistics) Nicknamed “the city where the wind is born,” Liepāja has always been a refreshingly gusty seaside city on the Baltic Sea with a cosmopolitan breeze powerful cultural flair and a magnificent coastline Boasting its own unique identity it has a habit of making waves and punching above its weight – despite having only around 70,000 residents The cultural program's slogan is (un)rest. You can read more about it in an interview in a previous story Traffic is blocked on the Liepāja highway between Blīdienė and Saldus as of 5 PM on June 25 the police received information that a road traffic accident - a collision between a truck and a car - had occurred in Blīdene municipality on the 90th kilometer of Liepāja highway Three persons traveling in the car lost their lives the Liepāja highway (A9) between Blīdeni and Salda (kilometres 90-91) is completely blocked The detour to Liepaja is on the roads Blīdene-Remte (V1154) and Kandava-Saldus (P109) and to Riga - on the roads Kandava-Saldus (P109) and Jaunpils-Osenieki (V1429).  The police urge people to choose other routes as it is not known how long it will take to clean up the accident site This year's festival program includes workshops for registered participants and public events for everyone – masterclasses a Family Day with workshops for families and children and performances by various sound artists and musicians Part of the festival program is for registered participants Registration is required to join the workshops but other festival activities are available without pre-registration Since the festival is organized in cooperation with international partners some parts of the program will be in English All festival activities are free of charge the “Liepāja 2027 Foundation” (“Nodibinājums Liepāja 2027”) is organizing an artist residency two artists will arrive in Liepāja: Carlos Munnoz from Spain and Iryna Loskot from Ukraine the two artists will collaborate with Liepāja-based artists to create and exhibit new artworks as part of the UPDATE festival exhibition in November Carlos Munnoz will share his experience of working with artificial intelligence during the festival's workshops while Iryna Loskot will present a performance exploring the sense of belonging and ecology in the The Printing House Creative Quarter on September 28 Full details of the program are available at the festival website: www.updatefestival.lv   UPDATE is organised by the association of Liepaja media artists ASTE and RTU Liepaja Academy Art Research Laboratory.  Tavs ceļvedis elektroauto un atjaunīgās enerģijas pasaulē Liepājas pilsētā parādījušās jaunas pašvaldības policijas automašīnas, kas ir elektroauto – Volkswagen ID.3 Pro Performance. Liepājas pašvaldības policija 28. oktobrī vietnē Facebook paziņoja, ka automašīnas ir nonākušas kārtībsargu rīcībā un ir gatavas patrulēt. Jaunās policijas mašīnas ir ne tikai elektriskas, bet arī nes jauno pašvaldības policijas trafarējumu. Pagaidām plašāku informāciju par transportlīdzekļiem tā nav sniegusi. Tikmēr SD Autocentrs, kas uzvarēja konkursā par bezemisiju transportlīdzekļu sagatavošanu un nodošanu Liepājas pašvaldības policijai, Facebook izsaka pateicību saviem sadarbības partneriem SIA Autava un Inkomerc Holdings AS, kuri veica darbu pārbūvējot Volkswagen ID.3 Pro Performace atbilstoši Liepājas pašvaldības policijas prasībām. Kā ziņo LSM, pirmie elektroauto Liepājas pašvaldības policijā dienē kopš 2015. gada un ir sevi labi pierādījuši, īpaši patrulējot pa pilsētu. Tagad Liepājas pašvaldībā ir 22 automašīnas, vecākās ir no 2002. gada, dažas ir no 2005. gada. Trīs vecākās mašīnas tiks norakstītas, iespējams tās noderēs kādai no pašpārvaldes struktūrām. Gudrs un tālredzīgs lēmums! It īpaši, ka bieži vien patruļu laikā policijas auto uz vietas silda/dzesē tā iemītniekus. Ar degvielu to darīt ir tik neefektīvi. iezīmējot ačgārno tekstu un nospiežot Ctrl+Enter elektroauto Latvijā By maris_n_s By Kārlis Mendziņš Sazinies ar mumsinfo@uzladets.lv © Uzladets SIA | Satura pārpublicēšana bez rakstiskas atļaujas ir aizliegta The police have received information that a road traffic accident has occurred on the 80th kilometer of the Riga-Liepāja motorway in Blīdene municipality of Saldus district The driver and passenger of the car were killed in a head-on collision between a car and a truck Operational services are working at the scene "Latvijas Valsts ceļi" said that the accident site can be avoided by road Blīdene-Remte and by road Kandava-Saldus via Pilsblīdene As reported earlier two car accidents occurred on this section of the Riga-Liepaja motorway LVC noted that serious accidents in recent days occurred at kilometers 80 Road safety audits are carried out by the Road Safety Directorate and assess how to improve road safety on a given stretch of road Information from the State Police on the causes of the three serious accidents will also be important the most common cause of such accidents is reckless overtaking resulting in a head-on collision two car accidents with casualties occurred on the Riga-Liepāja motorway in Saldus municipality another tragic accident occurred on the same road in Blīdene parish where 2 more people died in a head-on collision between a car and a lorry The cleanest beach this year is Miķeļtornis in Ventspils while the dirtiest - Majori and Lielupe beaches in Jūrmala The cleanest beaches on the Latvian coast were found in Talsi municipality with an average of 149 litters per 100 meters while the dirtiest beaches were in Jūrmala city with an average of 950 litters per 100 meters the campaign participants walked more than 500 kilometers along the Latvian coast from Estonia to Lithuania data shows that Latvia's coastline has an average of 344 items of litter per 100 meters of beach compared to 375 items per 100 meters last year The EU threshold for good marine environmental status is 20 items per 100 meters.  36 different types of litter were identified on beaches with plastics and polymers accounting for the majority or almost 76% of all litter while the most frequent type of litter this year is still plastic cigarette butts The overall figures are still not encouraging but the campaigners have seen a positive impact in the data from Latvia's recently introduced deposit system outlined how protein production is carried out: here are the husks and the peeled peas and beans We grind them and separate them into two fractions with the help of air we can simply separate the starch from the protein." Europe currently imports more protein than it exports group purchasing manager at Golden Field Factory LV: "The volume of protein in the world is increasing There is all this vegan stuff that is fashionable so protein is in short supply at the moment." Approximately 3 tonnes of protein can be produced per hour it is necessary to increase the electricity capacity We have a contract with Bunge for the protein for the starch we are looking for a market to sell and market it Starch is difficult at the moment.  We know that in China they have started to use it but it is not so widespread that there is demand." Photo: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas Radio The protein produced in Liepāja goes to various countries around the world and is bought by the aforementioned Bunge company samples have been sent to Japan and the USA but Bunge is now buying everything and selling it to the end customer Beans and peas for processing are purchased from Latvian and Lithuanian growers The protein produced in Liepāja can currently be used for animal feed "We are working to be certified to produce protein for human consumption by mid-2025 This means that this protein can be used in a variety of products - burgers and other products available on the market." the company operates on a no-residue production principle - whatever is left over is used to produce fodder in the Saldus region "There will be a pellet production in Saldus It's pressed and made into pellets - animal feed." The location of the plant in the industrial park of Karosta and in Liepāja is not accidental The Liepāja location is interesting for investors from the United Arab Emirates and work will continue Deputy Ambassador and Counsellor of the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia to the United Arab Emirates You can also locate production facilities right in the port area the environment is in place so that you can start production quite quickly and in a short time we [Latvia] are a member of the European Union With the establishment of Golden Field Factory LV attracting an investment of €16 million agricultural processing has returned to Liepāja and significant investment from the United Arab Emirates and the United States has come in Two young people - Elza and Nikolajs - are buried in Liepāja's Līvas Cemetery Their love story has been compared to the fate of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet The young couple committed double suicide because the girls' parents were categorically opposed to their relationship More than 100 years have passed since the tragedy and now a group of Liepaja cultural history researchers have decided to restore the tomb to show it to tourists Her parents objected to their friendship and love because they believed that a musician's profession could not support a family decided to restore the young people's grave site which was overgrown with weeds at the time with the approval of the Cemetery Administration and I feel very sad when it ends tragically And the other thing is that this place needs to be talked about this case of theirs," explained cultural history researcher Kristīne Jākabsone of her interest and initiative Several like-minded people have come to Kristīne's aid: a few days before Midsummer Kristīne has cleaned and washed the cross herself while art teacher Valters Palaps has restored the inscription on it "I believe that whatever stories we have and whatever events have happened We are such a small city - we should take care protect and preserve all the little places and stories," said Valters Palaps Liepāja's tourism stakeholders also believe that such and similar burial sites should be restored shown and told about to the public - because such stories also contribute to the city's visibility "Liepāja does not have the same kind of cemetery tourism as Paris for the Perlaches Cemetery or Venice for Brodsky's tomb But it could be - I have taken people on a tour myself You should go to the cemetery - in general to commemorate the people who shaped Liepāja created Liepāja - the Liepāja we show to tourists," said Nora Driķe There are not many such precedents in Liepāja when tombs are restored with the care of enthusiasts or local authorities the then Grobiņa Municipality restored the burial place of the writer Zenta Mauriņa's father and sister and placed a tombstone in the Old Cemetery the number of unmaintained gravesites is increasing with the passing years State-subsidized buses and trains run between Rīga and Liepāja This means that the diversity of transport between the two cities is the richest in Latvia Gunārs Ansiņš (Liepāja Party) told Latvian Radio that the municipality is interested in opening a bus link with the Lithuanian city of Klaipėda The city has approached the international carrier "Lux Express" which regularly operates commercial services between Rīga and Liepāja The potential route would also include a stop in the resort town of Palanga which is regularly served by buses from Rīga.  Ansiņš said: "Lux Express is currently analyzing the economics of this data What they have promised the city of Liepāja is to calculate it I think that [the plan] could be very positive Especially seeing that the interest of Klaipeda residents in visiting the beach in Liepāja is growing every day Liepāa welcomed a record number of visitors - around 113,000 the largest number of foreign tourists came from Lithuania - more than 17,000 This is according to data from the municipality.  more and more Lithuanians have been visiting Liepāja which wanted to find out how permanent it is.  Head of Baltic Business Development at Lux Express said: "We need to understand if Lithuanians are interested in coming to Liepāja also in the autumn and winter season and secondly if they would be interested in coming to Liepāja by bus instead of in their private cars Once we have confirmation on these two issues we can come back to a more concrete conversation I think that we will not open the route this year it would certainly be an extension of the Rīga-Liepāja route It is very difficult to say at the moment because we need to understand how much demand there is." the operator will have to take into account conditions The carrier will not be allowed to drop off passengers in Liepāja on the potential international Riga-Klaipeda route the route will compete with domestic services as stated by the Road Transport Directorate (ATD) ATD spokesman Viktors Zaķis noted: "If a Riga-Klaipeda route is opened then this passenger can travel from Rīga to Klaipeda or from Liepāja to Klaipeda but they cannot travel from Rīga to Liepaja this carrier may have a permit to carry out domestic services Rīga-Liepāja and then continues with another route but this is indeed another route with other tickets (...) There are two requirements - for international carriage and for domestic carriage And where these authorizations are given for international carriage they are usually given without the right to carry out domestic carriage." If Liepāja residents are able to take a bus to Klaipėda it will be the first international service for Liepaja in recent years the Liepāja-Marijampole route was operated by Norma-A ATD observed that demand for international transport in Latvia is increasing The Directorate estimates that this is due to the increase in air fares.  the Night of the Ancient Fire will be celebrated on Liepāja beach and other locations along the coast which symbolizes the unity and connection between the peoples of the Baltic Sea The event in Liepāja will be the biggest and will take place at the Roņu Street exit to the sea and will start at 8:00 p.m. when along with the sunset and the lighting of bonfires the people of Liepāja and the guests of the city can enjoy a concert by the musician composer and multi-instrumentalist 'Shipsea' (Jānis Šipkēvics) together with the talented singer Una Daniela symbolically shows the unity of the peoples of the sea and reminds of the shared history and cultural heritage The Night of the Ancient Fire events take place in many places on the Baltic Sea coast and every year more and more residents from Estonia Norway and other countries join the action this tradition has been celebrated since 2010 More info: https://www.liepaja.lv/senas-uguns-nakts-liepaja-romantisks-shipsea-koncerts-juras-krasta-jau-ritvakar/ this weekend sees special events for school-age kids in many places as they bid farewell to the summer vacation with Daugavpils providing a typical example.   On September 1 from 10:00 to 12:00, visitors will be able to test their dexterity and skills in various sports and relays in the central park of Daugavpils. The first 300 participants will receive prizes from the organizers and supporters of the event Festival visitors will be entertained by animators From At 18.00 at the "Navigators" youth center, the last afternoon of summer vacation will be marked by a concert of young dancers and musicians with novus and disc golf also on offer. The event is intended for young people from the age of 13 More info: https://www.daugavpils.lv/afisa/zinibu-diena-daugavpili-2024 Suns cinema in central Rīga is the venue for the annual Baltic Sea Forum for Documentaries running September 1-6 The films will be shown in their original language with subtitles in English and translation into Latvian will be provided as well The main event of the Forum is the marketplace for documentaries projects where creators of the documentary genre from the Baltic States and other European countries can find a helping hand in their quest for co-financing of their projects More info: https://dokforums.gov.lv/lv/ On Sunday, July 7 a group of researchers from the United States started their third season of work at the sites of mass murders of Jews in Liepāja in the Škede dunes "Here was a shed where the Nazis kept people before they were shot," said Professor Harry Jol of the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire students prepare their papers for conferences of various levels the research team worked north of the Škede memorial with the main mass executions taking place in December 1941 Students with the equipment walk along the stretched measuring tapes Professor Jol manages both to control the process and to find time to speak about the work "We are currently studying one of the trenches [it is 250 meters long and four meters wide] It was found by the Soviet Extraordinary Commission Professor Martin Gotl – here he is teaching students to work with a drone – managed to find the remains of the barn where Jews were kept before they were shot," says Jol He laments again that there is a lack of data on the coastline because it is constantly changing Judging by the researches of the first two years there does not appear to be a single mass trench with victims here in Škede nondescript ditch was found that runs perpendicularly from the Soviet monument to the sea There is an incredible amount of work here – a year ago researchers said that even the 250-meter-long trench the team went further north and closer to the sea. Several people surveyed the coastline while the main group made a mark and highlighted the location of a new possible "shooting ditch" This year, director Stanislavs Tokalovs joined the team: "I have been interested in the Holocaust in Latvia for a long time I believe that this topic is insufficiently researched And I decided to record everything that is happening here – for a deeper understanding." The Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance organization has this information about the fate of Liepāja's Jews under both Soviet and then Nazi German occupation The service park for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) Latvian round will be located right next to the Baltic Sea in Liepāja in the area near the Liepāja Northern Breakwater The service park will be situated at Atmodas Boulevard 14 covering a total area of 70 000 square meters Spectators will have the opportunity not only to watch the teams’ mechanics at work but also to enjoy the rally in a specially created fan zone The rally service park in Liepāja has found a new home for the FIA World Rally Championship moving this year to the spacious area near the Northern Breakwater The service park will not only host the teams' motorhomes and tents all specially adapted using Ramirent containers a screen will be set up in the fan zone to broadcast live streams of all the stages The FIA World Rally Championship crews can be already found at the service park early Thursday morning while they will be getting ready for the shakedown stage in the Dienvidkurzeme region they will head to Rīga for the opening ceremony and the first stages the stages will take place in the Tukums region and Talsi region with the crews returning to the service park on Friday evening at 20.20 there are two scheduled visits to the service park – the first at 14.30 and the second at 20.55 Fans who rise early will also have the chance to see their favourite drivers off to the day's first stage on Saturday from 7.00 and on Sunday from 8.10 as the cars will be heading to the final stages of Tet Rally Latvia While the cars are in the service park with their mechanics spectators will have the opportunity to meet rally leaders and hear comments from team principals about the day's experiences These Meet the Crews sessions will take place in the fan zone of the service park with the first session on Friday evening around 20.40 and the second session on Saturday around 21.15 a special fan zone will be set up for spectators featuring a large screen that will broadcast all Tet Rally Latvia stages live The fan zone will also offer food and beverages rally fans can follow the progress of WRC competitors in an atmosphere like never before Navigation directions to the service park can be found here July 20          7.00 (leaving for special stages) July 21             8.10 (leaving for special stages) The event is possible thanks to the support provided by Ministry of Education and Science Thanks to our partners Canon Biznesa Centrs Liepāja Latvijas Valsts meži and municipality of Dienvidkurzeme Informative support provided by news portal DELFI Thanks to Tet Rally Latvia supporters shopping malls AKROPOLE as well as technical partner Sports Racing Technologies Tet Rally Latvia is organised by RA Events in cooperation with Speed Festival Kurzeme and Latvian Automobile Federation Tet Rally Latvia supports initiatives carried out by Latvian Children's Support Centre,who has created and are developing social rehabilitation facility for children with special needs.We invite you to support this initiative, by making a donation here: http://www.lbaf.lv/lv/ka-ziedot līgumu Nr.17.1-1-L-2024/304 ar Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūru par atbalsta saņemšanu pasākuma “Starptautiskās konkurētspējas veicināšana” ietvaros ko līdzfinansē Eiropas Reģionālās attīstības fonds continues to support the development of local businesses by allocating EUR 6.9 million for the growth of Liepaja's hospitality sector The funding will be used for the further development of two prominent hotels contributing to the development of high-quality hospitality services in the city €4.7 million is allocated for the Promenade Hotel and €2.2 million for the Art Hotel Roma "Liepaja is an important tourism and business center both locally and and Signet Bank is pleased to support the development of the hospitality industry with strategic investments Promenade Hotel and Art Hotel Roma are already outstanding hotels offering a high level of service and authentic experiences we will contribute to their further development also contributing to the city's competitiveness Liepaja is one of the leading tourism hubs on the Baltic coast and we believe that this investment will strengthen the local economy We are particularly pleased that through our interaction with the client we have been able to create financing solutions that also allow our client to significantly improve the profitability of both hotels," says Roberts Idelsons It is expected that both hotels will use the financing provided by Signet Bank to successfully continue their development strengthening their positions not only in Latvia but also in the Baltic hospitality industry a significant part of the financing will be used to refinance existing liabilities.  "Over the past years we have made significant investments to be able to compete both on the local market and internationally including some large enough to comfortably accommodate families with children Last year's positive financial figures show that we are strategically on the right track working on new suites and refinancing existing liabilities on terms that are better aligned with the long-term development goals of both hotels," explains Inese Židele General Manager of Promenade Hotel and Art Hotel Roma in 2024 Promenade Hotel had a turnover of EUR 2.57 million had a turnover of 1.1-million-euro last year with a profit of 65.4 thousand euro.  The occupancy rate of both hotels averaged over 80% in the summer season while in the winter and autumn seasons it ranged from 60 to 70%.  about a third of our guests are foreign travelers Germany and other neighboring countries is significant but there are also enough travelers who include a visit to Liepaja in their overall Baltic tour the demand is also growing from companies that organize their strategic planning events outside their usual environment Promenade Hotel is a five-star superior design hotel with 58 standard and deluxe rooms The hotel regularly hosts various cultural and entertainment events "Promenade Hotel has a 9.1 customer rating on booking.com Art Hotel Roma is a boutique design hotel with 29 rooms in different categories including spacious luxury rooms and cozy penthouses All guest rooms and the rest of the hotel feature original works by local artists The hotel has a spacious courtyard with a fountain as its centerpiece the Berči event space and various boutiques The hotel has a 9.4 customer rating on booking.com Both hotels are owned by businessman Ivars Kesenfelds both hotels paid approximately EUR 1 million in taxes to the state budget.   Signet Bank is Latvia’s leading investment bank founded in 1991 and one of the first banks in independent Latvia Signet Bank offers sustainable financing and investment solutions to local entrepreneurs and businesses Signet Bank has raised additional funding of EUR 500 million for more than 40 Latvian companies through bond and equity issues funds under management reached EUR 1.6 billion Signet Bank is the leading arranger of corporate bond and equity issues in Latvia and one of the leading stockbrokers in the Baltics Signet Bank’s shareholders are eighteen Latvian and international private investors the largest of which are Signet Acquisition III (23.05%) whose sole shareholder is US investor Aleksandrs Solovejs AS “RIT Group” (18.35%) – a Latvian company owned by the Rapoport family founded by banking professional Irīna Pīgozne A subscription to The Baltic Times is a cost-effective way of staying in touch with the latest Baltic news and views enabling you full access from anywhere with an Internet connection. Subscribe Now! 2025 © The Baltic Times /Cookies Policy Privacy Policy During the FIA World Rally Championship round Tet Rally Latvia Food Festival will take place in the rally cities of Tukums Visitors will have the opportunity to taste various dishes prepared by Latvian chefs the Food Festival events are scheduled in Tukums and Talsi the food festival will take place on Uguns Street from 8.00 to 22.30 it will be located on Lielā Street (near the intersection with Zvaigžņu Street) from 11.00 to 22.30 residents and visitors of these cities will have the opportunity to taste dishes prepared by Latvia's finest chefs showcasing globally renowned culinary culture combined with the excitement of rally festivities there will be an exciting activity during the Food Festival where attendees can test their skills on a rally simulator the Food Festival will delight visitors over two days – on Saturday and Sunday The food festival in Liepāja will be located opposite the Great Amber concert hall (Lielais Dzintars) offering rally spectators and city residents alike the opportunity to indulge in the creativity of Latvia's finest restaurants visitors in Liepāja will also have the chance to test their skills on a rally simulator Each of the event cities may offer a different assortment of foods but visitors to the Food Festival will have the opportunity to taste various styles and flavors of cuisine there will be options like ice cream stands and sweet bubble waffles available Visitors can cool off with beverages offered at the cocktail bar Tukums            Uguns Street                                                       19.07.2024. Talsi                  Lielā Street and Zvaigžņu Street                     19.07.2024. Liepāja             Square next to Great Amber conert hall      20.-21.07.2024. Tet Rally Latvia supports initiatives carried out by Latvian Children's Support Centre, who has created and are developing social rehabilitation facility for children with special needs. We invite you to support this initiative, by making a donation here: http://www.lbaf.lv/lv/ka-ziedot The long-awaited debut of Latvia on the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar has arrived with the historic first WRC round in Latvia The rally will start on the evening of Thursday with an Opening ceremony in Old Rīga and the first special stage of the rally in Biķernieki track where the Tet Rally Latvia service park will be located throughout the rally so we kindly ask Tet Rally Latvia spectators to be especially cautious and adhere to the instructions of marshals and other officials It is important to remember that it is strictly forbidden to move on the special stage surface 30 minutes before the start The green tape means that standing in that specific area is permitted whereas it is prohibited in all other areas We ask rally spectators to observe these rules and instructions; otherwise safety delegates of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) may decide to cancel the stage thus spoiling the rally experience for both the violators and other spectators Additional safety risks are associated with the Rally1 HYBRID cars of the most powerful WRC class which use high-voltage batteries and other electrical components All three factory teams – Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team and M-Sport Ford World Rally Team – use hybrid engine cars these hybrid cars have easily recognizable white HY letters on a red background on their doors as well as a light indicator on the windshield and both side windows you will see a green light indicator in the windshield and on both side windows indicating that the car’s electrical system has no technical issues and it is safe to approach and touch the car if the indicator shows a red light (or if the light is off altogether) everyone nearby must take the highest safety precautions and avoid approaching or touching the car due to the risk of electric shock who will provide further instructions on the necessary actions the rally service park in Liepāja has found a new home relocating to the area near the Northern breakwater before the FIA World Rally Championship event not only will you find the impressive motorhomes and tents of the WRC manufacturer teams but also a specially adapted rally headquarters zone made from Ramirent containers The fan zone will also feature a screen where all the special stage live broadcasts can be watched In Latvia's debut on the world rally map Tet Rally Latvia competitors will compete in 20 special stages covering the capital city Rīga and the rally city Liepāja with stages also taking place in Tukums region Tet Rally Latvia will start with the Shakedown stage in the Dienvidkurzeme region a special opening ceremony will take place at Rīga Town Hall Square followed by the first special stage at the Biķernieki track Tet Rally Latvia crews will head to Tukums and Talsi regions where they will complete a total of seven special stages rally activities are expected in Kuldīga region in the first half of the day special stages will take place in the Dienvidkurzeme region with the day concluding with a super-special city stage in Liepāja On the closing day of the Tet Rally Latvia, July 21st, crews will start in the Dienvidkurzeme, concluding the rally at the Vecpils Autotrack, where the awards ceremony will also take place. For a detailed list of stages, you can find more information here: https://www.lvrally.com/en/news/next-stop-in-wrc-calendar---tet-rally-latvia Before the official opening ceremony begins at 15.30 a special basketball related activity is scheduled at Rīga Town Hall Square It will feature both the Latvian national basketball team players and FIA World Rally Championship drivers The opening ceremony for the WRC Tet Rally Latvia featuring performances by musical group Tautumeitas and the Andžeja Grauda drum school Fans will have the opportunity to meet their idols receive autographs from the world's leading rally drivers The event begins with a ‘family’ photo of the leading WRC and Latvian crews participating in Tet Rally Latvia followed by an autograph session and interviews with team managers and drivers followed by the rally crews driving through the narrow streets of Old Rīga and arriving at the base of the Freedom Monument for a historic photo shoot More about the opening ceremony here - https://www.lvrally.com/en/news/tet-rally-latvia-opening-ceremony-at-riga-town-hall-square The Biķernieki Track area will be open to visitors starting from 15.00 allowing them to settle into their preferred seating on the grandstands or find the best viewing spots at Witch's Cauldron (Raganas katls) the Tet Rally Latvia partner zone will be operational offering entertaining activities and a Sportland fan merchandise store attendees can participate in a Latvian rally history quiz prepared by the Rīga Motor Museum screens at Biķernieki Track will broadcast live coverage of the Tet Rally Latvia opening ceremony happening at Rīga Town Hall Square Throughout the entire season of the FIA World Rally Championship fans can follow all the stages on Tet TV platforms Live broadcasts of all stages can be viewed on the Go3 Sport channels featuring Latvian commentators Normunds Avotiņš and Krišjānis Caune in the studio the live broadcast of the opening ceremony of the FIA World Rally Championship's Latvian round will be available on Latvia's Public Media TV channel LTV7 and on the website LSM.lv rally enthusiasts can also follow WRC events on the streaming platform RallyTV where all stage broadcasts are available live and on-demand supplemented by on-board camera recordings and interviews with participants from the service park and Liepāja where rally events will take place This festival offers visitors the opportunity to taste various dishes prepared by Latvian chefs and food vendors It adds a culinary dimension to the rally experience allowing attendees to enjoy a diverse range of local cuisines while soaking in the rally atmosphere the WRC Food Festival will be held in Tukums and Talsi food vendors will be located on Lielā Street (near the intersection with Zvaigžņu Street) from 11.00 to 22.30 the food festival will delight visitors over two days—Saturday and Sunday the WRC Food Festival will be located opposite the Liepāja concert hall Great Amber various entertainment programs are planned the WRC Opening Day Afterparty will take place at Andrejostas Kvartāls visitors can enjoy the WRC Liepāja Beach Festival on Liepāja Beach featuring collaborations with beach bars and cafes like Cukurfabrik' After the stages in Talsi and Talsi region on Friday evening, the club Ballīte Ballītē in Talsi will host a lively party. For more information about the parties and entertainment during Tet Rally Latvia, you can find details here: https://www.lvrally.com/en/news/tet-rally-latvia-will-feature-food-festival Tet Rally Latvia tickets available at Biļešu Paradīze online store www.bilesuparadize.lv 20.05          SSS1 Biķernieki Track                                                                     10.00          SS2 Milzkalne 1                                                                                10.45          SS3 Tukums 1                                                                                   12.00          SS4 Andumi                                                                                       14.30          SS5 Milzkalne 2                                                                                15.15          SS6 Tukums 2                                                                                   16.30          SS7 Strazde                                                                                       17.20          SS8 Talsi                                                                                             08.20          SS9 Pilskalns                                                                                     09.35          SS10 Snēpele                                                                                    11.30          SS11 Īvande                                                                                      13.05          SS12 Vecpils 1                                                                                  16.15          SS13 Podnieki                                                                                   17.05          SS14 Vecpils 2                                                                                  19.00          SS15 Dinsdurbe                                                                                20.15          SSS16 Liepāja City Stage                                                                08.55          SS17 Krogzemji 1                                                                             10.05          SS18 Mazilmāja 1                                                                            11.55          SS19 Krogzemji 2                                                                             14.15         SS20 Mazilmāja 2 (Wolf Power Stage) Tet Rally Latvia supports initiatives carried out by Latvian Children's Support Centre, who has created and are developing social rehabilitation facility for children with special needs. We invite you to support this initiative, by making a donation here: http://www.lbaf.lv/lv/ka-ziedot. RA EVENTS ir noslēdzis 28.06.2024. līgumu Nr.17.1-1-L-2024/304 ar Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūru par atbalsta saņemšanu pasākuma “Starptautiskās konkurētspējas veicināšana” ietvaros, ko līdzfinansē Eiropas Reģionālās attīstības fonds. 14 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}FK Liepaja won 1–0 over FK Jelgava on Mon Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match The current head to head record for the teams are FK Liepaja 28 win(s) Have scored 7 goals in their last 5 matches Haven't kept a clean sheet in 6 matches Who won between FK Liepaja and FK Jelgava on Mon 14 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT?FK Liepaja won 1–0 over FK Jelgava on Mon 14 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 7 goals in their last 5 matches FK Liepaja is playing home against FK Jelgava on Mon Mēs neuzņemamies atbildību par tulkojuma precizitāti This means that by 2030 we will fulfil the EU Climate Smart City Challenge – which will receive a total of €360 million “Horizon Europe” programme funding from 2022 to 2023 to enable 100 cities in Europe to start the innovation journey towards climate neutrality in 2030 Research and innovation actions will tackle mobility energy efficiency and green urban planning The European Commission has named 100 EU cities that will meet the EU's urban challenge and become 100 climate-neutral smart cities by 2030 These 100 cities are located in all 27 Member States with a further 12 cities in countries that are or could be associated with the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme 75% of the EU's urban population lives in urban areas cities consume more than 65% of all energy and produce more than 70% of all carbon dioxide emissions it is important that cities act as experimental and innovative ecosystems that help others to transform and achieve climate neutrality by 2050 ✳Research and innovation actions will address clean mobility and provide opportunities for joint initiatives and synergies with other EU programmes Cities will also benefit from tailored advice and assistance from a special Task Platform run by NetZeroCities additional funding and financing opportunities and possibly involvement in a wide range of innovative actions and pilot projects The Challenge also provides networking opportunities exchange of best practices between cities and support for civic engagement Take note – story published 1 year and 5 months ago the biggest renovation works are taking place in the vicinity of the Liepāja bus station and on Rīgas Street which leads to the city center. For the first time in a very long time tram traffic even had to be closed completely in order to replace a section of track at the terminus of the tram line over three days. Despite the difficult conditions tram movements in Liepāja continue with 14 new low-floor trams operating The center of Liepāja has undergone extensive street repairs and reconstructions. The moment when traffic will be fully restored near central Rožu Square is approaching but people have already started using the newly created tram stop deputy executive director of the Liepāja City Council said the new trams were more accessible to those with mobility issues and that the new network will be much more environmentally friendly the repair works of the tram tracks are coming to an end but the works will continue in the more modern districts until the new year a member of the board of SIA "Liepājas tramvajs" (Liepāja tramways) said: "There have been no renovation works in this particular place for 20 years All our projects are not only related to the replacement of tram tracks The total costs of the reconstruction projects of tram lines in both Jaunliepāja and Vecliepāja have reached 15 million euros. 85% of these costs are financed by the European Union's Cohesion Fund "In order for the municipality to pay its share because such millions in the municipality's budget are simply not lying around," said Puks In addition about 20 million euros were needed to replace the tram cars Take note – story published 1 year and 8 months ago The company said it has not been able to agree on the start of industrial activity with the Liepāja City Council and the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) administration.  Meanwhile the municipal authorities in Liepāja will keep to their plan to create an eco-friendly industrial park on the sprawling territory of the former "Liepājas metalurgs" plant which was once the city's major employer but which closed its doors after running into insolvency in 2013 The lawyers of SIA "Liepāja Steel" are currently preparing the necessary documentation for the dismantling and shipping of the steel melting furnace. The board of the company does not yet have a date when it will be leaving Liepāja but said it is keen to cut running costs by doing so at the earliest opportunity We will dismantle the factory in Liepāja plus a new factory must be built there," said company manager Mehmet Garip "We won the tender for about 10 million euros We were not told anywhere that you cannot open this factory in Liepāja I can't understand why Liepāja doesn't want it The entire territory of the approximately 120-hectare steelworks site belongs to the Liepāja SEZ and the municipality which five years ago signed a memorandum of intent with the Ministry of Economy (ME) and the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) on the development of a modern industrial park A short-term lease agreement was concluded with "Liepāja Steel" which ended in April this year. The company insists it wanted to conclude a long-term lease but the Liepāja SEZ demanded a detailed business and investment plan plus guarantees that metallurgy would not adversely affect the surrounding environment. The company did not submit any plan "The building is the property of the Liepāja SEZ administration there is a steel melting furnace and other equipment in the building then we will see what to do with this building entrepreneurs are interested in the area as such," said SEZ manager and Liepāja City Council member Uldis Hmielevskis (Liepāja party) Liepāja Steel previously expressed its readiness to invest 200 million euros and create at least 450 jobs over five years – though again the lack of a business plan renders such prophecies less than reliable.  therefore the impact on the national economy can only be potential and specifically on Liepāja," said representatives of the Ministry of Economy in a written statement to TV Kurzeme It is far from the first time that the arrival of investors and initial high hopes of a return to steel production and hundreds of jobs have failed to pan out.  The Liepājas Metalurgs plant in Latvia's third-largest city was first declared insolvent in 2013 after it failed to repay a state-guaranteed loan to an Italian bank Last year Latvian Television reported on the Turkish investment plan and a certain amount of caution regarding it from local officials As the flow of cargo from Russia and Belarus decreases the port of Liepāja is thinking about how to make money through something else and Liepāja Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Bureau is trying to attract investors who want to work in the field of green energy A contract has already been concluded with "Van Oord" to establish a support base for offshore wind farms The owners of the hydrogen plant planned in the port – CIS Liepāja Ltd – are thinking more about export opportunities to Germany and other EU Member States where it will be used in the transport and energy sectors The EU climate-neutral scenario requires a total hydrogen production of 60 million tonnes by 2050 so we are also looking at other potential production sites in Estonia and it is a great opportunity not only for Latvia but especially for Liepāja to become the first base of a large hydrogen plant in Europe," said Tor-Arne Pedersen Liepaja was chosen as the site of the hydrogen plant because of the port and the planned wind farms In cooperation with local training institutions it is planned to create a new program for the training of qualified specialists The new plant promises to create 100 new jobs The total investment could amount to about a billion euros and Liepāja SEZ's administration hopes for government support "CIS Liepāja" was created by Latvian and Nordic entrepreneurs whose managing partner is a Norwegian company with experience in the production of hydrogen "Clean Industrial Solutions Holding" the plant's operations will have no impact on the environment or the health of residents The development of a future plant project will follow in the near future Latvia’s Liepaja Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Authority and CIS Liepaja a joint project management team established by Norwegian have concluded a two-year reservation contract for the potential construction site for the renewable energy complex that will include a hydrogen production plant a hydrogen production plant and a port terminal are planned for the energy complex by 2030 and the project’s leading partner is Clean Industrial Solutions 80-100 new jobs for highly qualified specialists will be provided promoting the development of innovative technologies and science and research-based training programs adding that the project will also create new supply chains and increase export opportunities as well as promote international recognition and increase competitiveness of the city and the port said that the total planned investment amount for the construction of the hydrogen production plant with a capacity of 1000 MW and an estimated production volume of 150 000 tons of hydrogen will reach circa €1 billion noting that the hydrogen market demand in the near future will be enormous is now facing a great opportunity to launch the project commented: “CIS Liepaja is a project whose goal is to promote the provision of CO2-neutral energy for the EU internal market We are pleased that one of the first modern hydrogen production plants is planned to be built right in the territory of the Liepaja Special Economic Zone which fits in perfectly with the plans of “Fokker Next Gen N.V.” company to establish a new generation hydrogen-powered aircraft assembly plant at the Liepaja Airport And these are not the only projects that we implement together with entrepreneurs to transform port operations and industry in accordance with the European Green Course.” Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox The Pioneers of Offshore Engineering GustoMSC part of NOV’s Marine and Construction business is recognized for providing advanced design & engineering consultancy for mobile offshore units and reliable equipment and technical knowledge into realistic & innovative ideas The performance of new and existing jack-ups The 397th birthday of the city of Liepāja will be celebrated over several days To celebrate the occasion for not only the Liepāja residents but also the guests of the city from 17-20 March the Liepāja City Council welcomes you to enjoy the second "Illuminated Liepāja" Walk Liepāja residents and city guests will be offered the opportunity to see Liepāja turned into lights and to walk along a varied and fascinating route of illuminated objects See: "Illuminated Liepāja" Walk Route Booklet The objects will be on show every day of the event from 19.00 to 23.00 City businesses and residents are also encouraged to get involved in lighting up the city by creating a light object on the facades windows and doors of their buildings and properties The numerous light installations will be created by light and video artists from Liepāja and all over Latvia building facades will be illuminated using both high-power light beams the City Council building will also be illuminated on which the Liepāja light artist Mārtiņš Feldmanis will tell the Liepāja story A colourful installation "Flowers of Light" will blossom in Jānis Čakste Square while a poetry walk "Joy Lit by Light Bulbs" will invite to listen to the poetry of Ziemeļnieks Liepāja Holy Trinity Cathedral will be illuminated many will discover the charming courtyard of the new cultural centre "Wiktorija" as well as other places and buildings in Liepāja's urban environment the building of the Customs House at 54 Vecā Ostmala Street will also host an urban video projection graphics competition "(un)rest" to celebrate Liepāja's run-up to the second round of the European Capital of Culture 2027 competition Take note – story published 2 years and 4 months ago a British historian writing a book about borderlands in Europe described his recent visit to Latvia’s west coast: “Liepaja has a lot going for it It is an intriguing city with considerable architectural charm The large wooden houses between the city centre and the sea shore are very distinguished and some of the red brick warehouses resemble what are now cherished urban landmarks in Manchester and Liverpool.” doesn’t fully exist in the same cultural and information space as the majority of the country you might expect Liepāja to act as some kind of counterweight to the disproportionately large capital in the way Tartu and Kaunas do for Latvia’s northern and southern neighbours But those who live in Liepāja know that despite its shiny new concert hall and accompanying symphony orchestra highly regarded theatre and the only commercially operational airport outside Riga The average salary in Liepāja lags the mean in Latvia by 13% and its great distance from Riga – three and a half hours by bus – costs it in a context where the capital is the overwhelming driver of economic growth The population has dropped by more than 10,000 in the last decade and it’s doubtful if the city has recovered from the insolvency in 2013 of the vast metallurgy plant Liepājas Metalurgs once the largest locally-owned private employer in the whole country I remember one weekend-adjacent evening not long after I moved there walking through the centre on the way to the cluster of bars by the canal and wondering if some kind of natural disaster had befallen us without anyone alerting me But earlier this year Liepāja was selected as the EU Capital of Culture for 2027 beating out interesting-sounding bids from Daugavpils and Valmiera Most non-drivers will arrive in Liepāja at the same place: facing the grand which stretches out confidently along the platform This was really the initiator of Liepāja’s rapid rise in the 19th century to the industrial and trading hub of Kurzeme - a line to Romny in central Ukraine opened in 1871 it mostly acts as a waiting hall for the bus station with only a couple of trains a week leaving for Riga and for wealthier Kurzeme rivals Ventspils; getting to the important Lithuanian port of Klaipėda with only one daily minibus heading across the border and inconsistent and occasional service from larger commercial firms Liepāja benefits – or suffers depending on your viewpoint – from the most micro of microclimates which makes it slightly warmer but also wetter and windier than the rest of the country The damp in the air is palpable when I arrive and although it’s actually a little warmer than Riga (and The city’s surprisingly adventurous slogan for the Capital of Culture bid “(un)rest” hints at this blustery climate Liepāja 2027 project manager Inta Šoriņa outlines some of the oddities and paradoxes in its history and present that drove the team to choose such an intentionally contradictory tagline: the ragged fishing village in the shadow of the castle town of Grobiņa across the lake that grew to dwarf its neighbour the remote border city defined by its distance from Riga that for six months in 1919 served as the capital of the embattled new nation and next to it is a Khrushchev-time apartment building where locals cannot agree on renovations.” “There are so many topics that have rested in peace for years and years and we have to shake them up and some of the topics in the city are so unrestful and chaotic that we have to rest them We have to see where this looking for balance can bring us.” But it seems there has been unrest afoot for some time already lists some of the changes she’s seen She mentions the renovation of houses and blocks of flats the extension and updating of the city’s tramline – I was surprised to be met at the train station not by the clanking though charming assemblage of metal I was expecting but by a smartly painted red whooshing thing – and says that the closure of Liepājas Metalurgs has been compensated for by the arrival of both international and local businesses all the changes that have happened are positive” We met in one of the two cafes that has opened in Jūrmalas parks (Seaside Park) since my last visit It’s a space that has always felt underutilised protected from the ferocious wind by pine trees and the rearing sand dunes to its west Both gesture to the city’s past as an elegant resort in the necklace of mostly German-speaking ports that were set at even distances along the gentle curve of the Baltic coast from Memel (Klaipėda) down to Danzig (Gdansk): wooden and turquoise-painted Papus has the expansive balcony and elaborate eaves of the grand piles bordering the park with its bell roof and delicate decorative fronds perches on the lawn like an Art Nouveau butterfly let alone when I first visited in early 2013 Liepāja has a treasury of historic buildings ranging from severe Gothic to exuberant and multicoloured eclecticism - many the work of Paul Max Bertschy There are more wooden buildings than perhaps any other city in Latvia although not a few are villainous and sodden-looking looking as though they have spent more than a little while at the bottom of a pond a number of historic buildings have been visibly scrubbed up emerging looking like they’ve been put through some huge carwash while some of the more disreputable have simply disappeared has reinvigorated the city’s nightlife and provided it with a focal point restaurants and creative spaces are set about the narrow sheltered courtyard of a former sandal factory – including crowded subterranean craft beer bar – which on particularly convivial nights might have a shout to be the best bar in Latvia Even Karosta doesn’t seem to be immune Karosta is the northern tip of this narrow an overwhelmingly Russian-speaking and once off-limits district where tens of thousands of Soviet sailors were stationed back when Liepāja was a key naval base on the very border with the capitalist west Notorious since independence for dramatic depopulation its tattered and semi-abandoned ranks of Soviet flatpacks dilapidated infrastructure and air of things let slide have made it an irresistible backdrop for more than one performatively bleak portrayal of post-Soviet reality so I’m slightly surprised to spot there’s now a Caucasian restaurant just across the canal that separates it from the rest of the city chatting over piping hot kharcho soup served in an enamelled ochre pot with the Armenian-born and Liepāja-raised owner He tells me that things are developing out here too thanks partly to an influx of Lithuanians in search of cheap seaside property and forsaking their own comparatively truncated and crowded coastline (I’ve observed myself than sometimes in the summer Lithuanian is more audible than Latvian) Tourists are few and far between in November though As I get the bus back into town just around the corner I’m surprised to notice that the little kids also waiting are speaking Latvian Liepāja has a strength of identity that few cities in Latvia bar the capital can match While the local dialect doesn’t quite attain the brusque and unmistakable clipping of words historically typical of neighbours and rivals Ventspils people take considerable pride in the non-standard terms that are standard in and around the city - gružkaste for miskaste (rubbish bin) and knausis for ods (mosquito) While sipping a locally brewed coffee at Liepāja’s elegant and sinuous Tsarist-era market Pētertirgus - livelier and more attractive than any other in Latvia for my money - I saw an elderly couple tutting to each other at a sign that referred to a miskaste The local portal liepajniekiem.lv is the only regionally-focused site to regularly appear in Latvia’s top 20 most visited and the cluster of local musicians who found fame nationally and beyond at the tail end of the Soviet period is still a source of fierce pride People from Kurzeme are known as lepni kurzemnieki (proud Curonians) the reasons for pride and optimism are evident there is certainly much work to be done - as well as the areas of development it’s clear most of all that Liepāja needs to be better connected and integrated into Latvia For all the success stories like Pētertirgus and Juliannas pagalms there are other areas that have met a sadder fate like the former Annas market a sizeable square across the canal in Jaunliepāja that is now little more than a windswept car park for the small supermarket at one side.   a late Soviet-era district overlooking the lake happy to identify herself as a proud Curonian she returned to her hometown Liepāja in 2011 and opened a language school “The city I live in now and the city I came to 11 years ago - appearance-wise rows of run-down or done-up towers and the occasional older house It’s easy to wonder if the benefits that have been described to me reach out this far But Natālija tells me she prefers to live in this part of the city citing recent development of shops and supermarkets and its liveliness compared to the relative quiet of the city centre in the evening you have the sea - it’s 10 or 15 minutes.” And this is a part of the delight of Liepāja: the way that it never truly feels like an urban environment and like anything stretched almost to breaking point it feels rather less like what it is the recently repainted and renovated tower of Holy Trinity Cathedral you are barely 15 minutes’ walk from Zirgu sala an unpopulated island hugging the shore of Lake Liepāja from which you can look out over the seabirds out for the day I walk back to the city centre from Ezerkrasts along a path that skirts the lake and for large patches through reeds and sedge Last time I was here there was barely any path and you had to barge your way through the undergrowth I think that if the city’s cleaning itself up Jobs and development are better than unemployment and decay But I hope Liepāja doesn’t lose its raffishness It’s a city like nowhere else - if Europe gets to see that We are very happy and proud that Liepāja has won the title of European Capital of Culture 2027 but there is still a lot of homework ahead of us and we should start the practical process The transition phase from the European Capital of Culture 2027 Bid to the delivery of the programme is now underway - negotiations more administrative and explanatory work will be carried out to make the transition as smooth as possible so that the Foundation can be fully operational in 2023 The transition phase includes the securing of the Foundation's set-up process the follow-up of cooperation with both local and international partners Monitoring and research activities are also to be launched with communication and public participation activities to be undertaken The kick-off activities will start in autumn and will continue through 2023 and 2024 while a much wider programme will be implemented towards the 400th anniversary of Liepāja in 2025 and then until the end of 2027 The responsible authority for the overall European Capital of Culture 2027 process will continue to be the Culture Board the WRC top class representation will reach 10 crews including all three active world rally champions The team with the most Drivers’ Championship titles will be the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT who will be competing on the roads of Kurzeme and the Biķernieki track Also in the Toyota team will be the reigning world champion of the last two years Kalle Rovanperä – the Finn began his career in Latvia Elfyn Evans from Great Britain and Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta will also compete with the Toyota Yaris GR Rally1 HYBRID car The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team will feature the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season leader The Hyundai team will also include Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi who works with Latvian race engineer Arturs Ozoliņš and won Rally Sweden held in winter It should be noted that Lappi has also won a round of the FIA European Rally Championship at Rally Liepāja during his career and making history driving a non-hybrid Rally1 car the Latvians Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis will step up for Tet Rally Latvia and compete with a full-fledged Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID car prepared by the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team the British team will be represented by its main drivers – Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux and Luxembourger Grégoire Munster An exciting battle for victory in the Tet Rally Latvia is also expected among the WRC2 participants with one of the leaders undoubtedly being Oliver Solberg began his career in Latvia – progressing from front-wheel-drive cars to the highest WRC level Among Solberg's main competitors are Finnish driver Sami Pajari who is soon set to make his debut behind the wheel of a Rally1 car who has previously competed with Rally1 cars In addition to the Sesks / Francis team in the top class Tet Rally Latvia will feature two more Latvian crews Matīss Mežaks / Arnis Ronis will compete with a Škoda Fabia Evo Rally2 while Arturs Priednieks / Jānis Kirkovalds will participate with a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 car In fond memory of the Irish rally driver Craig Breen who won the ERC round at Rally Liepāja in 2015 the starting number 42 will not be assigned to any competitor of Tet Rally Latvia  Tet Rally Latvia supports initiatives carried out by Latvian Children's Support Centre, who has created and are developing social rehabilitation facility for children with special needs. We invite you to support this initiative, by making a donation here: http://www.lbaf.lv/lv/ka-ziedot The latest trends in the world economy show that Europe needs to create production centers in various industries and this opens up development opportunities for Liepaja the Liepaja SEZ Authority together with the municipality of Liepaja intends to develop a “green” and powerful industrial park in the territory of the former steel plant “Liepajas Metalurgs” which would become an example of the efficiency of the “green” production and circular economy attracting both - the European Union co-financing and private investment the local plan of the former steel plant “Liepajas Metalurgs” will be submitted for public discussion which will largely determine how we want to see the recently closed area: publicly accessible to residents sustainable and creative forms of business however - without losing its basic functional use The local plan has been developed by SIA “UPB Projekti” and everyone interested will soon be able to express his or her opinion and get involved in determining what the development area should look like in the future Chairman of the Liepaja City Council: “We have learned a lot from Scandinavian and Western companies which have gradually changed the production environment of Liepaja during the last 20 years This is the right time to choose the path that leads to the best success both for Liepaja as one of the heavyweights of the Latvian industry and for the country as a whole.” Chairman of the Board of the Liepaja SEZ "Currently we need such production facilities in Liepaja that do not harm the environment and the population - exportable with a sufficiently high capacity to attract intellectual resources." Deputy CEO of the Liepaja SEZ Authority: “It is forecasted that 250,000 m2 of buildings could be built or renovated in the industrial area of more than 120 ha in 10 years Development would require public funding and European Union funds of about 50 million euro which would further generate an opportunity to attract 375 million euro of private investment