Liepāja is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region and the third-largest in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an important ice-free port.
Aerial view
Panorama of Liepāja in 1701, looking from the Baltic Sea
The Emigrants' House of the Russian East-Asian Steamship Company. About 500,000 people from the Russian Empire emigrated to the United States through Liepāja.
Electric tram in Liepāja, circa 1900
European Capital of Culture
A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can be an opportunity for a city to generate considerable cultural, social, and economic benefits, and it can help foster urban regeneration, change the city's image, and raise its visibility and profile on an international scale. Multiple cities can be a European Capital of Culture simultaneously.
Melina Mercouri
Tartu (Estonia), the European Capital of Culture for 2024
Bad Ischl (Austria), the European Capital of Culture for 2024
Bodø (Norway), the European Capital of Culture for 2024