KAROSTA PRISON

A rare place where you can spend a night in prison, put yourself in the shoes of a prisoner and be treated accordingly. This is what we call Soviet tourism. Liepāja has a long military history behind it, mainly due to its geographical location, port and sea routes. In the ^19th and early ^20th centuries, the town became part of the Russian Empire, which built a military port with all the necessary infrastructure: hospital, prison, church. The hospital soon became a military prison before it had even opened. After the Second World War, the area was taken over by the Soviet military, who built five-storey grey concrete blocks of flats around a splendid Orthodox cathedral, St. Nicholas Cathedral (well worth a visit). Unruly Navy soldiers were sent here. Karosta remained off-limits to civilians until the prison closed and the last Russian soldiers left. An astonishing sight! You can visit the ruins of the Tsar's barracks and the prison (you don't need to stay there). You can even take a French-language tour (on request), have a coffee or a bite to eat in the prison's small buffet. A place to see, and a little chilling.

You can also take part in two escape games, "George Orwell 1984" and "Detention on remand". Book in advance.

Karosta beach is a local favorite and even has a sailing club.