(No)freedom in Liepaja

Travel itinerary

(No)freedom in Liepaja.

Take a contrasting, unforgettable day trip to Liepaja, Latvia’s third largest city. On this trip, you will get a distinct taste of captivity and freedom.

First, we will be in captivity. We’ll visit Karostas – the largest military territory in the Baltics. Karosta is a district in northern Liepaja, built as a naval base by order of Tsar Alexander III of Russia between 1890 and 1906. We will take a guided tour of the former military prison of Karosta. This is more than a simple tour. You will have to be disciplined and obey instructions, and at the same time you will discover what has been hiding behind the walls of Europe’s only prison open to tourists for more than a century. There is also a buffet with Soviet-era waitresses and specialities.

After breaking out of the prison, we will visit other historical sites in Karosta. We will visit the largest and most beautiful Orthodox church in the Baltic States – St. Nicholas of the Sea Orthodox Church. This Orthodox church can be called the visual and spiritual landmark of Karosta. We will also see the water tower that used to supply water to the whole of Karostha, where the old water pumps are still in place, and where today various art exhibitions are held. We will go to the sea, where the Northern Forts, which surrounded the territory of the Karosta, still stand.

We will leave behind a Karostha that still smacks of captivity and military spirit. The feeling of freedom will slowly return to us after a hearty lunch. It would be wrong not to try the famous, hearty Liepajas Mencini, a special Liepajas fish dish made especially for us in one of Liepaja’s cafés. In the afternoon, we will take a guided walking tour of Liepaja’s Old Town, taking in the main sights and architectural gems.

The sea and beaches are within easy reach. This is where the true sense of freedom takes over. Walking along the promenade or Kūrmāja Avenue, spotting sculptures of the characters of the Liepaja anthem or the amber clock, you will reach the beach. This is a stretch of coastline of extraordinary white and fine sand. The 50-80 m wide strip stretches for 8 km. The exceptional quality of this beach is attested to by the “Blue Flag”

After a relaxing hour by the sea, we’ll have a chance to buy some Latvian souvenirs and head home.

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Notes:

  • For paid facilities + pre-booked lunches have ~ 18 Eur./asm
  • Guided tour with show elements in the former Karosta Prison – 5 Eur./person. Seniors and schoolchildren – 4,5 Eur.
  • Swimming gear is required, as there will be an opportunity to swim in the sea, weather permitting.
  • The programme and the prices of the paid facilities may vary slightly.

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Programą sukūrė ir parengė bei kelionės metu Jus lydės gidė Vilija Bakutienė.

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Registration and information: info@jnd.lt / +370 679 02200
The program is flexible for groups.
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© The program may not be copied or used for commercial purposes without the author’s permission.

______________________________________
Tour operator UAB JND

Certificate No 16407 issued by the State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy. Guarantee of Swedbank. No. 20-046812-GM.

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A trip to visit Latvians on Lithuanian roads

Lithuanian industry did not develop as fast as Latvia’s between the wars, and was therefore more economically backward. Trade and industry grew particularly rapidly in Latvia, which had two large trading ports, Riga and Liepaja, while Lithuania was cut off from its geographically natural ports, Klaipėda and Königsberg. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lithuanians went to Latvia to work in such large numbers that the Lithuanian government of the time had to “roll up its sleeves” and invite them to work in their homeland even more intensively. However, on the eve of the First World War, 37,000 Lithuanians lived in Riga alone. Daugavpils, Liepaja, Riga, Jelgava and Durbe have the most Lithuanian traces. Can we erase the imprints of Vaižgantas, President A. Smetona, Aldona Treija, the founder of the Lithuanian school in Riga, and the Radvilas family from the history of Lithuania and Latvia?

1 day. We leave for Liepaja via Palanga, Būtingė.

In May 1921, in the Lithuanian-Latvian border area, the Convention for the Determination of the Borders between Lithuania and Latvia was signed in the presence of Prof. James Simpson of Edinburgh University, an international arbitrator. Many Lithuanian elite figures, ministers and presidents between the wars attended the Liepaja Gymnasium (before the war, Lithuanians made up about 25% of the population in Liepaja). In 1910, Liepaja had more than 50 companies employing around 7 000 workers, including many of the 18 000 Lithuanians living in the town at the time. In the autumn, wagon loads of grain and other farm produce would clog the roads leading to Liepaja. From there they would return to buy tools, furniture, sugar, jewellery for the women, sweets for the children, and other goods for the family and the farm. On 22 March 1939, after the ultimatum to Germany to surrender the Klaipėda region, the only Lithuanian warship, the “Prezidentas Smetona”, was transferred to the port of Liepaja.

During the tour we will visit: the Liepaja Anthem Character Alley, St. The tour will take in the Liepaja Anthem Alley, the St. Nicholas Orthodox Sea Church, the Military Port and Beach, the St. Peter’s Market, the Latvian Musicians’ Walk of Fame, Rose Square, Liepaja Gymnasium, and the Liepaja Lithuanian Community Centre. After free time, we depart for Durbe, where the famous Battle of Durbe took place on 13 July 1260, near the lake, between the Teutonic Knights and the Samogitians, whose side was taken by the Curonians, who had been called by the Teutonic Army. We leave for Riga. Leaving aside the traditional tourist routes, we will start our exploration of Riga from Alberta and Elizabete Streets, lined with Art Nouveau buildings. Art Nuveau is a bouquet of nature, bunches of flower blossoms, ornaments, sinuous and undulating lines, and fantasies, perfectly reflected in the 800 buildings of Riga. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2. Riga – Jurmala

Breakfast. “Riga is a Latvian city, but you can’t tear its history away from Lithuanian history” – Vaižgantas. Riga is home to the largest and most active Lithuanian community in Latvia. Of the 25 000 Lithuanians living in Latvia, about 8 000 live in Riga. The main engine of Lithuanian activity in Riga is the Riga Lithuanian Secondary School. In the second half of the 19th century, Lithuanians also travelled to Riga in search of work, just as they did to the cities of Liepaja and Jelgava. Already then, capital was being minted in Riga, and Lithuanians found work in the construction of Riga’s railway carriages, in paper and rubber factories, in distilleries and breweries, in flax spinning mills, in sawmills, in furniture workshops, in tramways and railways, in the ports and elsewhere.

Before the tour at 9 am, those who wish to participate in the Lithuanian-language St. Mass!

We will travel to the Old Town and visit: the castle, built in 1330, which is the residence of the President of Latvia; the largest Lutheran cathedral in the Baltic States, the Cathedral Square; St Peter’s Church – the tallest in Riga; the monument to the musicians of Bremen, commemorating the history of the medieval Hansha Merchants’ League; the breath-taking Blackheads Palace, the St Peter’s Church, which is the largest in the Baltic States. The breathtakingly beautiful St. James’s Cathedral, restored to the Catholics in the 16th century. We’ll wander through the streets of Konventa Seta, which is like a Christmas card; the Freedom Monument, a symbol of the freedom and unity of the Latvian nation; and many other places you may not have seen even if you’ve been there many times before. We will visit the Latvian Lithuanian Gymnasium, founded by A.A. Treija, a native of Gargždai.

After a tour of Riga, we depart for the trendy Jurmala seaside, where you can spend the afternoon swimming (weather permitting). After free time, we will return to Riga for overnight. You will have the opportunity to dine in the Old Town and possibly take a boat trip on the Daugava River.

3 diena. Jelgava
After breakfast, we depart for Jelgava. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the city was famous as a centre of Lithuanian cultural and political activity. At that time, it had a great influence on the cultural and political life of Lithuania. It is also closely linked to the history of the Duchy of Biržai.

Ekskursijos metu apžiūrėsime garsiuosius caro Petro I architekto iš Italijos B. Rastrelli suprojektuotus rūmus, Šv. Trejybės bažnyčios bokštą, Šv. Simono ir Šv. Onos ortodoksų katedrą, buvusią latvių. Ekskursijos pabaigoje ne tik aplankysime latvių ir lietuvių intelektualų „kalvę“ Academia Petrina gimnaziją, vietą, kurioje mokėsi prezidentas A. Smetona, bet paminėsime Lietuvos nacionalinę šventę ir sugiedosime Lietuvos himną. Juk tai vienintelis himnas, kuris yra giedamas visame pasaulyje vieną ir tą pačią dieną! Todėl pasiimkite Lietuvos vėliavą bei smagią lietuvišką nuotaiką! Kupini įspūdžių keliausime namo.

During the tour, we will see the famous palace designed by B. Rastrelli, the Italian architect of Tsar Peter the Great, the tower of the Holy Trinity Church, the towers of St. St. Simon and St. Anne’s Orthodox Cathedral, the former Latvian. At the end of the tour, we will not only visit the Academia Petrina Gymnasium, the “smithy” of Latvian and Lithuanian intellectuals and the place where President Smetona studied, but we will also celebrate Lithuania’s national holiday and sing the Lithuanian anthem. After all, it is the only anthem that is sung all over the world on the same day! So bring the Lithuanian flag and a fun Lithuanian mood! We will go home full of impressions.

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Notes: Single room, lunch, tickets to attractions, local guides in Liepaja and Riga at extra cost.

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Registration and information: info@jnd.lt / +370 679 02200
The program is flexible for groups.
______________________________________
© The program may not be copied or used for commercial purposes without the author’s permission.

______________________________________
Tour operator UAB JND

Certificate No 16407 issued by the State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy. Guarantee of Swedbank. No. 20-046812-GM.

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Viking trip to Kuldīga

We invite you to a fun and exciting trip that is suitable for all members of the family: kids, parents, grandparents and single travellers alike.

Sightseeing tour of Liepaja.

First stop for a coffee/tea/sandwich (packed at home or bought in a supermarket) in Liepaja.

We arrive in Gruobinia. Gruobinia is the first settlement mentioned in historical sources on the territory of Latvia. In the heyday of Gruobinia, there was a medieval castle, and we will visit its remains – impressive! It will be time to find out why there are so many Viking signs in Gruobinia.

We are gradually plunging into a historical period when Vikings were frequent visitors to Gruobinio. We will take part in an interesting, lively and fun excursion that will introduce you to the daily life of the Vikings and to life in Gruobinia itself. Next, the Vikings will travel to Kuldīga. More than 1000 years ago, Kuldyga was a major centre of ancient Curonian trade and culture and was visited by Scandinavian Vikings. Today, Kuldyga has the charm of a small medieval town. The medieval historical centre of Kuldyga near Alekšupytė is a unique and the only one in the Baltic States of its kind, an ensemble of 17th and 18th century buildings by the river, which is why Kuldyga is called the Venice of Latvia. The historical centre of the Old Town of Kuldīga on the Venta River is a UNESCO National List site. The old brick bridge over the Venta River and the Venta Rumba, the widest waterfall in Europe, the highest waterfall in Latvia, the city garden with sculptures by L. Rezewska, charming wooden houses and narrow streets – all this awaits us in Kuldīga. A guided tour with a local guide is foreseen.

The nature in Kuldīga is not only one of the most picturesque, but also one of the warmest in Latvia. Tourists love the Riegeupe Nature Park with its mysterious Duke James sand caves and the picturesque Riegeupe River. We will visit the Riežupe Sand Caves.

The Vikings return home happy as the sun sets.

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Notes: ~€10, excluding your meal costs.

Lunch is available for group bookings in advance.

______________________________________

Registration and information: info@jnd.lt / +370 679 02200
The program is flexible for groups.
______________________________________
© The program may not be copied or used for commercial purposes without the author’s permission.

______________________________________
Tour operator UAB JND

Certificate No 16407 issued by the State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy. Guarantee of Swedbank. No. 20-046812-GM.

[bookly-form service_id=”35″ hide=”categories,services,staff_members,date,week_days,time_range”]

Information is being prepared…

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