Karosta Prison
Mar 25, 2011 Places
Karosta Prison in Liepaja is the only military prison open to public in Europe.
Text from Karosta Prison site:
The building was erected about 1900 and until 1997 it has served as a place where military persons served their terms for breach of discipline. Ever since the first years of its existence it has been a place to break people’s lives and suppress their free will.
There are only guided tours available in the prison and those guided tours are very high quality with the show in wich you participate yourself.
You can stay in the prison for the night as well, instead of staying in hotel.
Of course, if you dare to. Because recently Karosta prison has been reported on Ghost Hunters International as one of the most haunted places on Earth.
Tags: haunted place, hotel, Karosta, Karosta prison, Karostas cietums, Latvia, Liepaja, military prison
Riga TV Tower
Aug 27, 2010 Masterpiece, Places
Riga TV Tower is the tallest freestanding structure in the European Union. It is 386.5 meters tall and was built in 1987 (completely finished only in 1989). Today it is used for transmitting TV and radio channels as well as providing telecommunication services for various organisations and state institutions.
The tower reminds us a little bit of Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is located just outside the city center on the Zaķusala island in the river Daugava. The tower invites everyone to visit their observation deck which is located at the height of 97m, it is the highest publicly accessible observation point in Riga. In the good weather Riga Gulf, Riga Hydroelectric Power Plant and even Sigulda can be seen.
Grebenshikov’s Old Believers Preaching House
Jul 18, 2010 Places
In the district of Riga not so much attractive to most tourists there is one more place worth seeing. With its 27 000 members it is the biggest Old Believers preaching house in the world - Grebenshikov’s Old Believers church.
Old Believers became separated from the official Russian Orthodox Church after 1666-1667 as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon. Their liturgical practices are the same as the Russian Orthodox Church maintained before these reforms.
At the time of reforms many of splitters from the Russian Orthodox Church had to run away from the persecution, they mostly found their shelter in the northern Russia, and also in Latvia which then was partially Polish and Swedish.
The church is named after a rich merchant who supported it for a good while. It is also the only church in Latvia that has a golden dome.
Tags: Latvia, Old Believers, Riga
