Karosta is a former

Russian Imperial The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...

and

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

naval base on the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

, which today is a neighbourhood in

Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see #Names and toponymy, other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Planning Region, Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after R ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

History

The naval base was originally constructed in 1890-1906 for Tsar

Alexander III of Russia Alexander III ( rus, Алекса́ндр III Алекса́ндрович, r=Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 18 ...

, and named Порт Императора Александра III. Built on the bare coast it consisted of a large man-made harbour including a large breakwater and inland submarine base. During Lavian independence after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the base was called Kara osta (''War Port'' in Latvian), later shortened to Karaosta and Karosta (Кароста in Russian). It was a closed military area and army town during the Soviet period, serving as a base for the

Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...

. It was inaccessible to the civilians of neighbouring

. When the Soviet Union army left Latvia in 1994 after the restoration of Latvian independence, Karosta became largely uninhabited and most structures fell to ruin. In late 1990s, the area was troubled by high unemployment, street crime and drug problems. It is today a neighbourhood in the northern outskirts of

, occupying a third of the area of the city.Liepāja Naval Port
/ref>

Today

Today, Karosta is a popular place for tourists and artists, who are attracted to its historical sights, such as the scenic seascapes with partially blasted fortresses on the Baltic shore. The K@2 Artists center was established in 2000 and acts as a frame for many cultural activities by local and foreign artists who come to Karosta for art projects and to get inspiration from Karosta’s nature, buildings, ruins, and people. The army headquarters include czar-era mansions used by admirals, a palace for the czar (reportedly only used once), an impressive

Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...

Naval Cathedral, as well as underground bunkers and abandoned storehouses. Soviet-era buildings include many rows of block housing. At its height Karosta was home to over 20,000 people. Karosta military prison has now been converted into a museum (open May - September) and it is possible to spend the night in the guardhouse, processed as a prisoner would have been.

Gallery

File:Karosta water tower.jpg, The old water tower Liepaja fortress (battery 1) (2).jpg, The first battery of the north forts File:Ziemeļu forti(16).jpg, Ruins of the Northern forts File:Manéža 1.JPG, Ruins of the riding arena File:Kalpaka tilts 1.JPG, Kalpaka bridge, connects Karosta with other parts of Liepāja File:Karosta houses.jpg, Soviet blockhouses in Karosta Karosta Prison museum exhibition

In culture

In 2008 Ivory Tower Pictures produced a television documentary called ''Karosta: Life After the USSR'' directed by Peter King.

References

External links

Ivory Tower Pictures - Producers of Karosta: Life After the USSR
(web archive)
Official site
(web archive)
Images of old fort

Official Latvian Tourism Portal

Karosta Prison
{{Liepāja's neighbourhoods Installations of the Russian Navy Installations of the Soviet Navy Neighbourhoods in Liepāja