Karostas Prison
In northern Liepaja, there is a district called Karostas, where Tsarist Russia established a naval base between 1890 and 1906. After the Russian revolution in 1917, the territory was taken over by the Soviet Union. Within the naval base, there was a prison for deserters from the navy. The prison was finally closed in 1997 after a hundred years in use. During the German occupation between 1941 and 1944 the prison was taken over by the germans and just outside the prison the germans established a place for execution.
Current status: Preserved with museum (2009).
Address: Invalidu iela 4, Liepaja, LV-3414.
Get there: Car.
Follow up in books: Ezergailis, Andrew: The Holocaust in Latvia, 1941-1944 (1996).
In 2009, Karostas is a terribly dilapidated area with worn-out residential buildings and widespread poverty. The prison, on the other hand, has been converted into, not only a museum, but also a hostel where you can stay overnight in one of the old cells. For those who wish, it is also possible to arrange a role-playing game where guests for a day become prisoners. Other adventures include escapes from the naval base where the guest must undergo certain hardships to escape detection from the guards. The museum is characterized by a great commercialism.