Too few picture threads here...
On Tuesday I was in Liepaja (you remember - that 80 000 people city in Western Latvia). There was spare time before and after the meeting - so I walked some quartals around the City Council to take some pictures. And once more it became sure to me that this city has got more architectural jevels than most people think.
Rozu Street
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/9216/Rozuiela2nov04.jpg
School on Rozu Street 10. Not quite similar to that school in Plavnieki, Riga. And... if many buildings around it were in sad condition, school here is shining and fresh.
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/5613/Rozu102nov04.jpg
Nearer look - so many fine details!
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/7353/Rozu10tuvu2nov04.jpg
Republikas Street - it has got so many fine buildings!
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/1975/Republikasiela2nov04.jpg
Republikas 7/9. I just love wooden architecture. And... do you often see wooden Art Nouveau architecture? Liepaja is very rich with it.
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/2420/Republikas7s9_22nov04.jpg
Window a little nearer. Only that ornamentation at the roof is Art Nouveau, window is more Historism.
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/8392/Republikas7s92nov04.jpg
Republikas 4 - details
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/9818/Republikas4det2nov04.jpg
Renovated building at K.Uliha Street - so many details even on the tower!
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/5846/pieKUlihaielas2nov04.jpg
L.Paegles Street 17 - renovated villa
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/354/LPaegles172nov04.jpg
Liepaja Market in fine Art Nouveau style.
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/3903/Lieptirgus2nov04.jpg
Renovation needed... but fine anyway
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/1828/Lieptirgustuvu2nov04.jpg
Kursu Plaza - one of the old market squares in the city. I remember that cobblestone since my childhood - then it seemed endless like a sea
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/5049/Kursulaukums2nov04.jpg
This time I decided to make better pictures of that stairway in Kursu Street 21. It loks sad... hope it won't be lost:
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/9558/Kursu21kapnes2nov04.jpg

http://img108.exs.cx/img108/8421/Kursu21kapnes22nov04.jpgThis is upper floor there
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/750/Kursu21kapnes32nov04.jpg
Kursu 20 - fine renovation!
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/3782/Kursu202nov04.jpg
K Uliha 58 - if you look more - you will notice wealth of smaller details. Oh no... this is not seen in this resolution
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/6397/KUliha582nov04.jpg
"Yoga cat" - enjoying sleep on a barbed wire ;)
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/903/KakisLiepaja2nov04.jpg
J. Jansevska Street 17 - renovated wooden villa. Real house of dreams
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/7071/JJansevska172nov04.jpg
Dzintaru Street 16 - one of the finest wooden Art Nouveau buildings I've ever seen
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/561/Dzintaru16_22nov04.jpg
Below each window there is such ornamentation
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/449/Dzintaru16palodz2nov04.jpg
One of the entrances - so rich with woodcarving!
http://img108.exs.cx/img108/9255/Dzintaru16ieeja2nov04.jpg

Hope, you liked what you saw. All these buildings are located very close and the buildings between them are not much worse, btw. But Liepaja City looks sad and poor... my hometown needs better times!

Very nice series! Believe it or not, I've never been in Liepaja...

LatvianGG - most people who have been in Liepaja anyway have not seen much. You need spare time and good knowledge to go away from the comparatively boring centre to these quartals.

Those wooden buildings reminds me of Raskolnikov and the rest :) I like it!

Liepaja is the only city that I havn`t visited. Nice pics.
But what`s about Karaosta? The worst district in Liepaja.
The buildings there are even worse than in my pics. A lot of buildings stand not finished or partly wrecked. If someday I will go to Liepaja I will visit that district which I liked to call "The Best Soviet Oddments".

nice, nice, nice! I've been there once and loved this town.

Wow, you sure know how to find beauty! I loved these!

Nice city. The wooden houses could become very beautiful, but they was in very poor condition right now. But the city in general is a beauty...:)

Wooden houses are very charmming and warm but the downside is that wood doesnt really last long without proper care.

Liepaja is definitely number two after Riga in Latvia. With a big and clean old town with curches old market and pedestrian streets The best beach I have ever seen anyweher where I have been. It has a lot of inner controversies - the moste intense cultural life anywhere in Latvian regions and the biggestsare of industry in local economy in Latvia on the one hand, and on the otehr hand the biggest unemployment among biggest latvian towns (12%) and abandoned and socially very problematic areas Soviet occupation troops left 1993. I would say a city with many controverse identities in the middle of the Baltics with a very bright, active people and promising future.

Dauagvpils I would hardly call Latvian city as there only 15% of the population are latvians.

Lovely town,even resembles me some parts of Tallinn

@Janis_LV - Daugavpils is beautiful city with lots of architectural jevels as well. Permanent Latvian attitude "this is Russian city" has turned away the attention from this interesting city with its fine people. But it is true that Daugavpils has got much lover cultural spirit than Liepaja. The people there are still looking for their identity.

Btw. I have been working for Daugavpils for some time. Was very very surprised about the wealth of ornate and diverse architecture there. And people there are very fine - interesting mix of Russian "open soul" and friendlyness together with the tendency to keep everything clean and in order.

Villas along Seaside and in front of the seaside park are incredibly beautiful and they are all still there. When you walk through these streets you feel really like back in the beginnings of 20th century. In some of the villas now are nice guest houses where for one night you will pay as few as 25 Ls with excellent beach 100 from your window. With so many restaurants bars and festivals in summeras as nowere in latvian province. I am considering to spend in this city many weekends this summer.