LIEPAJA

LIEPAJA LATVIA post card

Liepāja, historical variant: Libau, is a city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E, and the administrative center of Liepāja district. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port. As of 1 January 2010, Liepāja had a population of approximately 83,000.

Liepāja is known throughout Latvia as "The city where the wind is born", possibly because of the constant sea breeze. A song of the same name (Latvian: Pilsētā, kurā piedzimst vējš ( audio (help·info)) ) was composed by Imants Kalniņš and has become the anthem of the city. The reputation of Liepāja as the windiest city in Latvia has been further endorsed as the biggest wind power plant in Latvia (33 Enercon wind turbines) was constructed nearby.

The Coat of Arms of Liepāja was adopted four days after it gained city rights on 18 March 1625.[2] These are described as: "on a silver background, the lion of Kurzeme with a divided tail, who leans upon a linden (Latvian: Liepa) tree with its forelegs." The flag of Liepāja has the coat of arms in the center, with red in the top half and green in the bottom.