Liepaja
So, you’re thinking of visiting Liepaja?
Here’s what you need to know about one of the premier ports of the Northern Sea.
Liepaja is a strongly historical place, routed in well-intended but not always well-executed symbolism with plenty to see and do. It is fairly well off and can be quite the appealing holiday destination for the more affluent citizens of places like Riga due to its proximity and easy access by coastal vessels.
Liepaja started life as a small port town, predominately inhabited by shipbuilders and fisherfolk until it decided to join the City-State of Riga in order to protect its interests from pirates and raiders from the northern islands and it didn’t take long after joining until it became Riga’s top port.
With its location situated at the southernmost point of the stunning Welders Bay and the mouth of the River Barta as well as being the most western city in the state of Riga, it became an absolute powerhouse, seeing countless ships and an untold amount of goods moving through it regularly. When the Hundert Jahre Schlangenkrieg (that’s Snake War, for those of you who don’t know your Old Teutonic) began in the early 1000’s its proximity to the border of the Viper held city-state of Berlin and strategical importance to Riga made it a prime target.
In the year 1109 it was decided that the peace treaty to end the war would be signed on the border between Riga and Berlin in Liepaja by King Hapsburg of the Vipers and Lady Heidelburg of the Cobras. Both sides pledged funds personally to rebuild what was damaged in Liepaja as a symbol of the new, re-unified Teutonia. An ornamental pagoda was built on the site where the treaty was signed and the area was dubbed Der Vereinigungsort or The Place of Union. In the centre of Place of Union is a statue built to commemorate the union of the two snakes at the signing of the treaty. To some, it is a stirring piece of sculpture, representing the two great snake houses embracing in friendship, to those with a less artistic mind it apparently looks like two serpents trying to throttle each other.
Much of the old city was damaged or destroyed after being captured and recaptured several times during the hundred years of war but there are some wonderful examples of early Northern Teutonic coastal architecture still intact as well as a particularly fascinating, if somewhat outdated, water chain defence system stretching across the bay from the town of Kraggen. Another thing of particular interest is also Tullia Müller’s Shipwright business, she uses historical methods to recreate ships from the earlier days of seafaring and runs trips for people who want the “vintage” experience to and from The Grodwelder Island Cluster.
In the year 1117 Liepaja was granted permission to rule itself as its own City State, still retaining some oversight and protection from Riga but with considerably more independence than other vassal states across Teutonia. There are rumours that the Mayors of Liepaja pushed through this independence claim as a way to distance themselves from Lord Schwartengel’s appointment as ruler of Riga but we can neither confirm not deny this information.
Liepaja has many traditions built off the back of the treaty being signed there but probably the most obvious and bizarre one is how they govern their city and state. There are two sitting Mayors at any given time, one is a hereditary title, to represent the nobility of the old Viper houses, the other is an elected position, to symbolise the Senate of Riga. Historically in Liepaja, in an act of ham-fisted symbolism, the hereditary title has been held by the Sulla family, who were originally part of the Cobras. Currently, the head of House Sulla is Aurelia Sulla and the elected official is Magnus Griphur. Their relationship is a healthy one and they manage to work well together, despite the added complexity of the dual position.
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