Liepaja is a city of 70,000 people, located in the far west of Latvia on the Baltic Sea. It is best known as one of the country's most important ports and industrial centers and has become a popular tourist destination.
During the time when Latvia was controlled by the Soviet Union, and before that Czarist Russia, Liepaja was home to Karosta, an important military base. The remains of Karosta continue to be a popular tourist destination in the city.
Since independence, Liepaja has grown into a thriving and culturally diverse city which features its own symphony orchestra as well as several important music festivals.
Liepaja is also home to a Latvian Olympic Center (opened in August of 2008), a state-of-the-art facility that hosted two preliminary rounds of FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2009, FIBA Women's U20 European Championship 2010 and FIBA U18 European Championship 2013.