Long ago on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea there appeared a place inhabited by the Baltic tribes: crafts development promoted an economic boom but shipping provided trade exchange relations. Due to the revival of commercial cities in Europe and traffic along the road corresponding to the Amber Trail trace from the Mediterranean Sea to the lands ruled by the Balts by the Baltic Sea, Livs built a remote Liv village out of the Cours’ villages on the sandbank created by the River Līva (Lyva portus; around the 13th cent.). In 1418 Lithuanians destroyed the village: the creek of the River Līva was used for shipping hereafter. However, in 1538 it got clogged and was not appropriate for shipping any longer. In the territories between the Rivers Pērkone and Līva Libau Village started to emerge. The Livonian War (1558–1582) destroyed the Livonian Confederation. On March 5, 1562 the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was founded in Polish subjugation. The last Livonian Master Gotthard Ketler (1517–1587) became the first Duke of the new state, and he chose the Duchy of Prussia as a sample for development, form which in 1609 the pawned Libau Village was regained and on March 18, 1625 it was awarded the City Charter. Merchants from Riga and Swedish postmaster Jacob Becker arranged a private horse mail (1632) after the Polish-Swedish war (1600–1629) to the Western Europe and established Libau (Liepāja) Post Station. The hard-working people promoted the formation of the economic centres near the River Līva mouth: before 1659 the Duke’s shipyard started its work, but around 1682 – the private ship navigation. Trade relations developed and on October 1, 1697 the digging of the port canal was commenced (1697–1703). In the vicinity of the port, the centre of shipping navigation and traffic developed which influenced the city planning in the 18th century: at the beginning of Great /Lielā/ Street a wooden bridge was built across the canal, but at the end of the street the New Market Place was created which became the city multifunctional centre. In 1795 the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned, and the port city Libau (Liepāja) was included in the Russian Empire. A permanent wooden bridge across the canal since (1830) and highway Libava–Grobiņa (1841) improved its traffic. The governmental policy promoted the development of Libava: in 1860 the highest order on the reconstruction of Libava Port (1861–1868) was issued in. On November 8, 1860 the first railway line St. Petersburg–Warsaw was opened which crossed the eastern part of Latvia territory and went through Dinaburg (now Daugavpils), which in 1861 was connected with Riga by the railway. In Libava the resort was developed – in 1870 on the seacoast the “Nicholas’s Establishment of Heated Seawater Baths” was opened and the first greeneries of the Seaside Park were consecrated. In 1871 the city got connected to the railway net which provided trains southwards and eastwards. Due to the fast export increase, the port was not able to attend the huge amount of cargos: the second period of the port construction was started (1878–1888). A railway bridge was built across the trading canal, but the wooden bridge was replaced with a metal bridge (1881). The construction of manufactures near the railway line and the third most important port in the Russian Empire was started and New Liepaja was created, but in Old Liepaja the boulevard circle of Kurhaus /Kurmājas/ Avenue and Peldu Street (round 1880) made a link between the city centre and the resort. On January 15, 1890 a large-scale construction of the “Emperor Alexander’s III Military Port” and sea fortress was started, but in 1899 – the construction of the electric railway line for the traffic between Naval Port, industrial New Liepaja and the city centre in Old Liepaja. The urban environment was improved joining the promenades, squares and parks in one common greenery system. Libava obtained its symbol – the Rose Square (1911). On November 18, 1918 the Republic of Latvia was declared as independent. In the country the implementation of the agrarian reform was started and the task was set- provide the inhabitants with flats. In the Technical Department of Liepaja City Board the development of the master-plan was started (round 1927): the territory of the city was divided into the industrial, trading, residential and the green resort areas; it was planned to fill up partly Liepaja Lake, lengthen Lords /Kungu/ Street with a dam for the water system construction and traffic with the eastern bank of the lake. The “Law of City Lands” and “Regulations for City Construction and Development of Construction Plans and Development Procedure” in 1928 promoted a gradual development of Liepaja. The Soviet military power was restored in Latvia and on August 5, 1940 the land was included in the USSR. On June 22, 1941 during the first hours of World War II the inhabitants’ peaceful life was interrupted by the German aviation onslaught directed towards Liepaja: at the outbreak of the hostilities from June 25 to June 27 the waterfront was destroyed, but in 1942 – the city centre around the Rose Square and Lielā Street. When the war finished, the “Building Complex Scheme for 1946–1950” was developed for Liepaja. In August 1950 the city was announced as closed: the trading port was used for military needs. Neglecting the historical planning of the city, in 1952 the restoration of the city centre building was started, applying standard projects. The master-plan (1966), detailed plans for the Northern Outskirts and Greeen Grove /Zaļā Birzs/, “Zoning Scheme with the Placement of Residential and Household Objects 1975–1980” (1976), zoning of the industrial territory (1978), “Reconstruction Project of Liepaja City Central Part” (1979) and “Development Scheme of Liepaja Operating Transport” (1979) were worked out. The construction of public buildings was connected with the implementation of the “Project’s First Stage Placement in Liepaja 1981–1985” (1981) and “Building Project of Liepaja during the 12th Five-year Period (1985–1990)” (1984). A new master-plan was worked out for Liepaja (1988). On May 4, 1990 Latvia declared its sovereignty again, and the change of ownership was started in the country. In Liepaja, where the port canals had created a triple planning to the city territory with a unique, to the history of civilization related, heritage in each of them, a controversial period of development started: in 1994 the Soviet Army left Naval Port and the resort was closed. The inability of the municipality to find long-term solutions for the city development caused elimination of manufactures. In 1996 assessing the master-plan of Liepaja City in 1998, the incompatibility of the spatial plan to the new conditions was realized. A new spatially and functionally fragmented development plan for Liepaja was confirmed, lobbying the interests of individual entrepreneurs and companies. Building regulations for Liepaja were adopted (1997) and Liepaja Special Economic Zone was created (1997) in order to promote the trading and industrial development, shipping navigation and air traffic service. Unfortunately, the State Audit Office, after evaluating the work of SEZ in 2014, realized that the development of the city infrastructure is not invested. The individual enterprise “Architect Edgars Bērziņš’s Office” developed a detailed plan for Naval Port residential area and industrial park (2001). The architectonic research of the building complex of the military town and protection of the culture-historical heritage was not carried out – the territory was divided between companies to implement business activities. A transport scheme was developed for Liepaja (2002). On May 1, 2004 the Republic of Latvia became a member of the European Union. The European Commission determined its goals and core principles for a sustainable development in the declaration of May 25, 2005, whose main precondition was identity. Liepaja City Council adopted the city development policy for 2008–2014 (2008) and on March 16, 2012 the Liepaja City Spatial Plan for 2011–2023, developed by the “Grupa 93” Ltd., was confirmed without any requirements for the development of the city centre building concept and comprehensive analysis of the historical planning, therefore causing doubt about the possibility to create a balanced development of the city space. Since the end of the war the city centre of Liepaja has not obtained an expressive form, even though there have been scandalous attempts to fill in the empty places with buildings.