A Prison is Being Sold in Latvia. What Exactly and for How Much?

On Tuesday, October 13, the Latvian government allowed the state enterprise Valsts nekustamie īpašumi (VNĪ) to take over and auction part of the property of the former Liepāja prison, reports the LETA agency. This concerns properties located at 14/16 Darza Street and 14A. According to the government's decision, they will first be transferred to the Ministry of Finance, after which VNĪ will be able to organize their sale. **What exactly will be put up for sale?** The largest property is located at 14/16 Darza Street. This is a land plot of 0.5662 hectares, on which numerous buildings of the former prison are situated. The property includes an administrative building with an area of 312.1 square meters, three isolation blocks with areas of 418.3, 1159.8, and 1711.9 square meters, a utility building with an area of 800.5 square meters, and a kitchen with an area of 613.8 square meters. Additionally, the territory contains guard towers, a checkpoint, and other structures. The fiscal cadastral value of this property is 248,150 euros, while the universal cadastral value is 494,629 euros. The second property, located at 14A Darza Street, is a boiler room with an area of 23.4 square meters. The land under the building belongs to the Liepāja municipality. The fiscal cadastral value of the boiler room is 1,096 euros, while the universal value is 776 euros. Thus, the total universal cadastral value of the two properties is 495,405 euros. However, this does not mean that this will be their starting price at the auction.