Former Jelgava Prison, once holding Jānis Čakste, now open for tours

Jelgava Prison at Palīdzības Street 3, one of the oldest penal facilities in Latvia, was officially closed as of June 30, 2026. The decision by the Ministry of Justice and the Latvian Prison Administration was part of modernizing the penitentiary system following the opening of the new Liepāja Prison. All 242 inmates, including part of the country's life-sentenced male prisoners, were transferred to Liepāja, with the last group escorted there on June 27.

History and famous inmates

The prison was built in 1870. In 1908 it held Jānis Čakste — later the first President of Latvia — as a political prisoner for three months for signing the Vyborg Manifesto protesting the Russian tsar's dissolution of the State Duma. The prison also once held the criminal Ansis Kaupēns, arrested in 1926 after a six-year manhunt and later executed.

Tours for visitors

Last week a special tour for media representatives was held, guided by former prison employee Guntis Rasa and guide Inga Piļāne. Since September 3, the Jelgava tourism centre has run weekly two-hour public tours on Wednesdays for groups of up to 15 people; if demand remains high, tours may also be offered on Saturdays starting in October. Visitors can view cells, an isolation cell, a chapel, the medical unit with a defunct dental chair, the dining hall, and exercise yards. Organizers recommend comfortable footwear due to numerous stairs, and note an unpleasant smell still lingers in most areas.

Future plans

The roughly three-hectare site with seven buildings has been taken over by the municipality, which is currently gathering data on the infrastructure. Three directions are being discussed: a sports centre, converting part of the premises into housing, or creating a new city district, leveraging its location near the railway station and the new market.