| No | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
The former Soviet communications division at Plāņciems in the forests of Bārta is privately owned and is being dismantled at this time.
|
|
 |
The Swedish army built a modern fortress during the 1640s with five bastions and two gates. There were 120 cannons and mortar throwers, barracks for soldiers, flats for officers, a garrison church and warehouses for food at munitions. After the Great Northern War in 1710, the fortress was taken over by the Russian army. After the Soviet occupation in 1940, the Soviet navy took over the fortress. Alongside it is a former Soviet army facility with abandoned buildings and a monument to sailors who served in submarines. The fortress is open for tours on Saturdays and Sundays. |
|
 |
Metsavenna Farm organises forest brethren (or brothers) expeditions for visitors to search out forest brothers in their hideouts, visit an underground bunker, hear true stories of life after WWII, have a taste of home-brew and sing old songs along with the master. The more adventurous can stay a night in the bunker, while in winter a sledding hill is opened for snowy downhill rides. |
|
 |
The border guard facility at Pāvilosta is closed to civilians at this time, because it is used by the Latvian Navy.
|
|
 |
This was Coastal Defence Battery No. 500 at one time, and it was dismantled in 1955. There were four 130 mm cannons, and their foundations can still be spotted in the forest northeast from the lighthouse. They are mostly covered by moss and can be very hard to find. Those who are not familiar with the region will probably have the most trouble of all.
|
|
 |
The hydroplane airfield is on the eastern shore of Lake Durbe, not far from Līguti. It was built between 1939 and 1941. During the Soviet era, the 43rd aviation escadrille was located here, and it had 13 MBR-2 hydroplanes. All that’s left today are the cement sheets on the shore of the lake. You can look at the site itself.
|
|
 |
Today there’s a single-family farm and not much else, but at one time Olmaņi was the site of two important coastal batteries collectively known as “Krastnoflotskaya.” Until 1955, the one to the South of Olmaņi, there were four 152-mm Kane type cannons, which were manufactured during World War I and were widely used to protect the coastal territory of the Baltic Soviet republics of Latvia and Estonia during the rule of the Soviet regime. Small concentric ramparts of earth are all that’s left there today. After 1955, to the North of Olmaņi, another battery was installed with four MY-2 152-mm cannons. They had a range of 25 km. The battery remained in battle readiness until 1975, when it was turned into a reserve facility. It’s not easy to find, but it’s worth the search. The platforms for the cannons and the subterranean bunkers are still there. This was indeed one of the most impressive coastal batteries along the shores of the Baltic Sea.
|
|
 |
This facility was used in the past by communications officers, and it was also a training centre. The Ventspils Home Guard Battalion is housed here at this time. The facility is not open to civilians. Along the road there are metal structures which show where the entrance to the facility was once located.
|
|
 |
Today it seems unbelievable that just 20 years ago there were buildings on the coastline with massive projectors that were rolled onto a platform at night so as to shed light on the nearby sea and beach and to look for potential violators of the border regime. Only the buildings and the ruins of the platform are still there – they have been seriously damaged by the waves of the sea.
|
|
 |
The former military zone in this location is not in use at this time, and there is no specific information about what it was used for in the past. The territory is privately owned and is not open to visitors.
|
|
 |
The Bauska Castle contains a collection of cast iron cannons which date back to the latter half of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. They were manufactured in the Duchy of Courland. The cannons that are in the garden of the castle were not found there – they were found in different locations in Zemgale. Four of the largest cannons came from Jaunsvirlauka, where they were found on the banks of the Lielupe River opposite Emburga. They are the best preserved weapons of their type in Latvia. The only cannon that was found in the castle itself is currently in its South-eastern tower as a thematic exhibit. When it was being cleaned, two cannonballs were found in the weapons. The local Livonian Order castle is in ruins, but it and its defensive structures, including earthen ramparts that were installed from the mid-15th until the early 18th century, represent an important element of Latvia’s military heritage.
|
|
 |
The former air defence missile base took up a large territory to the South of Pāvilosta in its day, but today that land has been abandoned and degraded. It can be dangerous for visitors.
|
|
 |
A small part of the impressive fortifications of Liepāja, these encircle the city’s perimeter and its shoreline. They’re found at the Olimpija stadium. See also Objects No. 30077, 30078, 30079, 30080 and 30098.
|
|
 |
In the South-western parts of the former Spilve airfield, you can still see concrete areas on which Soviet-era military helicopters once landed.
|
|
 |
Ezeres kultūrvēstures un novadpētniecības materiālu krātuve “Muitas nams” ir izveidota vēsturiski nozīmīgā ēkā, kur, II pasaules kara noslēgumam tuvojoties, 1945. gada 8. maijā tika parakstīts Kurzemes katlā ielenkto vācu karaspēka daļu kapitulācijas akts. Ar to tiek uzskatīts, ka Ezerē faktiski beidzies II pasaules karš. Krātuves materiālu ekspozīcijas ir no Ezeres pagasta senvēstures līdz šodienai, tai skaitā ezernieku vaļasprieki. |
|
 |
The Rumbula airfield was originally a military facility, established after World War II at a place where many single family farms had been before. When the Spilve airfield shut down, civilian aircraft moved to Rumbula, while military aircraft were based at the Rīga airport. Today the world “Rumbula” is most often associated with the automobile and spare parts market that has been established on part of the former airport’s territory. A certain “heritage” at the site is pollution from the former airfield’s fuel containers, where petroleum was stored. Paragliding occurs at the airfield.
|
|
 |
A coast guard facility was located near the village of Užava during Soviet times. There is a lack of information about the use of the facility at this time.
|
|
 |
This exhibition has been assembled over the course of many years by its owner, Valdis Tumovs. He features war weapons, fragments of munitions, uniforms, everyday objects, military equipment such as a motorcycle, etc.
|
|
 |
The 77th Zenith Missile Brigade of the Soviet Army was charged with air defences along the Soviet Union’s external border. The facility is owned by the regional local government and is not used for anything. There is an interesting gate at the entrance to the facility, however.
|
|
 |
In Soviet times, the border guards of Ventspils established a major complex of buildings, open areas and various objects. Most of these are no longer in use, and the area is not under guard.
|
|
