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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.
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The boiler house of Karaosta has been used for decades to ensure heat for the city of Liepāja. Although it is part of the heating network, the facility is not guarded and has largely been abandoned.
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This hill in the Tīreļpurvs swamp is an historical object of national importance – the only area in Latvia that is restricted for cultural and historical purposes. There is unique evidence here of World War I fortifications and the so-called Christmas Battle that was fought here.
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The current Ventspils airport began its life as a military object. Today regular passenger flights to and from Rīga have been suspended, and the airport is only used for small planes.
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The former missile transport facility at Karaosta is not used any more. The territory is mostly closed off to visitors.
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An impressive set of military structures between the Baltic Sea and Lake Liepāja and Lake Tosmare. Construction of the fortress began in the late 19th century on the basis of a decree by Russian Tsar Alexander III, and it cost 45 million gold roubles. The fortress includes accommodations and elements of fortifications – sites for cannons, trenches, gunpowder cellars, systems of canals, a narrow-gauge rail line, etc. In 1908, the fortress was shut down because of a change in Russia’s defence concept, and the construction of it was declared to have been a strategic mistake. There were attempts to blow up the underground structures and cellars during World War I, but that did not really succeed. Some elements of the fortress were of great importance in Latvia’s liberation battles. Surviving today are the Northern forts, the Central fort, the Eastern fort, the Southern fort, the shoreline defensive batteries (No. 23, 3), Redāns, Lunete, and others. Most are not improved, so visits may be dangerous. The northern part of the fortress includes the Military Port, which has experienced seven different armies and regimes. During the Soviet years, it was closed to civilians. There are many outstanding monuments to military history. Tourists love the Karosta prison, which offers educational programmes. |
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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.
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Late in September 1944, during World War II, the village of More was witness to some of the bloodiest and most merciless battles in Latvia – only those in the so-called “cauldron of Kurzeme” were worse. Members of the Latvian Legion who were fighting on the German side prevented the ability of the Red Army to break through to Rīga, and they also prevented the encirclement of the German military force. The result of the battle was enormously important to the more than 100,000 civilians who took the opportunity to become refugees and escape the Soviet repressions that were not far in the future. Commemorative events are held in the park each September, bringing together eyewitnesses to the battles and other. There’s a memorial wall with the engraved names of members of the Latvian Legion whose names are known, as well as a stone cross to commemorate unknown soldiers. Two kilometres to the East of the park is a museum, outside which is a Soviet army tank.
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In addition to the Northern Forts, coastal batteries and Karosta district of Liepāja that are all mentioned in this database, there are other impressive elements of the former fortifications system – Lunete (the southern part of Lake Tosmare), the Central Fort (between Grīzupes Street and 14 November Boulevard), the Eastern Fort (to the South of Brīvības Street and the North of Lake Liepāja), the Southern Fort (at the Pērkone canal), and the Old Forts at the Olimpija stadium. All of these locations are freely accessible, but be careful if you go inside the former forts – they were blown up at one time and may remain dangerous.
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On the shore of the Daugava River, to the East of Lielupes Street and South-east of Jātnieku Street, there are the remnants of four battery positions that were blown up in their day. The batteries had 152-mm cannons, and this was part of the former system of fortifications in Rīga (see also Komētforts, the Daugavgrīva fortress, and the fortifications of Mangaļsala). The aim was to protect the city from invaders who came from the sea. From the top of the batteries you can see the Daugava and the northern segment of the manmade Krievu Island (a huge pile of sand). It does have to be said that the condition of this historical monument is quite pitiful.
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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.
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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.
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The Cape of Kolka is freely accessible to local residents and tourists today, but the border guard facility still serves its purposes and is not open to civilians.
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This building was erected in 1903 and 1904 to be used for military training, exercises and ceremonial events. An addition to the South of the building held a small church, but it is gone. The building was used for gymnastics performances and competitions for horseback riders. Official meals for the garrison’s sailors were held there, too – the hall could hold up to 3,000 people. Only the outer walls survive today, sad to say. You can view the exterior and interior of the hall at any time. This is the only building of its size and type in Latvia. The roof once had bands of glass tiles.
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There are several partly preserved buildings here, but there is a lack of information as to what they were used for. The reason why the buildings are in such sad shape is that people have removed parts of them to use as building materials.
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This unique territory covers more than 24,400 hectares, and the Soviet military used it as an aviation training centre. The history of the base dates back to 1951, when four kolkhozes were shut down, roads were closed, and several hundred farms and homes were simply moved elsewhere. A civilian presence at the base was restored only in 1993, when several new roads were installed. If you want to get a bird’s eye view of the base and its forests, you have to climb a high, manmade hillock from which commanders watched manoeuvres. We do not recommend that you wander off from the roads!
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The Lūžņa radio equipment company was part of the Naval Border Guard in Soviet Times. The car park in the centre of Lūžņa offers a fine view of the former military complex. Some buildings are used as apartment buildings at this time.
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The ship and coast guard missile repair workshops in the forests around Bārta in the Liepāja District are very impressive in visual terms. The facility is owned by the regional local government and is being dismantled to obtain building materials.
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Forts were built and rebuilt at this location for many centuries by Germans, Swedes and Russians. In 1912, several forts were erected at Mangaļsala and Bolderāja. There were two forts with 254-mm cannons, six with 152-mm cannons, and three with 138-mm cannons. Each fort had two cannons.
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The Soviet Border Guard facility at Mērsrags was the start of the border regime zone. Absolutely nothing of the facility is left for perusal today.
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