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The battery is to the South of Ventspils, not far from the Piejūras Park. Work on the battery began in 1939. Today the site is a complete mess, standing out in a negative way from the tidy city itself. People seeking building materials and ferrous metals helped to tear the place down. It’s too bad that this historical location – one that might be of interest to tourists – is in such sad shape, and right at the gates of the city, to boot.
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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.
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This battery is easiest to find if you walk on the beach, because one of its four positions is right there, rinsed by the waves of the sea. Other positions, including a telescope tower, are in the pine forest not far from the coast. The battery was installed in the 1940s, and you can see the Northern Forts from here.
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Until the 1680s, where the Vecdaugava neighbourhood is located, there was a castle which, because of natural changes in the riverbed of the Daugava, was then dismantled and “moved” to the Left Bank of the Daugava. Nothing remains of the castle, but people can still see the remnants of old barriers and moats. Swedish soldiers used the facility at the beginning of the Great Northern War. The place is certainly interesting in the context of Rīga’s history and military heritage, and if you’re in the northern reaches of the city, we recommend that you go and have a look.
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One of the largest tank bases in the Baltic War District was located during Soviet times just South of Gardene. The territory has largely been abandoned, and there are just a few remnants of the buildings that were once there. If you drive down the Dobele-Annenieki road, you will find a paved military road splitting off from it. It is still used today. The buildings and urban planning of Gardene are also of interest – during the Soviet era, soldiers and their families lived there.
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This testimony to World War II can be found in the Blīdene Parish. It is one of the very few objects of its type to still be in good condition.
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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.
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Nordeķu - Kalnciema kāpu grēdas daļa Kleistu meža austrumdaļā pie Dzirciema ielas. Padomju laikā šeit darbojās divi (vēlāk viens) P - 35 radars, kas griezās ap savu asi. Vietējie iedzīvotāji tolaik šo vietu bija iesaukuši par "Lokatoru kalniņu". Ziemeļos no tā atradās padomju armijas cūku ferma. |
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By far one of the most impressive Soviet military objects in Northern Vidzeme, this base has now been abandoned. There are buildings, underground bunkers, missile silos, areas of the firing of missiles, etc. This is one of the few remaining places in Latvia where a monument to Lenin still stands. The stone bust once stood in the central square of Alūksne. During the restoration of independence, it was taken down and moved to the missile base. We recommend that you bring a guide with you – otherwise it won’t be worth much.
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Encircled by apartment buildings, some of which are abandoned, the Tosmare water tower, which was built in 1905 in a pseudo-Gothic style and is made of red bricks, stands tall and proud. It is 37 metres high. Steam pumps were once used to pump underground water into the tower (the pumps have survived to this very day). Water was delivered three times a day to the residents of Karosta. The tower is no longer used for its original purpose, however. The tower can be viewed from the outside at any time. This is a unique aspect of Latvia’s industrial heritage.
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The Pape airfield was used for arms training in Soviet times, with bombs being dropped on specific targets. The facility is owned by the regional local government and is not used. There are sunken ships and targets in the sea.
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The local museum offers an interesting and extensive exhibit related to World War II at the Kurzeme fortress and the fate of Latvian soldiers who took part in the war. There are also exhibits related to the history of World War I and World War II, complete with a collection of civilian and military objects. Among them – a YI-2 airplane, an armoured personnel carrier, a Red Army tank, and all of the trenches and bunkers of the relevant era.
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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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Latvijas un Igaunijas Neatkarības karā nenovērtējami nozīmīgas bija tieši Cēsu kaujas 1919.gada jūnijā.Atpūtas vieta-kempings "Amatas upe" ir lieciniece tieši šo un vairāku citu kara notikumu norisei - par to liecina vēsturiskie avoti muzeju arhīvos, kā arī mūsdienās redzamās aprises dabā. Par to, kur un kā sākās varoņstāsts, kas noslēdzās ar abu kaimiņtautu: igauņu un latviešu brīvību, ir iespējams uzzināt arī dažādu veidu programmās - stāstījumā par Cēsu kauju noslēpumiem un dažādu veidu pārgājienos vai izbraucienos pa galvenajām Cēsu kauju vietām, vai arī Cēsu kauju aizraujošā "izspēlēšanā". Atpūtas daļā - apmeklētājiem ir iespēja nobaudīt spēcinošu "kara zupu". Ekskursijas pa Cēsu kauju vietām-dažāda ilguma, izstrādāsim tieši jums piemērotu variantu! |
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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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The former military field hospital is in the park, south from Ventspils Seaside Open-air Museum. A few of the small architectural forms of the building have been preserved.
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Dole Island is the largest river island in Latvia, and it is the site of the Dole baronial estate. The mansion of the estate was built in 1898 by the aristocratic family which owned the estate. Today the mansion is home to the Dole Museum with a rich exhibition which tells about the lives of people on the shores of the Daugava River. The adjoining park features ethnographic buildings, as well as lamprey and salmon spawning grounds. There are five unique cannons that were found in Salaspils when a new stadium was being built there. In 1910, a tsarist military camp was here, and a monument to Tsar Peter the Great was unveiled. One of the cannons is in the exhibition of the museum itself.
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This facility is used for military and tactical training at this time. The facility can be used for automobile and motorcycle racing, testing drives, and security training, all of which must be arranged in advance. The surrounding nature reserve offers a chance to look at local plants and animals.
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The zenith missile brigade and its communications headquarters were used for the provision, planning and co-ordination of radio communications. The object is all but abandoned, but it is owned by the Latvian Repatriation Centre and the Christian Mission.
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This is one of the most visually expressive coastal defence batteries in Latvia. Why? Because most it has been fully or at least partly washed into the sea, creating a truly unusual landscape, particularly during stormy weather. This is an historical monument which is subject to the mighty power of Mother Nature. The battery can also be seen from the Northern breakwater of Liepāja. It’s worth hiking the four kilometres along the beach to the Northern Forts. Along the way, you can take a look at the No. 23 Coastal Defence Battery.
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