Country Holidays
21-40 / 125
No Name Description
N/A
During Soviet times, Vaiņode was the site of one of the Soviet Union’s largest military airfields in the Baltic States. During the period of Latvia’s independence, the country’s first dirigibles were based here. Eventually their hangars were dismantled and brought to Rīga, where they were used for the Rīga Central Market. They are still there today. Some of Latvia’s first gliders took off from Vaiņode. During the Soviet occupation, the airfield was home to an air defence and destroyer squadron, with 38 SU-27 “Flanker” destroyers on site. After the restoration of Latvia’s independence, the Vaiņode airfield was dismantled in part, and the big plates of concrete that covered the runways and the rest of the airfield were used to improve the Liepāja port. There are still 16 hangars at the airport, and 1,800 of the formerly 2,500 metres long runway are also still there. More information about the airfield can be found at the Vaiņode Regional Research Museum.
N/A
A memorial to Finnish soldiers in Klapkalnciems – five such soldiers from World War I are buried here. The memorial was first installed in 1929, but it was destroyed by the Soviet authorities. It was recreated in May 2004. The Lapmežciems Museum features photographs and more information about the Finnish soldiers.
N/A
In the South-western parts of the former Spilve airfield, you can still see concrete areas on which Soviet-era military helicopters once landed.
N/A
The radio telescope at Irbene was at one time used for anti-espionage purposes. There were various military units and objects in Irbene, including a military housing estate that has now been abandoned. The radio telescope is now run by the Radio Astronomy Centre of the Latvian Academy of Sciences for scientific purposes. Guided tours of the object are available.
N/A
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.
N/A

Ikšķiles vārds Pirmā pasaules kara laikā izskan saistībā ar diviem notikumiem – Ikšķiles priekštilta nocietinājumiem (Nāves sala) un kaujām pie Mazās Juglas upes.

1917. gadā 1. septembra rītausmā Vācijas impērijas armija uzsāka uzbrukumu iepretim Ikšķilei ar mērķi ieņemt Rīgu un saņemt gūstā Krievijas 12. armiju. Ar spēcīgu artilērijas atbalstu vācu vienības izsita Krievijas armijas karavīru daļas no Ikšķiles pozīcijām, kas savukārt ļāva Vācijas armijas karavīriem pa trim pontonu tiltiem šķērsot Daugavas upi.

1.septembra pēcpusdienā vācu izlases vienības sasniedza Mazās Juglas upes apkārtni pie Tīnūžiem, kur tām negaidīti ceļu aizšķērsoja no rezerves steigā atsauktā 8000 vīru lielā 2. latviešu strēlnieku brigāde, kura ieņēma pozīcijas gar Mazās Juglas upi. Latviešu strēlniekiem tika pavēlēts aizkavēt vācu karavīrus, līdz visa 200 00 vīru lielā Krievijas 12. armija izies no aplenkuma, nenokļūstot vācu gūstā. Latviešu strēlnieki savu uzdevumu izpildīja pilnībā, diennakti cīnoties pret gandrīz desmitkārtīgu vācu pārspēku. Kauja pie Mazās Juglas upes bija viena no traģiskākajām un reizē viena no leģendārākajām Latvijas vēstures lapaspusēm. "Tīnūžu muižā" ir izveidota 1. Pasaules kara tēmai un Juglas kaujām veltīta ekspozīcija.
N/A

The Soviet Border Guard arrived at Lapmežciems (its border with Ragaciems) in the mid-1960s and left in 1991.  Some 50 military personnel were stationed here.  The military personnel and local residents organised various events and celebrations.  The only thing that worried locals was a radar which was said to cause various problems.  The zenith missiles were dismantled and taken away in 1991.  An apartment building is still on what was then the military base.
N/A
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.
N/A
There’s hardly anything left of the zenith missile base which once stood here for the purpose of protecting the western boundaries of the USSR – even specialists would have a hard time finding the location.
N/A
Edgars Kārklevalks, operator of a guesthouse Pūpoli, has a restored Soviet military GAZ-66 truck in which he offers historical and informational tours of Northern Kurzeme. The route includes former military territories.
N/A
The Karaosta canal and its naval and submarine base date back to the tsarist era in advance of World War I. The former submarine base is now closed to visitors and is used for business purposes. The canal can be viewed from Pulvera Street and the restored Kalpaks bridge.
N/A
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.
N/A
All that’s left of the battery today are the ruins of a cement blockhouse which have slid all the way down to the beach because of years of abuse by the wind and the waves. It is an interesting monument to history with a long-term fate that we can guess at – it will disappear under the sea.
N/A
The communications facility in the forests of Bārta has been abandoned and is not being used other than for dismantling of buildings to obtain building materials.
N/A
This extremely secret bunker was one of the most important facilities in Soviet Latvia in the event of a nuclear attack. Under the code name of “Rest Home,” the bunker is nine metres under the ground at the Līgatne Rehabilitation Centre, and it would have been the place where Soviet Latvian government officials would have gone in the event of an attack. The status of a secret object was lifted only in 2003. The underground installation has been preserved fully.
N/A
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.
N/A
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.
N/A
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.
N/A

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.
N/A
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.