| No | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
The former missile transport facility at Karaosta is not used any more. The territory is mostly closed off to visitors.
|
|
 |
Ein am Ende des 19. Jh. gebautes Teil der Festung. Ein Museum, das Verbrechen totalitäre Regimes gegen Menschlichkeit wiederspiegelt. |
|
 |
The projector buildings of the former border guard facility have been preserved at Labrags, but they are privately owned.
|
|
 |
The lighthouse at Akmeņrags supported maritime navigation in Soviet times. Today it is controlled by the Latvian Maritime Administration. The lighthouse is open for visitors.
|
|
 |
This was a coast guard facility with a zenith missile division, and it was meant to protect the outer border of the Soviet Union. At this time the Ventspils Naval Guard Battalion has an observation point at the location.
|
|
 |
The Karosta prison cannot be described, it must be experienced and survived. That’s an opportunity for everyone. This is the best example in Latvia as to how the military heritage can be used for tourism purposes. Others can learn from this site. |
|
 |
The No. 14 Border Guard facility at Akmeņrags was a naval observatory. The facility belongs to the regional local government and is not used for any purpose at this time.
|
|
 |
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.
|
|
|
|
Another example of a costal defence battery along the Kurzeme shoreline is found here.
|
|
 |
The so-called Comet Fort was built on the Left Bank of the Daugava at its mouth, not far from the present Daugavgrīva lighthouse. It was built around the same time as the other forts of Mangaļsala (around 1808, although some sources say 1788). There were four Kane-type 152-mm cannons. The defensive batteries at Komētforts and Mangaļsala repelled a British naval attack in the Daugava estuary in 1855. It has to be added that Komētforts is a cultural monument of local importance. If we go along the shore of the sea from the Daugavgrīva nature reserve toward the Daugavgrīva lighthouse and scale the frontal dunes (without going past the sign which says “Closed Territory. Border Zone.”), then we can see the positions of the cannons, as well as underground cellars where munitions were once stored. The territory starts approximately 500 metres before the Daugavgrīva lighthouse and stretches to the lighthouse itself. During Soviet times, the territory was closed to civilians, because many secret military objects were in this area and in Bolderāja.
|
|
 |
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.
|
|
 |
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.
|
|
 |
This is an abandoned facility that is no longer used. The coast guard facility is in the forest, around 600 metres from the sea. There is one building right on the shore.
|
|
 |
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.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
 |
Viena no slepenākajām vietām kādreizējā Padomju Latvijā - bunkuri ir bijušais raķešu vadības punkts un patvertne. Bunkurus izveidoja 1950. un 1960. gadu mijā Padomju armijas vajadzībām. Par atrašanos šajā teritorijā draudēja bargs sods. Celtnes izveidošanai ar milzīgām 16- riteņu kravas automašīnām tika atvesti lieli dzelzbetona bloki. Pēc trīs bunkuru izveidošanas, papildus nostiprināšanai un nosiltināšanai tos apbēra ar granti. Celtne sastāv no 2 x 3 sekcijām, kas pievienotas vidējam gaitenim. Blakus ēkā atradās skola, kad 1946. gadā tā daļēji bija izdegusi, tika noslēgts līgums ar Padomju armijas garnizonu par telpu īri. Tā Valkas pilsētas centrā radās militārais centrs un Valka kļuva par Padomju Savienībai svarīgu kodolbruņojuma objektu. Objekts pieejams tikai no ārpuses! |
|
 |
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.
|
|
 |
There are still some buildings, missile silos and an apartment building from the old No. 158 Zenith Missile Base at Ziemupe, but the territory has been abandoned and degraded.
|
|
 |
The former Soviet communications division at Plāņciems in the forests of Bārta is privately owned and is being dismantled at this time.
|
|
 |
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. |
|
