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This military object ensured radio communications. Now the facility is owned by the Latvian Defence Ministry, and it can only be viewed from the outside.
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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.
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This was at one time an important element in the protection of Soviet Latvia’s shoreline. A visually interesting and impressive territory near the seashore, it has sadly not been properly managed and is thus full of trash.
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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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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. |
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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.
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This is the only Soviet military object of its type and scope in Latvia – a long-distance communications base which was supposedly used to maintain contacts with Soviet naval ships and submarines all around the world. The facility had a central tower and six perimeter towers, each more than 200 metres high. Some of the towers remain in place and are used for mobile communications. It is rumoured that the Soviet communications system was never once turned on. The complex at Upīškalns can be seen by driving down the Skrunda-Kuldīga road. It is some 3 km before the Kuldīga ring road, at a populated location called Raidstacija.
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The former Soviet communications division at Plāņciems in the forests of Bārta is privately owned and is being dismantled at this time.
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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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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. |
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National partisans commanded by Rihards Pārups were very active during World War II between Vietalva and Jaunkalsnava. The team was disbanded in 1946. The dugout is at a location that is hard to find and access. It is in the nature reserve of the Veseta Wetlands Swamp. The wood pathway that leads from the East is often hidden by reeds during the summer. During the fierce winter of 2010, the roof of the dugout collapsed, but local enthusiasts plan to reconstruct it. Alongside the dugout is a white cross inscribed with the names of the partisans who lost their lives here.
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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. |
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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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Few Soviet military objects are associated with more legends than this one. During Soviet times, this was a reserve airfield, as well as a storage site (just 50 kilometres from the republic’s capital city) for nuclear weapons. These were hidden in two cement hangars that were covered with soil and vegetation. Public information suggests that an RX-24 nuclear bomb weighing 430 kg and a RX-26 nuclear bomb weighing 1,030 kg were stored here, as were air-to-land missiles equipped with nuclear explosives. If there had been an accident here, what would have happened to Rīga, to Latvia, to the Baltic States and to Northern Europe? The airfield is a closed territory today.
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