Irbene is one the three sites in Latvia the Russian Federation wanted to keep at all costs after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is a former Soviet secret military site now a ghost town who is still running the largest radio telescope in the Northern Europe and 8th largest in the world. During the Soviet time, they were constantly spying not only telephone conversations in a large area, but also were picking up information from submarines and even satellites. In fact this place was so secret, it was discovered only after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Nowadays you can still see two radio telescopes in their full glory and the military town with half of its buildings still standing. The third, smallest, radio telescope has lost its dish, but one can still climb it and see the panoramic view of the vast beauty of Courland. Also an underground tunnel connecting the radio telescopes is open for inspection. This summer might be the last chance to visit this place since the municipality is working on a renewal of the contract with a demolishing agency who have been operating there since 2012.
Our next stop in our trip is going to be a picturesque landmark – Kolka Cape – the most prominent cape Latvia has to offer which is notorious for the many ship crashes due its shoal that extends for another 6 km under water always waiting for the prey.
After that we go to the famous 20 metres high White Dune. The dune is staggering 6,000 years old – older even than the Baltic Sea itself and have been of particular interest to archaeologists. The White Dune is really a place for those who enjoy untouched and pristine nature.
So if you are interested in getting to know less tourist populated areas and still enjoy and learn a lot, this is a tour for you.
Communication
Trip to the Soviet Spying Centre and the Beauty of Kurzeme
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Event "Trip to the Soviet Spying Centre and the Beauty of Kurzeme" organizer: Usepp SIA
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