We’re often laughed at when we try to explain to our love of uncovering “The Hidden.” What is The Hidden, you might ask. We feature it a lot on our site: as best as we can summarize, it’s an affection of finding the unusual – and maybe unloved remnants of our planet. The remnants could be a volcano that has collapsed. Or, it could be a huge abandoned telescope somewhere in the forest of a sparsely country.
Whatever and wherever it is, we like to locate it, unearth it and try to understand where and why it is there. It’s fascinating stuff, even if we’re laughed at. We don’t care, because most of the time what we’ve exhumed actually turns out to have some historical merit. And part of the unearthing truly brings up some rather unique gems.
So how about joining us as we unearth peculiar ruins in Latvia. The old Soviet towns are a treasure-trove if you want to step beyond what’s in the museum and see what life was life so long ago.
Join avid adventurer Matthias Schwarzer as he courses his car through wobbly buildings, holes and more. This is lots of fun! And why is there a huge antennae dish there, as well? Da, comrade?
Matthias asks “There is a village in the middle of nowhere in Latvia – or what is left of it. Around 2000 people used to live in the town of Irbene, there were apartment blocks, parks, a swimming pool and even a club. But: The town was top secret for decades – hardly anyone knew of its existence. Today the old buildings are abandoned and dilapidated. What’s the story behind this mysterious place?
Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (Latvian: Ventspils Starptautiskais radioastronomijas centrs – VIRAC) is an ex-Soviet radio astronomy installation 30 km north of Ventspils, Latvia, on the coast of the Baltic Sea in Ance parish. The installation was secret until 1993 after Latvia regained independence. It was taken over by the Latvian Academy of Sciences after the withdrawal of the Soviet Army in 1994. Since then, two of the three radio telescopes have been repaired and renewed.
Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (Latvian: Ventspils Starptautiskais radioastronomijas centrs – VIRAC) is an ex-Soviet radio astronomy installation 30 km north of Ventspils, Latvia, on the coast of the Baltic Sea in Ance parish. The installation was secret until 1993 after Latvia regained independence. It was taken over by the Latvian Academy of Sciences after the withdrawal of the Soviet Army in 1994. Since then, two of the three radio telescopes have been repaired and renewed
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