The Northern Forts of Liepāja in Latvia are the most well-known part of the historical Liepāja Fortress, built by the Russian tsarist army in the late 19th century. The forts had been built to protect the navy base from a potential enemy attack. Less than 10 years after its construction, the Liepāja Fortress ceased operating because of a change in Russia’s defense concept. It was deemed a strategic mistake and was abandoned. Therefore some of the barracks and cannons were dismantled and moved away while others were remelted. The structures were detonated twice to destroy the fortifications but the operations were unsuccessful as some artillery batteries survived till the present. The historical name of the Liepāja Northern Forts is Fortification Battery No. 1.
Combined with weather conditions, the landslides at the steep shores of the Baltic Sea caused the forts to deteriorate in time. Due to the haunting atmosphere of the ruins, the area is a popular tourist attraction today in Latvia. Some bunkers’ walls have also been painted and decorated with graffiti to attract attention. Because of the potential coastal landslide danger, visitors are not allowed to walk under the ruins of the Liepāja Northern Forts.
