Concrete access road from Mārciena to Gaizinkalns via Bērzauna
Infrastructure

The Baltics were one of the most important lines of defense for the Soviet Empire, the westernmost bastion, so the concentration of troops there was enormous. It is believed that Latvia was the most militarized territory in the world at that time. The exact number of military personnel is unknown, different sources for different times mention 200,000 to 350,000. In Latvia alone, in 50 years, 3,009 military units were deployed in more than 700 locations. One of these locations was the USSR army base in Mārcienė.