Akmeņrags military complex
There was a military complex in Akmeņrags during the Soviet era.
In Akmeņrags, next to the lighthouse, there were 2335 troops and 14 border guard posts. The ruins of the masonry buildings, which used to be part of the army, show that this was indeed the case. This military post was returned to Latvia on May 2, 1994. There was also a shore battery NR.500 in Akmensrags, which was dismantled and the cannons were removed from their positions in 1955. There are four 130mm guns, the foundations of which are found in the forest about NE of the lighthouse, they are covered with thorough moss and they are difficult to find and see. Once upon a time, there were also wooden buildings that have not survived. They housed barracks, a soldier's club, a diesel generator shed and other engineering structures.
Normunds Smaļinskis, 27.10.2009.
www.diggers.lv, www.necton.lv
Related objects
Akmeņrags Lighthouse and the fate of the "Saratov"
The Akmeņrags Lighthouse is located in Saka parish, 10 kilometres southwest of Pāvilosta. The top of the lighthouse can be reached by a spiral staircase and it offers views of the sea and the surrounding forests. Standing at 37 metres high, the current lighthouse tower was built in 1921, while the previous lighthouse was destroyed during World War I.
The Akmeņrags Lighthouse stands out among other lighthouses in Latvia, as it is located in one of the most dangerous places for sailing in the entire Baltic Sea coast. The signal beam of the lighthouse marks a rocky bank, which extends approximately two nautical miles or 3.7 kilometres into the sea in a north-western direction. The depth of the bank is just over two metres. The location of the lighthouse has remained unchanged, but the coastline has been receding over the years. Although a navigation light has been here since 1879, Akmeņrags has seen several shipwrecks. The most notable occurred in September 1923 when a Latvian steamer named Saratow struck the ground. In 1919, Saratow briefly served as the seat of the Latvian Provisional Government. Akmeņrags used to be home to a border guard post, and buildings of the Soviet Army are can be viewed here.
