Pirmais pasaules karš un neatkarības kari dienvidlatvijā

The norther part of the Liepāja fortress includes the so-called military port, which was opened to the public after the restoration of Latvia’s independence.  The forts, defensive batteries, the Orthodox Sea Cathedral of St Nicholas, a water tower, a sports hall, the port’s prison, the northern breakwater, and the rotating bridge of Oskars Kalpaks are all interesting destinations.

Redāns ir 19. gadsimta beigās celtā Liepājas Jūras cietokšņa daļa, kur notikušas Latvijai nozīmīgas cīņas. Lai gan uzbūvētie nocietinājumi ap Karostu tika atzīti par stratēģisku kļūdu un vairums no tiem saspridzināti, Redāns palicis teju neskarts. Tā ir arī vienīgā nocietinājuma daļa, kur notikusi reāla karadarbība.Par liecina ložu šautie caurumi sienās.

1919. gada 14. novembrī šeit notika brīvības cīņas par neatkarīgu Latviju, aizstāvot Liepāju pret Bermonta karaspēku. 14. novembra rītā, pārejot aizsalušo Tosmares ezeru, bermontiešu kājnieki ieņēma Redānu. Taču dažu stundu laikā liepājnieki veica niknu pretuzbrukumu, un vāciešiem nācās atkāpties.

Jūnijā, jūlijā un augustā katru dienu plkst. 11.00–17.00 pie Redāna gaidīs zinošs gids, kas būs gatavs pastāstīt vairāk par Liepājas cietoksni un vēsturiskajiem notikumiem Karostā. Cena – 2 EUR no personas.

Among the many objects of Liepāja Karosta, Liepāja coastal artillery battery No. 2 is still the most mysterious place in Liepaja. In battery no. 2, the ammunition depots of the troops of the various existing powers were always installed.

Liepaja Fortress Battery No. 2 was built further from the coastline and was protected by a high rampart. The batteries were armed with 16 11-inch (280 mm) mortars of the 1877 model. After the fortress was dismantled, ammunition warehouses were set up here. Due to the danger of explosions, the territory was closed to the public and guarded for 130 years, but now there is an exposition about the activities of the 1st Kurzeme Division Headquarters in the years 1919-1940s, as well as photo evidence of the 1st Liepāja Infantry Regiment, the 2nd Ventspils Infantry Regiment and the Kurzeme Artillery. regiment.

The water tower is located in Liepaja, in the Karosta, at 29 General Baloža Street - where the street meets Lazaretes Street. The water tower was an important building in the Karosta, as it supplied almost the entire Karosta area with drinking water. The exact time of construction of the water tower is unknown, but it could have been between 1903 and 1905. The project was probably designed by the St Petersburg architect Stefan Galenzovsky.

The water tower was powered by a steam engine with two coal boilers, one of which was kept in reserve, so there is an equally tall chimney next to the tower. The transmission powered four pumps, two of which were kept in reserve. Four boreholes supplied water to the pumps, which pumped it to a reservoir on the fifth floor of the tower and from there to the officers' apartments and soldiers' barracks in the Karosta.

When the Latvian Army took over the management of the water tower, the Ministry of War also took over the management of the water tower. After the Second World War, the Soviet Army took over the management. The water tower has been closed since 1989.

Although the tower was not a military building, in November 1919 the Latvian Army corrected the artillery fire of the British warships in the fight against the attack of the Bermont troops.

https://industrialheritage.travel/lv/objects/karostas-udenstornis/51

The Karosta Prison in Liepāja is the only military prison in Europe open to tourists. Constructed around 1900 for the needs of a hospital, the building was never used for its original purpose. The structure was repurposed as a place for serving temporary disciplinary punishment and was used as such up until 1997.

Powers changed but the purpose of the institution remained the same, namely, to house prisoners, including revolutionaries, sailors and non-commissioned officers of the Russian tsarist army, German deserters, enemies of the people of the Stalin era, as well as soldiers of the Soviet and Latvian armies. The Karosta Prison is currently open to visitors and guided tours are available. The tours show the prison and visitors can learn about its history, have a look at the prison and punishment cells and hear interesting and even ghostly tales about life at the prison. Braver souls have the opportunity to play the ‘Behind the Bars’ reality game or try to get out of closed rooms. And those who know no fear can spend the night in a prison cell. The Karosta Prison has a Karosta Visitor Centre, a Soviet-era buffet and a souvenir shop. The services of a guide are available throughout the whole of Karosta.

The 6th Battery, which is the best preserved fortification structure today, was planned to protect the coast of Liepaja Fortress south of the Trade Canal. The battery was to house four 6-inch (152 mm) guns of the 1892 model of the Canet system, eight 11-inch (280 mm) guns of the 1887 model, nine mortars of various calibres and two 57 mm Nordenfeld anti-tank guns. At the beginning of the First World War, after the fortress had already been dismantled, Battery 6 still contained the armament used in April 1915, when the German Navy attempted to land a landing at the South Pier.

In the early 1920s, the construction of the Olympia Stadium, which can still be seen today, began on the battery site. The fortification ditch dug at the southern end of the battery is today included in the Liepāja Seafront Park.

Lieutenant Commander of the Armoured Train Lieutenant Alfred Klestrov , born 8 March 1897 in Liepaja. Graduated from Liepāja City School, then from the surveyors' school in Riga.

Conscripted into the Russian Army during World War I, graduated from the Battalion School in Moscow. Served on the Romanian front, fought in Ukraine. When Ukraine was occupied by German troops, he returned to Riga.

The Order was awarded in 1922

Conscripted into the Latvian Army in the spring of 1919, served in the additional battalion of the 3rd Latgale Division. In October 1919 he was assigned to the armoured train "Kalpaks" as a commander.

On 4 November 1919, when the Germans attacked Liepāja, the commander of the armoured train "Kalpaks", Lieutenant Alfred Klyestrov, under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire, counter-attacked and got behind enemy lines with the armoured train. Unable to open cannon fire, he led his team in a bayonet fight and dispersed the enemy, thus contributing to the withdrawal of the Bermontese attack, but he himself fell in this battle to a bullet from German soldiers who had entrenched themselves at home and remained behind the Latvian army soldiers.

In 1935, a memorial plaque was erected at the place of death of Lieutenant Alfred Klestrovs, commander of the armoured train "Kalpaks", at the junction of the Liepāja railway and Liepāja-Grobiņa highway.