Irbene radio telescope

Irbene radio telescope - darkometer rating : 2 - A rare relic of the Cold War , the RT-32 radio telescope at Irbene in northern Latvia (aka Irbene radio locator) was once used by the USSR to spy on NATO communications. It was part of a set of three such dishes at the site, and at 32 metres in diameter the largest. Today it can be visited, at times there are even tours of the inside. Nearby are the remains of the Soviet garrison that once staffed the complex – now a crumbling ghost town . > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: NOTE that RT-32 is currently undergoing refurbishment and no tours are available until the work is completed, which is expected to be some time in 2015!! The site was built by the Soviet Navy in the 1960s to monitor the NATO enemy's moves and communications. Given its location right on the edge of the Soviet empire and close to the Baltic Sea, it was one of the most important installations of its kind during the Cold War . The site, code-named “Little Star”, was of course totally secret, closed-off and well guarded. Several hundred scientists worked here monitoring the West. A whole town was built for them and the guards and technical support staff and their families with all the necessary infrastructure. At its peak the town had up to 3000 inhabitants. Since it was such a high-priority military project, no expense was spared in outfitting the telescopes. At the time of their going into operation they were absolutely state of the art, at least in Soviet terms.