The missile launch facility by Eleja is one of the ten similar objects that were constructed throughout Latvia in the wake of the Cold war. A nuclear missile launched from here could fly more than 4,000 kilometers and lay waste to 100 square kilometers of land in an instant.
Luckily, no missile was ever launched, but the facilities remain an allure to urban explorers, a threat to mushroom pickers and animals, and a home to countless bats.
The launch facility in Tīsa is situated almost by the highway. It consists of four missile silos and an underground command center in the middle. In the last few years, Latvijas Valsts meži had dismantled two similar launch facilities in the last few years.
The facility had been combat-ready in the 60s and 70s, while the 80s saw it fall into decay. When the Soviets, and then the Russians left, the facility was scavenged for scrap metal, though there's quite a lot of it left still.
Urban explorers have documented how the missile facility looks right now, while Latvijas Valsts meži wants to turn the area into a forest. As there's still a lot of scrap metal remaining in the base, the company offering the most money for the chance to demount the facility will be chosen.
Military historian Ilgonis Upmalis said that he knows of 12 missile launch facilities in Latvia. None contain radiation or toxic rocket fuel, but they're still dangerous and have claimed lives in the past.
