Re-sensing the Cold War

When talking about the most interesting locations I’ve been to, I would name a former 200 meter high military communication tower; the abandoned secret city of Skrunda; a large old central heating station in Riga; and some other towers that gave me a new view on my city. 
Apart from bringing home great photographs, these explorations were also a good physical test and training. And sure it’s a lot of fun feeling like in one of those spy movies!

But it also revealed a lot of historical facts to me. I had never come across the topic of the Cold War in such a way, even though I was always interested in the history of my home city. Because anything that had to do with military defense was a top secret during the Soviet Union times. Of course, I knew there was something going on. But I wouldn’t have ever expected that the Cold War military infrastructure that is left nowadays, is so huge and diverse! 

And what struck me was not only this knowledge. When you are standing there yourself, something inside of you changes. In those places I felt feelings I never felt – especially this strong fear of war. 

Just imagine the abandoned kindergarten we walked through, with the tiny children boots still in place. And on the walls, the tutorials and guidences about what to do when the atomic bomb hits. I felt not only the fear of losing my own life and the lives of my close people, but of losing the world we are living in.

It disappoints me so much when I see society not paying much attention to this aspect of our history. In Latvia, we don’t have museums documenting these times, although hundreds of former bunkers and blast shelters are still around. Those buildings are being neglected. There is not even a sign for it being a „historical monument”, and only the thieves get in to steal everything that can still be sold. 

Hopefully, the times when this kind of buildings were needed have passed. But showing people the real price of peace and the horrors of an approaching war could perhaps help prevent new aggressions. The people who are exploring those places are trying to preserve history with their own means. They have classified collections of documents, plans, gear and other artifacts, that otherwise would be destroyed. Those collections I’ve seen are worth several museums. And I believe there will be a use for them!