Zvārde Lutheran Church (Latvia) was built in 1785, destroyed during the operation of the USSR army training ground. The church has not been restored, services are held in its ruins during the summer months.
The first wooden church were built here in 1567. Stone church was built in 1783 at the expense of local peasants, Kurzeme nobles and Duke of Courland Peter Byron. During the IIWW, the church roof and tower were damaged in the fighting. In 1953, when the Soviets requested the establishment of an air-target range on the site, Zvārde Church, Ķerkliņi Church and Rīteļi Cemetery were placed in the centre of the air-target range - next to an airfield which was used as a target by Soviet pilots. Planes flew here from airfields in Latvia and elsewhere in the Soviet Union. In less than 40 years, the church, the cemetery, the former manor house and dozens of surrounding buildings were reduced to ruins.
Photogrammetry reconstruction in RealityCapture from 490 images. © Saulius Zaura www.dronepartner.lt 2023
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