In the 1960s, two Soviet Dnepr radar (NATO designation "Hen House") installations were constructed at the site near the town of Skrunda.

Riga rejected these requests, and the radar was verified closed on 4 September 1998 by an inspection team from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The event spilled tens of thousands of Latvian people onto country roads and fields to watch the early morning spectacle, which was also televised nationwide.

The Latvian government decided to sell the site in 2008, and on 5 February 2010, the entire 40-hectare (99-acre) former town was sold as a single lot at auction in Riga.

[17] From February 2016 in response to increased interest at the site, the municipality began charging an entrance fee of 4 euros for individuals.

[18] As of 21 October 2018 the ghost town was closed for visitors and is solely used by the armed forces of Latvia and its NATO allies.