Irbene

Irbene
Ghost town
Abandoned houses in Irbene in 2014
Irbene
Coordinates: 57°33′53″N 21°51′46″E / 57.56472°N 21.86278°E / 57.56472; 21.86278
Country	Latvia
Municipality	Ventspils Municipality
Parish	Ance parish
Established	1971
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Irbene is a ghost town in Ance parish, northwestern Latvia. In 1971 Soviet Union established a secret radar center "Звезда" ("Star" in Russian; later acquired by Ventspils Starptautiskais Radioastronomijas Centrs in 1990s) and built a settlement for military officers and their families, naming it Irbene because of nearby river Irbe. Town had a school, shop, sport and concert halls. Only the holders of special permit were able to access Irbene. After the withdrawal of Soviet Army in 1993 town became abandoned.