The North Breakwater is an important component of the Karosta (military port) complex. The construction of Karosta was started at the end of the 19th century, at the order of Tsar Alexander III, to defend access to the port of Liepāja and the fortress from the sea. At that time, the Karosta complex was one of the most modern in Europe, but losses in the Russo-Japanese war diminished its significance until the Russian government decided to abandon Liepāja as a western navy base. Artillery batteries, underground structures and gunpowder stores were blown up – leaving an unusual landscape.

• The construction of Karosta was planned by the most renowned Russian architects and developers. It took just under 17 years to complete, creating a new, autonomous town within a town.
• Until 1994, Karosta and the northern forts were a restricted military zone.
• Concrete tetrapods have been placed along the north wall of the mole to reduce the impact of waves.