Thousands of forgotten world war sites from North Down to the North Coast have been collated in a new resource.
The Defence Heritage Record details more than 4,500 sites constructed in response to the First World War, Second World War and the Cold War.
They include barrage balloon anchors on the Stormont Estate which were designed to float large-scale balloons to obstruct attacking aircraft.
Belfast saw an intense blitz by the Luftwaffe in April 1941 which targeted military and manufacturing sites in attacks which claimed 900 lives.
Staff from the Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland carried out two years of field research to identify and record all the sites.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons highlighted sites dotted around the countryside and coast, often passed by many every day unaware of their significance.
“From the search lights on the Belfast to Bangor coastal path to the pill boxes on the North Coast, or the airfields hidden in our landscape, these sites are important heritage assets which tell the story of Northern Ireland’s vital contribution to these conflicts,” he said.
“This new record is an important historical resource which has recorded these sites for posterity as some may be vulnerable to decay or destruction.
“The work has also identified some of the most important, rare and best-preserved sites as warranting statutory protection as Scheduled Historic Monuments or listed buildings, ensuring their longer-term survival.”
The Defence Heritage Record is fully accessible to everyone through the department’s online Historic Environment Map viewer at www.communities-ni.gov.uk/services/historic-environment-map-viewer.