I remembered with what aspiration we, as boys, talked about closed science cities. Maybe someone is interested.
Everyone in Russia is familiar with the name Moscow. But a few years ago, only a few knew that several hundred kilometers south of the capital there was a city called... Moscow-2. It was a secret center for the development of nuclear weapons, and there were many such “closed cities” in Russia.
Zelenogorsk (Zaozerny-13, Krasnoyarsk-45), Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Closed cities arose and began to develop in the post-war period, with the beginning of " cold war"between the USSR and Western countries. The older ones have existed for half a century, but appeared to the world quite recently, and before that they were, as it were, wearing an invisibility cap.
Novouralsk (Sverdlovsk-44), Sverdlovsk region.
On the territory of the city there is the Ural Electrochemical Plant OJSC, where highly enriched uranium is produced.
They had no names and were hiding under code designations: Sverdlovsk-45, Chelyabinsk-70, Krasnoyarsk-26, etc. In 1994, by a special resolution of the Council of Ministers Russian Federation their official geographical names were approved. The inhabitants of these settlements officially did not exist, and only in 1995 the population of 19 closed cities and 18 closed urban-type settlements was declassified for the first time.
Sarov (Shatki-1, Moscow-300, Kremlev, Arzamas-75, Arzamas-16), Nizhny Novgorod region.
On the territory of the city there is the Russian Federal Nuclear Center All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics (RFNC-VNIIEF).
Such cities and towns constitute the official category of closed administrative-territorial entities (CLATEs) with a strict regime for the activities of the enterprises and institutions located in them and the lives of their inhabitants. What closure means is stated in the relevant presidential decrees, which provide for restrictions on the entry and permanent residence of citizens, on flights aircraft over the territory of the ZATO, the presence of controlled and restricted zones. ZATOs are surrounded by a fence, passage and passage are carried out only through checkpoints. They resemble islands, isolated from their surroundings.
Zheleznogorsk (Krasnoyarsk-26, Sotsgorod, Atomgrad), Krasnoyarsk Territory.
On the territory of the city there is a Mining and Chemical Combine (MCC), where weapons-grade plutonium (plutonium-239) was produced, as well as JSC Information Satellite Systems named after Academician M.F. Reshetnev”, which produces satellites.
Closed cities were created to carry out particularly important government programs related to strengthening the country's defense capability. It was impossible to write or talk about the nature of the work being performed. They received city status on the basis of secret decrees. The achievements of labor collectives and workers were celebrated with high awards, but in secret decrees. Secret Heroes of Socialist Labor and secret laureates of the Lenin and State Prizes worked in closed cities. These cities lived under coded designations that changed from time to time. Thus, the current Federal Nuclear Center Sarov at different times had the following code names: Laboratory 2; "Privolzhskaya office"; KB-11; Object 550; Base-112; "Kremlin"; "Moscow, Center, 300"; Arzamas-75; Moscow-2; Arzamas-16.
Znamensk (Kapustin Yar - 1), Astrakhan region.
The city is the administrative and residential center of the Kapustin Yar military training ground.
Now the situation has changed. You can write about closed cities; they are visited by representatives of foreign countries. Back in 1960, an American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, flying over the closed cities of the Southern Urals, was shot down by a missile in the Sverdlovsk region and its pilot Power was captured. And in 1992, the city of Chelyabinsk-70 (Snezhinsk) - the birthplace of the Soviet hydrogen bomb - was visited by US Secretary of State James Baker. Only many years later did disasters that occurred in closed cities become public knowledge, such as the explosion of a container with radioactive waste at the Mayak enterprise in Chelyabinsk-65 (now the city of Ozyorsk) in 1957. The deadly cloud then covered an area of 23 thousand km2, where 270 thousand people lived.
I even managed to find a report about the JSC PROGRESS plant named after. N.I. Sazykin, whose calling card is the KA-52 combat helicopters, located in the Arsenyev closed city.
Closed cities (now 21 of them are known) are divided into two almost equal groups: “nuclear” cities administered by the Ministry of Atomic Energy (10 cities), and “military” cities - the Ministry of Defense: naval and space bases (11 cities).
“Nuclear” cities are associated with solving a common problem - the development of atomic weapons to equip the army and navy. Depending on which branch of the military a particular center works for, the profile of each of them was determined. There are two undisputed leaders in this list: the city of Sarov (Arzamas-16) - the birthplace of the atomic bomb, which destroyed the US monopoly on the possession of atomic weapons, and the city of Snezhinsk, where it was created H-bomb extreme power.
Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk-70), Chelyabinsk region.
On the territory of the city there is the Russian Federal Nuclear Center - the All-Russian Research Institute of Technical Physics named after Academician E.I. Zababakhina (RFNC-VNIITF).
"Nuclear" cities have similar characteristic features. They have not just high, but unique scientific and technical potential, which is based on the triad: “science - design activity - production”. Often the technologies created here have no analogues throughout the world. For example, in Sverdlovsk-44 (Novouralsk) in 1957, a centrifugal method for separating uranium isotopes, necessary for creating the “filling” of atomic bombs, was developed. In the West, the more energy-intensive and less economical so-called diffusion technology is still used. Three more plants were then equipped with the new technology - in Krasnoyarsk-26, Angarsk and Tomsk-7.
I wonder how they are doing with tourism? The soul wants romance :)
Secret ZATOs, which are closed territorial-administrative entities, trace their history back to the post-war days of the “cold confrontation” between the USSR and Western countries. Today, Russia's closed cities are located in 44 ZATOs under the protection of military patrols. Some of them are half a century old, but they stopped being invisible not so long ago - in 1992. Outstanding cities have a rich heritage and fascinating history. About this and much more - in the article.
Secret cities of Russia
There are 23 closed cities in our country. 10 of them belong to “nuclear” (Rosatom), 13 - to the Ministry of Defense, which is in charge of 32 ZATOs with villages. Closed administrative-type entities are under a special protection regime. The activities of industrial enterprises and military facilities in an isolated area are
Closed cities (CG) in the USSR were classified and were not indicated on any map. The population was assigned to the nearest regional centers. The numbering of bus routes, houses and institutions was not carried out from the beginning, but continued what was introduced in regional cities, which included ZATOs. For example, school No. 64 in Sverdlovsk-45 (now Lesnoy).
Visitors were examined at a checkpoint. A one-time pass and a travel order gave the right to entry. Persons registered in a closed city or village had permanent passes. The dacha was mandatory; violation could even lead to criminal liability.
Privileges for residents of SG
The state compensated for the difficulties of living in an isolated facility with benefits and privileges. Supply at a high level made it possible to purchase goods in stores that were in short supply for other citizens of the country. Everyone, regardless of their field of activity, received a 20% salary increase. The social sphere, medicine, and education were well developed.
Many secret cities in Russia today are surrounded by rows of walls with barbed wire. The right to enter can be obtained if a local resident applies for a pass to a relative, but the relationship must be proven. You can get to sporting events in some ZATOs using a passport.
Now not all closed cities have fences and checkpoints; in some they are not guarded. It depends on the privacy mode. Sarov, the former Arzamas-16, is under serious protection: rows of barbed wire, a control strip, modern tracking equipment, and vehicle inspection.
The total population of ZATO is more than a million people. Almost every 100th citizen of the Russian Federation lives in a closed city or village.
15 secret cities in Russia that are worth visiting
Among the ZG, Seversk, Tomsk region, stands out - this is the largest of the closed towns of nuclear heritage. A beautiful city with custom-built houses. In second place is Sarov - a city of contrasts, the birthplace of atomic bombs with amazing holy places: the Sarov Desert and Diveevo.
The secret cities of Russia are concentrated mainly in the Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk territories and the Moscow region.
The Penza region is the birthplace of the city of Zarechny with one of the most powerful Rosatom complexes for the production of nuclear weapons elements. IN Sverdlovsk region On the banks of the Tura in picturesque places stands the city of Lesnoy, where a plant for the recycling and assembly of ammunition is located. Novouralsk is famous for its attractions: the Europe-Asia peak, green and black capes.
The closed cities of the Chelyabinsk region are Ozersk, Snezhinsk and Trekhgorny. Nuclear weapons were developed in Snezhinsk, stored and processed in Ozersk, and nuclear instrument making was carried out in Trekhgorny.
Zheleznogorsk and Zelenogorsk are closed cities. Zheleznogorsk is known for the production of plutonium, and Zelenogorsk specializes in uranium enrichment and isotope production.
ZG Ministry of Defense
Among the “military” SGs, it is definitely worth visiting Polyarny with the unique nature of the Kola Peninsula, Fokino - the main base of the fleet after Vladivostok. Znamensk is unique Astrakhan region, the only city among the villages belonging to missile forces. It houses a landfill.
The list of closed cities that are worth visiting is completed by Krasnoznamensk and Mirny, which are classified as aerospace defense facilities. In Krasnoznamensk, Moscow region, there is a complex for controlling space flights and military satellites. Mirny, Arkhangelsk region, is located next to the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
Seversk
On the banks of the Tom River lies the largest of the closed cities - Seversk. Its foundation is associated with the construction of the Siberian Chemical Plant. The starting point of the enterprise's history is March 1949: the decision was made to build a complex for the production of uranium and plutonium. The Siberian Nuclear Power Plant, which ranks 2nd in Russia, is also located here.
As a result of the accident at the plant in 1993, almost 2,000 people were exposed to radiation.
Seversk is the sports center of the region: 6 children's and youth sports schools, a hockey and football club, and a figure skating group. Several future Olympic champions were trained in city sports schools. The city is distinguished by a developed education system: 21 general education educational institution, college and institute.
While in Seversk, you can visit two theaters, a cultural center, a museum, a zoo and a cinema. Four restaurants welcome guests, one is called “Cosmos”.
Sarov
Sarov, a closed city, traces its history back to 1706. While still a village in the Nizhny Novgorod region, in 1946 it came under the close attention of government officials and became a “pioneer” in the field of future nuclear research. The secret status is associated with a unique scientific complex of its kind - a nuclear center belonging to the All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics.
The village became closed Arzamas-16 in 1947. The Center’s team consisted of several institutes, nuclear centers and design bureaus. A program of peaceful nuclear tests was launched. The center where it was first created atomic bomb, reached the international level due to outstanding scientific achievements. Now there are more than 20,000 employees of the Institute, among them three academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences, more than a hundred doctors, more than five hundred candidates.
In general, the city's population is almost 90 thousand people. There is a museum in memory of the achievements. In it you can see copies of equipment, nuclear weapons and the Tsar Bomb, which Khrushchev threatened America with.
Sarov is a closed city, striking in its uniqueness. Next to the achievements of nuclear scientists is a shrine known throughout the Orthodox world: Diveevo. In 1778, the monastery became the place of novitiate of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Under the desert there are secret underground cities: catacombs and corridors where the monks found peace and solitude. There is a legend associated with them about a lake underground, which could be traveled by boat.
Ozersk
Closed city Chelyabinsk region, one of the pioneers of the nuclear industry, where a plutonium charge for atomic bombs was created. Its secret status is due to the city-forming Mayak Production Association. The enterprise produces radioactive isotopes. The city is located among picturesque places and four lakes, so it is no coincidence that the ZATO was renamed from Chelyabinsk-65 to Ozersk. Let's dive into its history for a moment.
The birthday of Ozersk is considered to be November 9, 1945, when a construction group arrived in area No. 11, and thus began the construction of a plutonium processing plant and two villages. The work was carried out within the framework of a secret project (Program No. 1). The first builders were housed in hangars for subsidiary farming local residents. Labor was complicated by the lack of food and the lack of railways and roads. The number of workers and employees constantly exceeded the plan. Two and three storey houses, hospital town, cultural park.
In the spring of 1954, the 6th reactor was put into operation at the Mendeleev State Chemical Plant (the future Mayak). The village received the status of a city with the official name Chelyabinsk-40. In 1966, number 40 changed to 65. For old-timers, the city of Ozersk remained Sorokovka.
The territory of modern Ozersk is more than 200 km 2, and the population is more than 85 thousand people. The city has a developed diversified industry, which involves 750 enterprises.
The relatively young city of Ozersk is rich in historical and cultural monuments: sculptures, palaces, two ensembles of squares, and public gardens. The architectural monuments include more than 50 masterpieces.
History of Snezhinsk and Trekhgorny
The secret regime in Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk region) was due to the security of the Russian Nuclear Center - the Institute of Technical Physics named after E. I. Zababakhin. The village of Chelyabinsk-70 received a new name in 1991, and 2 years later - city status. Now about 50 thousand people live in Science City.
Snezhinsk is a closed city with a rich past, the homeland where Baker, the US Secretary of State, visited in 1992. This cozy town with clean green streets keeps many secrets. In Snezhinsk you can see many different Soviet artifacts: tunnels, ventilation pipes sticking out of the ground, incomprehensible structures. Local residents suggest that a communications system may be located underground, and there is talk of the existence of an underground metro. Digger underground walks are organized for extreme sports enthusiasts.
Among the mountain slopes not far from the city there is a sanatorium. At the base you can rent skis and “fly” along the slopes of the Cherry Mountains. Several Snezhinsky lakes provide the opportunity to swim and sunbathe on hot summer days.
Trekhgorny
BUT Trekhgorny under Soviet rule was listed as Zlatoust-36. Almost 35 thousand people now live in Trekhgorny. The leading enterprise, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Instrument-Making Plant, produces equipment for nuclear power plants and collects ammunition.
Not far from the ZATO there is the South Ural Nature Reserve. It is rich in unique flora and fauna. Tourism and sports are developing in Trekhgorny thanks to the operating ski complex on the mountain slopes of Zavyalikha.
Zheleznogorsk
The city of Zheleznogorsk is a closed administrative town of the Krasnoyarsk Territory with a population of almost 100 thousand people. The secret status is associated with the Mining Chemistry Combine (MCC), which produces plutonium-239, and Information Satellite Systems OJSC, which produces satellites.
The birthday of ZG is considered to be February 26, 1950, when the decree on complex No. 815 for the production of plutonium was issued. Prisoners participated in the construction of a secret plant, a closed city and a railway road. Four years later the village received city status. The name “Zheleznogorsk” was then secret, but the official name was Krasnoyarsk-26. People called the closed city “Atomgrad”, “Sotsgorod” and “Nine”.
In 1958, the plant (GKH) was launched. The reactors were placed in a granite mountain monolith at a depth of three hundred meters. The underground tunnels for the plant's production and transport tasks are comparable in scale to the Moscow metro system and will withstand nuclear bombing. The height of the underground halls reaches 55 m.
The city of Zheleznogorsk is located on the banks of the Kantat River. These are the most beautiful places - the coast of the Yenisei, the Kurya River, the Kantata Gorge. The secret “Atomgrad” itself is in harmony with the natural landscapes. WITH high altitude A picture opens up: in the middle of the forests there are residential areas with an abundance of green spaces.
In Zheleznogorsk 15 historical monuments: memorials, steles, obelisks, architectural compositions. Cultural life is in full swing: there are 3 museums and 6 theaters. There is a zoo, a cinema complex, a palace and a house of culture.
History of Zelenogorsk
ZG, formerly called Zaozerny-13, Krasnoyarsk-45, received secret status thanks to the Electrochemical Plant for the production of enriched uranium and isotopes. Afterwards, the plant opened additional production of televisions, monitors under the Green Mount brand, and plastic window profiles.
The location for the founding of the secret city was the village of Ust-Barga on the Kan River. In 1956, the village turned into ZG. Almost 70 thousand people now live in the city. The large Krasnoyarskaya State District Power Plant is located there and construction department, conducting work throughout Siberia.
Zelenogorsk is different from a typical Soviet town beautiful houses with lawns, wide avenues, and numerous public gardens. There are two museums in the city: “military glory” and “exhibition center”. You can visit the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Not long ago, the cadet corps celebrated its tenth anniversary. Military training at Vityaz is available not only to boys, but also to girls.
Zarechny
ZG of the Penza region dates back to 1954. The site for the construction of Zarechny was a swampy dense forest. The city was created according to an individual project. Each neighborhood is now separated by green spaces. The features of any area are the configuration, architecture, compositions unique to it.
The main production enterprise is PA “Start” for the production of ammunition. High-tech instrument engineering is carried out by the PPZ of the machine-building plant. Scientific center is an Institute that produces security technical equipment.
Today Zarechny is a developed industrial area with more than 600 enterprises. The city has developed transport, social and communal areas, and health.
"Invisible cities" today
The collapse of the USSR put Russia's closed cities not just in difficult conditions, but on the brink of extinction. Funding for R&D was stopped as demand fell, and the privileges accorded to secret facilities were no longer available. The decline in production, due to the narrow production profile, was inevitable. People with highly qualified began to receive “kopecks” in best case scenario, at worst, they were left without work.
The market dictated its terms. The presence of orders for mass production did not help create jobs, but led to unemployment. It was an order of magnitude higher in closed cities than in Russia. By the end of 1995, 20% of the population “sat” without work in ZATO. The unique potential of the intellectual elite, scientists, and designers turned out to be unclaimed.
There was an acute problem of “brain drain”, which did not go unnoticed. There is American intelligence data about former specialists from closed cities developing atomic weapons for Brazil, Libya, and Iran.
A more significant problem was the “retention” of personnel to prevent possible disasters and preserve technology. In 1998, tax incentives were introduced for business in ZATO. New firms created jobs. Since 2000, benefits have been partially abolished, and in 2004 they stopped completely.
The secret cities of Russia today still stand out among ordinary ones. The sphere of culture, medicine, and education are developed. Clean streets, surrounded by green spaces and flower beds, architectural ensembles. Highly qualified specialists still work here: nuclear scientists, engineers, designers. They know how to work with state-of-the-art technologies, but, unfortunately, most of them are not engaged in scientific work. Thus, without the support of the state and big business, the unique potential of closed cities is leaking away.
Sounds like a tourist's nightmare or some adventurer's fantasy. Eight closed and secret Soviet cities.
All these places belong to the era Soviet Union. Military or scientific experiments were carried out in so-called closed cities.
Such settlements were built and are still located in places where you cannot reach unnoticed. Siberia and Ural Mountains. Previously, these cities were absent from maps. It was impossible to even think about letting foreign tourists there. City residents were under constant strict control. All cases of entry and exit from these often huge settlements with their enterprises were noted.
Many closed cities arose during the life of dictator Joseph Stalin, when an atmosphere of mistrust and paranoia reigned in the country. Scientist and critic of the regime Andrei Sakharov, laureate Nobel Prize world, in 1980 he was exiled to one of these cities - Gorky.
He and his wife Elena Bonner were forced to remain there until 1986, when President Mikhail Gorbachev finally reversed the decision to exile.
Context
Top secret city in Russia
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Die Tageszeitung 05/19/2011Norilsk is a polar city, the capital of nickel
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The Telegraph UK 07/19/2016Leninsk - Zvezdograd - Baikonir
InoSMI 04/12/2016 Feature Shoot 11/12/2014In many cities of this type, scientific activity is still carried out on one scale or another. It is said that today there are 44 closed cities with general population at 1.5 million people.
75% are under the control of the Ministry of Defense, the rest is managed by the Federal Atomic Energy Agency.
According to rumors, another fifteen cities are so secret that their names and coordinates have never been published. open access.
As a rule, a permit is required to enter a closed city, and it is very difficult for a foreigner to obtain one. Imagining yourself to be James Bond and invading classified territory is not recommended.
Zelenogorsk (formerly Krasnoyarsk-45)
The city received special privileges in the turbulent year of 1956, which was remembered by the Hungarian uprising and the Suez Crisis. The city was engaged in uranium enrichment for the Soviet nuclear program. The superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union entered into an arms race. The Cold War was going on, and many feared World War III.
The city was first put on the map only in 1991.
Today about 66 thousand people live in it.
Zvezdny (formerly Perm-76)
In the strict sense of the word, Zvezdny is not a city, but an urban-type settlement, according to the local administration. This settlement first appeared during the Stalin era - in 1931. The site was to become a summer training ground for Soviet infantry, artillery and cavalry. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in 1941, a permanent military base. According to the Russians, World War II began in 1941, and not in 1939, as the rest of the world believes. Russia does not want to hear anything about the non-aggression pact signed in 1939 by the foreign ministers of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and claims that the beginning of the war was Germany’s attack on the USSR.
Now about nine thousand people live in Zvezdny.
Free
Soviet space program surpassed the American one in October 1957, when the USSR became the first state to put a satellite into low-Earth orbit. A month later, Sputnik 2 went into orbit with the dog Laika on board.
Both launches were a blow to the US reputation.
At the Svobodny cosmodrome, on the contrary, they were conducting experiments in the field of intercontinental ballistic missiles. This type of weapon almost provoked the Third world war during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the Soviet Union and Cuba agreed to deploy medium-range missiles on Cuban territory.
The maximum population of Svobodny was 100 thousand people, of which 30 thousand were technical staff of the cosmodrome.
Today there are no more launches.
Kapustin Yar
The city is located between Volgograd and Astrakhan near the Caspian Sea in southern Russia. It was founded as a training ground in May 1946, almost immediately after the end of World War II. Less than a year has passed since America dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
At this test site, test launches of rockets, satellites, and probes with measuring equipment were carried out.
Despite winning World War II with the Allies, the Soviets suffered serious losses. The first activities at the site were carried out using captured German military equipment. In 1953, the West learned about Kapustin Yar after it was spotted by a spy plane.
Later, Kapustin Yar began to be compared with the American Roswell in New Mexico, where it was believed that evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations was found.
Now just under 30 thousand people live in the closed city.
Ozersk (formerly Chelyabinsk-65 and Chelyabinsk-40)
The numbers in old city names indicate the zip code of the nearby city.
The closed city of Ozersk arose in 1945 and exists to this day. About 15 thousand people work in the city; today they are mostly engaged in reprocessing nuclear fuel and disposing of nuclear weapons.
In 1957, a serious accident occurred at a city enterprise, 200 people died from radiation, and another 10 thousand were evacuated. Russia stopped hiding the fact of the accident only in 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In February 2013, a meteorite fell in neighboring Chelyabinsk. The meteorite hit the ground at a speed of 65 thousand kilometers per hour. About a thousand people were injured.
Lesnoy (formerly Sverdlovsk-45)
The city is located in the Sverdlovsk region, approximately 25 miles (about 40 kilometers - editor's note) north of Yekaterinburg. This closed city was founded in 1947, at the very beginning of the Cold War. Its task was to produce highly enriched uranium for Soviet nuclear weapons. Information about the city was kept secret; its official name was Sverdlovsk-45. In 1992, President Boris Yeltsin decided to start using the city's real name and mark it on maps.
Yekaterinburg is probably best known as the site of the murder of members of the last Russian royal family, including Tsar Nicholas II.
About 50 thousand people live in Lesnoy.
Novouralsk (formerly Sverdlovsk-44)
The city already existed during the Second World War, but received its name only in 1954. Until 1994, its location was kept secret, but there is an assumption that the city was still known in the West. Residents of Novouralsk also engaged in uranium enrichment, including using centrifuges and the gas diffusion method (uranium-235 and uranium-238 can be separated using this method).
The city-forming enterprise was considered unique in its area. His work continues today. The city also has a presence in the construction and mechanical engineering industries.
The population is about 85 thousand people.
Seversk (formerly Tomsk-7)
The closed settlement of Seversk is located within the boundaries of the city of Tomsk in Western Siberia. The nature there is not very inspiring, unless you have a weakness for swamps and dense coniferous forests. But the region is rich in mineral resources such as oil, gas and metals.
Seversk is famous for its nuclear industry. Between 1954 and 1992 it was called Tomsk-7.
In 2003, Russia and the United States agreed to shut down all plutonium reactors. But visiting the city still requires special permission. Anyone who tries to break the rules out of love for adventure will have to pass through six checkpoints.
According to rumors, approximately 100 thousand people currently live in Seversk.
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.
Today, on the territory of the Russian Federation there are more than 40 closed territorial-administrative entities, also called ZATOs. All of them are surrounded by rows of barbed wire and guarded by military patrols. The city data belongs to the Ministry of Defense, Roscosmos and Rosatom. In order to enter the territory of closed cities in Russia, you must obtain a special pass. The easiest way to obtain such a document is for those who have relatives living in the ZATO territory. Those who get a job in such a city or find a soul mate from among the local residents also receive a pass. However, it is worth saying that there are workarounds. For example, in some closed cities of Russia, various sports and cultural competitions are periodically held, to which outside participants may be invited. The most desperate ones simply try to find a hole in the fence to get into the city. Let us warn you right away: illegal entry into the territory of a closed city can lead to administrative liability and immediate expulsion. We have prepared for you a list of closed Russian cities that are definitely worth visiting. Well, or at least try to do it.
Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk region
Other names for this settlement- Krasnoyarsk 26, Atomgrad, Sotsgorod. This city received its special status due to the fact that the Mining and Chemical Combine is located on its territory. Previously, weapons-grade plutonium was produced here. Another facility located in this place is Information Satellite Systems OJSC, which produces, as the name implies, satellites. When constructing the city, the specialists who worked on its project adhered to the concept of maximum possible non-interference in the natural landscape, and therefore, if you look at it from a bird's eye view, it may seem that the residential areas of the city are located right in the middle of the forest.
Not far from the settlement in the mountain range there are uranium-graphite reactors for the production of plutonium. By the way, one of them operated until recently. In addition to producing plutonium, it supplied the local population with electricity and heat. These reactors are located in kilometer-long tunnels in the depths of a granite monolith. One of the tunnels was laid from the Mining and Chemical Combine to the opposite bank of the Yenisei.
Plutonium for mother-in-law
During the Soviet Union, the status of a closed city attracted foreign intelligence agents to this settlement. However, vigilant local residents figured them out almost instantly. A story about their own fellow countryman is especially popular among the population of Zheleznogorsk. In the eighties of the last century, one of the plant workers managed to smuggle a small amount of plutonium through the entrance. The man kept the radioactive metal at home in the most ordinary glass jar. Later, when the thief was “discovered” using special equipment, he began to justify himself by saying that he just wanted to poison his beloved mother-in-law. As a result of a forensic medical examination, the employee of the mining and chemical plant was declared insane and sent for compulsory treatment.
Mirny, Arkhangelsk region
This closed city of Russia is the administrative and residential center of the Plesetsk cosmodrome. By the way, in this place during the time of Tsarist Russia, there was a road called the Sovereign Road, heading towards the White Sea. If you believe the legends, it was along this road that Mikhailo Lomonosov followed the convoy to Moscow. However, there are no memorial signs on this territory; all the sights of the settlement are associated exclusively with space exploration.
In general, the city of Mirny is replete with a variety of monuments, monuments and obelisks. Even the stone from which the construction of the city began was turned into a monument here. In memory of the launch of the first Soviet navigation spacecraft, the Cosmos-1000 obelisk was erected in the city, and when the Cosmos-2000 satellite was launched into orbit, another monument appeared on the territory of the settlement. Local residents, by the way, even called him an alien. The thing is that he is strikingly similar to a representative of an extraterrestrial civilization. Thrill-seekers enter the city along a secret path, starting at the last turn of the neighboring village called Plesetsk. However, those who are here for the first time should check the topography with local residents and, of course, be prepared to meet the military patrolling the area.
Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk region
This closed city of Russia, also called Zaozerny-13 and Krasnoyarsk-45, received its special status due to the fact that an open joint-stock company called the Electrochemical Plant Production Association is located on its territory. Specialists at this plant produce low-enriched uranium.
This city appeared on the banks of the Kan River in the place where the village of Ust-Barga used to be. The local population was involved in the construction, and during the construction the village was razed to the ground. Speaking about the sights of Zelenogorsk, it should be noted that there is a Museum of Military Glory and a Museum and Exhibition Center. Also in the city is the temple of St. Seraphim of Sarov. There is a cadet corps in the city; the fact that not only boys, but also girls are trained here deserves special attention. There is little entertainment in Zelenogorsk: locals can relax on the river bank or go to the only nightclub in the city. Visitors to the city may be surprised by its appearance: the fact is that Zelenogorsk is completely different from typical cities of the Soviet era. There are quite wide avenues, numerous squares, and lawns everywhere. Only monuments to the leader of the revolution remind of the Soviet past.
Sarov, Nizhny Novgorod region
Speaking about the most closed cities in Russia, one cannot fail to mention the city known as Shatki-1, Arzamas-75 and 16, Kremlev, Moscow-300. It is on the territory of Sarov that the Russian federal nuclear center, the All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics, is located. Let's put it simply: Sarov is the place where the atomic bomb was created. It is worth noting that on the territory of this settlement there is one of the most revered Orthodox shrines - the Sarov Hermitage. Below it is a real underground city! It was here that hermit monks used to descend in search of solitude and silence.
How to get to Sarov?
When talking about how to visit this secret closed city in Russia, experts advise using religious motives. In 2006, a monastery began operating on the territory of Sarov again, to which pilgrim tours are regularly organized. However, atheists also have the opportunity to visit this locality: the fact is that there is a Museum of Nuclear Weapons on its territory. The main exhibit that attracts visitors here is the Tsar Bomba. Yes, yes, this is the same “Kuzka’s mother” that Khrushchev once threatened to show to America!
Znamensk, Astrakhan region
Among the closed military cities of Russia is Znamensk, also known as Kapustin Yar - 1. The reason for the special status of this settlement is that it is the administrative and residential center of a military training ground called Kapustin Yar. This test site was built back in 1946; it was necessary to conduct tests here of Soviet ballistic missiles, combat ones, of course. But its name - quite peaceful - it received from the village of the same name. It is worth noting that in fact Znamensk is not such a closed city: excursions for students and schoolchildren are regularly held here. Therefore, if you really want to visit closed cities on the map of Russia, you should submit a request to be included in the excursion group.
Dezik, Gypsy and Vasily Voznyuk
The first head of the training ground was Major General Vasily Voznyuk. He entered service in 46 of the last century. By the way, local residents still remember him well; his portraits decorate the offices of the local administration and the Museum of Cosmonautics, located in the city. By the way, it was from the city of Znamensk that the very first space dogs took off. And these were far from Belka and Strelka! From here Desik and Gypsy set off into outer space. It is worth noting that next to the Museum of Cosmonautics there is an open area where you can get acquainted with samples of military equipment: there are various rocket launchers and radars.
Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk region
Speaking about closed nuclear cities in Russia, one cannot fail to mention Sverdlovsk-45, known as the city of Lesnoy. On its territory there is the Elektrokhimpribor Plant, which collects and disposes nuclear bombs. In addition, the Plant’s specialists produce uranium isotopes. The appearance of this city on the map of Russia is the merit of Gulag prisoners. More than twenty thousand prisoners worked on the construction of the secret facility! The best specialists supervised the work, but there were tragic incidents during the construction of Lesnoy. Several dozen people died here during blasting operations. They were not buried properly and their bodies are in mass graves.
As for Lesnoy’s appearance, it is incredibly similar to other ZATOs. Monument to Lenin, square named after Yuri Gagarin, three-story houses built in the fifties, Stalinist buildings, wide bright avenues. A few kilometers from Lesnoy is the town of Nizhnyaya Tura. Here, residents of the closed city can visit historical and environmental museums.
Novouralsk, Sverdlovsk region
The list of closed cities in Russia also includes Sverdlovsk-44, better known to ordinary people as Novouralsk. The Ural Electrochemical Plant, which produces highly enriched uranium, is located on its territory. Particularly desperate ones make their way into the city through the forest, located near a village called Belorechka. However, it is very easy for a person who has never been to these places before to get lost, which is why extreme sports enthusiasts look for guides. In the very heart of Novouralsk there is a local history museum; there is also an operetta theater in the city. By the way, artists for the latter are trained by the local music school.
Natural monuments
What is so interesting about this closed city of Russia? The list of natural monuments that abound in its surroundings is amazing. For example, there is Hanging Stone Rock and Seven Brothers Mountain. By the way, there are many legends about the latter in these places. They say that this mountain is seven stone idols into which the conqueror of Siberia Ermak turned the sorcerers who prevented the conquest of these places. According to another version, the mountain is all that remains of seven gold-mining brothers who guarded their prey throughout the night. Another version says: in Soviet times, when war was declared on the Old Believers, seven of them fled to the mountains. Here they hoped to escape persecution. They became stones not because some supernatural forces intervened, but because of ordinary fear.
Obolensk, Moscow region
Which closed cities in Russia have lost their status? There are several dozen of them on the list. Perhaps Obolensk, located near Moscow, occupies a special place in the list. During the Soviet Union, it was not indicated on maps; its laboratories, which were disguised as an ordinary sanatorium, were the place where Soviet scientists fought against biological weapons. Obolensk was a closed territory until 1994; the city-forming enterprise was the center of applied microbiology. It was here that scouts brought strains of bacteria from secret laboratories in countries such as the United States of America and England.
Today, this former closed city of Russia is a repository of about three and a half thousand strains of bacteria. Anthrax, tuberculosis, glanders, tularemia - all this was inherited by the city from the Cold War. It is worth saying that vaccines and viruses were developed not only in the laboratories of Obolensk, another 50 enterprises of the USSR were involved in this. All of them were part of an association called “Biopreparat”; there is evidence that about forty thousand specialists worked in this research and production association.