The USSR has long remained in memories, some in nostalgic, some in sad ones. However, the existence of a communist state is still reminded of the numerous relics remaining from those times - grandiose structures that slowly collapse under the influence of time.
Introducing you top 10 most unusual abandoned objects of the times of the USSR.
10. Object 825 GTS, Crimea
The 825 GTS is a legacy of the Cold War, when both nuclear superpowers took measures in the event of a possible nuclear strike. To create a submarine base, the military chose a quiet secluded bay in Balaclava.
Construction took place in the strictest secrecy: the rock was drilled and transported at night, after which it was flooded into the sea, and Balaklava was made a closed city. A huge building (with a total area of 9600 m2) became unnecessary after the collapse of the USSR and was not guarded. For ten years (from 1993 to 2000), non-ferrous metal hunters exported everything that was possible.
Now on the basis of the Museum of the Cold War with a real (albeit super-small) submarine, several exhibits and an arsenal courtyard. In 2013, he celebrated his 10th anniversary, and not only adults (veteran submariners, representatives of the military and authorities, former employees of the underground plant), but also schoolchildren took part in the anniversary.
9. Bunker in Wünsdorf, Germany
The visiting card of the small German town of Wünsdorf is a bunker built by the Germans before the outbreak of World War II. After the victory, the Soviet command rebuilt it, made it anti-nuclear, and placed the headquarters of the command of the air forces of the USSR in Germany in it.
In other times, the population of Wünsdorf totaled up to 60,000 Soviet soldiers. Until September 1994, a regular train ran from the city to Moscow. Together with the last squad that left on September 8, 1994, Wünsdorf left the so-called reclamation battalion.
Now the bunker is the main tourist attraction of the city, where tours are regularly conducted.
8. The village of Pyramid, Western Svalbard, Russia
For a long time (from 1946 to 1998), the Pyramid coal mine was the northernmost active mine in the world. For miners in the conditions of the Arctic, a whole city was built, including residential multi-storey buildings, a swimming pool, a library, greenhouses, livestock farms, artificial lakes with drinking water and a sea water pool in a sports center. There were times that up to 1000 people lived in the city.
In 1997, it was decided to close the mine - coal production became too expensive due to difficult geological conditions, plus a fire that arose in the coal seams in the 70s complicated the development of the deposit. Now the Pyramid is a tourist attraction where ships from Russia and the Scandinavian countries regularly go.
7. Accelerator-storage complex, Protvino, Russia
The UNK, or, as they used to call it, the Protvina collider (the younger brother of the LHC) is one of the last large-scale projects of Soviet science. Its construction began in 1983, and over 11 years, a huge tunnel (21 km long, 5 m in diameter) with ventilation, lighting and auxiliary rooms for laboratories and equipment was drilled deep underground.
And then the collapse of the Soviet Union struck, and construction began to lack funding. But it was necessary to close the tunnel into the ring, otherwise nearby settlements would suffer from its collapse. What to do with it now is unclear; remodeling for use for any other purpose is expensive, but even just pouring the UNK on concrete is worth a lot of money.
6. Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center, Latvia
Unlike other relics of the Soviet era, the fate of the observatory was successful - it is in demand, is used for scientific purposes and is going to enter the European radio interference network.
Although before the collapse of the USSR, the purpose of the complex was purely military - to intercept signals from military bases and satellites, as well as monitor satellites. For the sake of servicing and guarding the station, the village of Irbene was even built, in which two thousand military personnel and members of their families lived.
It is curious that the radar in Irbene is one of the most interesting tourist sites in Latvia.
5. Kola superdeep well, Murmansk region, Russia
A well more than 12 km long is another titanic monument to Soviet science that has become unnecessary after the Soviet Union ceased to exist. This is one of the deepest places on Earth. Its drilling began in 1970 and continued for several years due to repeated accidents in which the drill string stuck with the rock. And when trying to lift part of the column broke off.
In the old days, up to 16 laboratories worked with a well, and the USSR Minister of Geology personally monitored its operation.
It was the Kola well that served as the basis for the urban legend of the “well to Hell”. Since the end of the 90s of the twentieth century, a bike has been walking on the Internet that at a depth of 12 thousand meters, the microphones of scientists recorded terrible cries and groans of souls suffering in Hell. This legend formed the basis of the story of Dmitry Glukhovsky “From Hell”.
Now the state does not need a well - it is too expensive. Both she and the complex serving her continue to slowly collapse. Recovery will cost 100 million rubles.
4. Skrunda-1, Latvia
One of the many military towns abandoned after the collapse of the USSR. Skrunda-1 was created to service a radar station that tracked the launch of ballistic missiles by NATO countries. The military unit, which was located on the territory of the town, disguised as a concrete factory. Therefore, she was given the name "Combine".
The fate of the military complex is unenviable - in 1995, after the withdrawal of Russian troops, the station was blown up, and the military town fell into disrepair. Now part of it is used by the Latvian armed forces to practice combat in the city. And the rest of the Latvian authorities unsuccessfully tried to lease, and then simply abandoned.
3. Oil stones, Azerbaijan
Oil stones - the oldest oil platform in the world (the beginning of work - 1951). But what about the platform - this is a whole city on stilts, where the Soviet government tried to create all conditions for oil industry workers, including multi-story residential buildings, hospitals, baths, a bakery, a soft drinks workshop, a movie theater and even a park with trees.
The total number of platforms is more than 200, and the length of the streets is up to 350 km. The field is lively, and the village is actively used - it is inhabited by up to 1000 people working on a rotational basis.
2. The Arc, Chernobyl-2, Ukraine
In second place in the ranking of the most famous abandoned objects of the times of the USSR is another large-scale military construction. This radar station, located near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, was involved in tracking the launch of ballistic missiles. Until now, the antenna masts remaining from it are an impressive sight - huge, standing in a row.
Of course, the “Arc” object was top-secret, therefore, on the Soviet topographic maps in its place was located a kind of “pioneer camp”.
During operation, the station emitted a characteristic knock on the air, which is why the western military gave it the nickname Russian Woodpecker (Russian Woodpecker). In the West, they even considered the Russian Woodpecker as a Soviet experimental weapon and studied the station’s capabilities to influence people's consciousness and weather changes. And the foreign press scared readers that the Russians would be able to destroy up to 5 American cities per day, broadcasting destructive radio pulses.
However, after the accident at the nuclear power plant, US residents were able to breathe calmly. The terrible "Russian Woodpecker" was mothballed, and all equipment was removed from it.
1. Buzludzha, Bulgaria
In the 70s, the Bulgarian Communist Party decided to build a memorial complex dedicated to the Bulgarian revolutionaries on Mount Buzludzha. The builders were not limited to one palace - a whole complex of buildings (mainly tourist ones) was erected next to it.
Once, holidays were held there, festivals were held, drummers of labor were awarded, and so on. During mass events, free transport was organized for people from nearby cities and villages, and food and drinks were sold at reduced prices.
After the end of Soviet Bulgaria and the beginning of Bulgaria, the modern house-monument, like many relics of those times, was completely plundered. Moreover, not only valuable metal was stolen, but even stone cladding. Now only the remaining pieces of the mosaic remotely resemble the former splendor.
