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. Activity industrial enterprises and military facilities in an isolated area - this is
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 means tracking, 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. Beautiful city with houses built according to individual projects. 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.
Penza region is the birthplace of the city of Zarechny with one of the most powerful Rosatom complexes for the production of elements nuclear weapons. 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 management complex 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 the atomic bomb was first created has reached the international level due to its 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. 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
A closed city in the 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 company 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 local residents' farming. 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-story houses, a hospital campus, and a cultural park were erected.
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
Secret regime in Snezhinsk ( Chelyabinsk region) was due to the safety of the Russian Nuclear Center - 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
City of Zheleznogorsk - ZATO 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. In the construction of a secret plant, closed city and railway roads were attended by prisoners. 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. This most beautiful places- Yenisei coast, Kurya River, Kantata Gorge. The secret “Atomgrad” itself is in harmony with the natural landscapes. From a great height the picture opens up: in the middle of forests there are residential areas with an abundance of green spaces.
In Zheleznogorsk 15 historical monuments: memorials, steles, obelisks, architectural compositions. Boiling cultural life: there are 3 museums, 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.
Place to bookmark secret city became 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. There is a large Krasnoyarskaya state district power station and a construction department that conducts work throughout Siberia.
Zelenogorsk differs from a typical Soviet town with 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. The scientific center is the Institute, which 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 They began to receive “kopecks” at best, and 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, 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 employed scientific work. Thus, without the support of the state and big business, the unique potential of closed cities is leaking away.
- (ZATO) cities and towns in the USSR closed to the public and Russian Federation. Urban planning of the USSR and Russia Documentation Urban planning code · Land use and development rules · General plan · Planning project ... Wikipedia
Cemeteries are closed- Closed cemeteries - cemeteries in which only related burials are carried out, as well as burials in established family (tribal) and service plots in existing borders cemeteries... Source: DECISION of the Moscow Government dated... ... Official terminology
The request for "site" is redirected here. See also other meanings. Website: web web and site “place”) on a computer network united under one domain name or IP address) a collection of documents of a private person or ... ... Wikipedia
- (ZATO) urban district within which industrial enterprises for the development, production, storage and disposal of weapons are located mass destruction, processing of radioactive and other materials, military and other facilities, for... ... Wikipedia
Closed administrative territorial entities (ZATOs) are cities and towns closed to free access in the USSR and the Russian Federation. Urban planning of the USSR and Russia Documentation Urban planning code · Land use rules and... ... Wikipedia
Closed administrative territorial entities (ZATOs) are cities and towns closed to free access in the USSR and the Russian Federation. Urban planning of the USSR and Russia Documentation Urban planning code · Land use rules and... ... Wikipedia
In the Ural economic area. Formed in 1934 Sq. 87.9 thousand km², adm. center – Chelyabinsk; other large cities: Magnitogorsk, Zlatoust, Miass, Troitsk. Located at the junction of the Ural mountains... Geographical encyclopedia
CHELYABINSK REGION, subject of the Russian Federation; located in the Southern Urals and Trans-Urals, part of the Ural economic region. Pl. 87.9 thousand km2. Population 3681.0 thousand people. (1998). Center of Chelyabinsk. Dr. major cities Magnitogorsk, ... ... Russian history
In Russian federation. 87.9 thousand km2. Population 3681.0 thousand people (1998), urban 81.3%. 30 cities, 30 urban villages. Center Chelyabinsk. Located in the Southern Urals and Trans-Urals; in the east is the West Siberian Plain. Average... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
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Chelyabinsk-40, Tomsk-7, Krasnoyarsk-26, Salsk-7. What do these numbers assigned to the regional centers of the USSR mean? Closed cities in the USSR are secret places not marked on any map. How these cities lived in Soviet times, and what has changed for them now.
ZATO in the USSR
Why some cities in the USSR had a unique status is easily explained: there were objects of national importance from the energy, space or military industries. Only those who had the right to access classified information could know about the existence of a ZATO (closed administrative-territorial entity). Everything happened there under the strictest secrecy - from scientific tests with the Ebola virus to the birth of the first Soviet nuclear bomb. It sounds scary, but in fact, the life of the population of closed cities in the USSR could only be envied.
It was simply impossible to enter the closed city - only with a one-time pass or travel order, which was checked at the checkpoint. Only persons registered in a closed city or village had permanent passes. The numbering of bus routes, houses and institutions in ZATOs was not carried out from the beginning, but continued what was introduced in the regional cities to which ZATOs belonged. The population of cities with security patrols at the entrance, behind barbed wire and walls, the height of which depended on the degree of secrecy of the city, was forced to secrecy, being assigned to the nearest regional centers.
Residents of the closed city also could not talk about their place of residence - they gave a non-disclosure agreement, and its violation could lead to liability, even criminal liability. Outside the city, residents were encouraged to slightly distort reality when communicating with other citizens using their own “legend.” For example, if a person lived in the secret Chelyabinsk-70 (now Snezhinsk), in answer to the question about his place of residence, he discarded the number that carried secrets and, one might say, practically did not lie.
For patience and endurance, keepers of state secrets were entitled to certain bonuses in the form of benefits and privileges. Sounds good for that time: scarce goods unavailable to other citizens of the country, a 20% salary increase regardless of the field of activity, a thriving social sphere, medicine and education. The improved standard of living compensated for the inconvenience.
ZATO in the Russian Federation
After the collapse of the USSR, the fog of secrecy cleared a little: the list of ZATOs was declassified, and their list was approved by a special Russian law. The cities received separate names (previously they were only numbered). Many of the ZATOs are open to the public today, despite the special protection regime. All you need to do is get an invitation from a local resident, who must also be your relative (which naturally needs to be proven).
Today, there are 23 closed cities in Russia: 10 “nuclear” (Rosatom), 13 belong to the Ministry of Defense, which is in charge of another 32 ZATOs with villages. Secret cities in Russia are concentrated mainly in the Ural region, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk territories and the Moscow region.
The total population of ZATO is more than a million people: almost every 100th citizen of the Russian Federation today lives in a closed city or village and can openly declare this. Only the activities of industrial enterprises and military facilities in an isolated territory remain a state secret - it is better for residents to remain silent about this.
Zagorsk-6 and Zagorsk-7
The well-known Sergiev Posad near Moscow, which is more likely associated with pilgrimage than with science, was called Zagorsk until 1991 and included several small closed towns. In Zagorsk-6 the Virology Center of the Research Institute of Microbiology was located, and in Zagorsk-7 the Central Institute of Physics and Technology of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Manufactured in Zagorsk-6 bacteriological weapon, and in Zagorsk-7, opened since 2001, it is radioactive.
It was in Zagorsk-6 that weapons were created based on the smallpox virus, which was brought to the USSR by tourists from India in 1959. In addition, they developed deadly weapons based on South American and South African viruses, and also tested the famous Ebola virus. It is not surprising that the city is closed to this day. Interestingly, only people with the most crystalline biography could work at Zagorsk enterprises - not only personal, but also of all their relatives.
Now in Zagorsk-6, which is popularly called “six”, there are more than 6,000 residents. For the most part, former military men and members of their families, virtually cut off from the world, have a pretty hard life. They complain about their status as “hostages,” about food shortages and unstable cellular communications. The roads are rarely cleaned, and housing and communal services problems are practically not addressed. Traveling units independently decide which entrepreneurs to allow into the territory and which not. The choice of food products is quite limited, and therefore residents of the village travel ten kilometers to shops with a wide range of goods.
Birthplace of the atomic bomb: Arzamas-16 (now the closed nuclear center Sarov)
In this city, on the site of the village of Sarova in the Nizhny Novgorod region, the first development of the Soviet atomic bomb under the secret name KB-11 took place. The nuclear center was one of the most closed cities and turned into a nuclear prison for the local population: until the mid-50s, it was impossible to leave the city even during vacation, with the exception of business trips. It was under serious protection: rows of barbed wire, a control strip, modern tracking equipment, and vehicle inspection.
The imprisonment was compensated by an average salary of 200 rubles and an abundance of goods on the shelves: sausage and cheese, red and black caviar. Residents of regional centers never dreamed of this. Today you can see the first Soviet nuclear bomb at the Nuclear Weapons Museum. Today the city's population is almost 90 thousand people. The city's scientific achievements are reminded of in the museum, where you can see replicas of equipment and nuclear weapons.
Sarov is a city of contrasts. Scientific institutes coexist here with the famous shrine - the Diveyevo Monastery, which was founded by the Monk Seraphim of Sarov. Closedness was characteristic of these places long before the activities of Soviet scientists: under the monastery there are entire underground cities - catacombs and corridors, where the monks found peace and solitude.
Sverdlovsk-45 (now Lesnoy)
The city was located around a plant that enriched uranium, where, according to some sources, Gulag prisoners worked at the foot of Mount Shaitan. They say that there were tragic incidents: the construction of the city claimed the lives of several dozen people who died during blasting operations.
In terms of commodity abundance, the city was inferior to Arzamas-16, but it was famous for its comfort and convenience, which was the envy of residents of nearby cities. According to rumors, residents of the secret city were even attacked at the border by envious neighbors. In 1960, it was near Sverdlovsk-45 that an American U-2 spy plane was shot down, and its pilot Powers was captured.
Now the city of Lesnoy is under the auspices of Rosatom and is also open to prying eyes. You can get to it by bus from Yekaterinburg, which goes to the neighboring town of Nizhnyaya Tura.
Novouralsk (Sverdlovsk-44)
The city enterprise OJSC Ural Electrochemical Plant produces highly enriched uranium. The city is also famous for its natural wealth: Hanging Stone Rock and Seven Brothers Mountain. This mountain owes its name either to Ermak or to the persecuted Old Believers. According to legend, Ermak turned seven sorcerers who prevented him from conquering Siberia into stone idols. The second legend says that Soviet times A raid was announced on Old Believers hiding in the Ural forests. Seven of them, in an attempt to escape persecution, fled to the mountains, where they were chained to stone by fear.
True, in order to admire the legendary beauty, you will have to overcome many difficulties: you can get into the city only through the forest near the village of Belorechka.
Peaceful. "City of Strollers"
The military town in the Arkhangelsk region became closed only in 1966 thanks to the Plesetsk test cosmodrome. Residents of a well-maintained and comfortable city were lucky - they could breathe freely and not feel imprisoned. Mirny was not fenced with barbed wire, and document checks were carried out only on travel roads. The city never paid for its openness, except that unexpected mushroom pickers and illegal immigrants came running to buy scarce goods.
It is interesting that Mirny received the name “city of strollers” due to the fact that graduates of military academies sought to quickly start a family and children in this prosperous place in order to settle for a long time.
Chelyabinsk-65 (now Ozersk)
Despite all the privileges, life in some closed cities was a great risk due to the close proximity of dangerous objects. In 1957, in Chelyabinsk-65, the secrecy of which is due to the enterprise for the production of radioactive isotopes, a major leak occurred radioactive waste, which endangered the lives of 270 thousand people.
At the Mayak production association, where a plutonium charge for atomic bombs was created for the first time in the USSR, one of the containers in which high-level waste was stored exploded. After the explosion, a column of smoke and dust rose up to a kilometer high. The dust shimmered orange-red and settled on buildings and people.
The radiation accident in the Urals posed a number of completely new tasks for science and practice: it was necessary to develop measures for radiation protection of the population. The specialists of this enterprise underwent a strict multi-stage selection process, and if they successfully arrived at the secret facility, they could not even correspond with their relatives for several years, let alone meet.
Today more than 85 thousand people live in Ozersk. The city still makes its contribution to the domestic industry: more than 750 enterprises operate on its territory.
Severomorsk
The city of Severomorsk, the former village of Vaenga, in the Murmansk region is a large Russian naval base, which is located on the shores of the Kola Bay in the Barents Sea. Construction of the naval base began in the mid-30s, and the city became closed after the collapse of the USSR, in 1996.
Fans of sailors and naval history will especially like this: the giant North Sea sailor Alyosha on the main square, the monument torpedo boat TK-12, which sank four enemy ships during the Second World War, K-21 Submarine Museum.
In winter, from early December to mid-January, in Severomorsk, beyond the Arctic Circle, you can admire a real polar night. However, you should be wary of the local climate: it is not so easy to adapt to the icy wind and high humidity.
Snezhinsk - the birthplace of the hydrogen bomb
On the territory of the youngest closed city in the USSR, Snezhinsk, there is the Russian Nuclear Center - the Institute of Technical Physics named after E. I. Zababakhin.
The first visitor to the Snezhinsk nuclear center with the rank of Minister of Foreign Affairs was US Secretary of State Baker in 1992, and in 2000, Vladimir Putin made his first trip here as president.
The world's largest thermonuclear bomb, known as “Kuzkina Mother”, or “Tsar Bomba”. The Soviet superbomb was tested on October 30, 1961. "Kuzkina Mat" worked at an altitude of 4 kilometers above the ground, and the flash from the explosion amounted to 1% of the "power" of the sun. The blast wave circled three times Earth. The charge of the Tsar Bomba, to which a separate chapter of the Guinness Book of Records is dedicated, was 51.5 megatons. For comparison: the largest American hydrogen bomb, which wiped out Bikini Island from the face of the Earth in March 1954, had a yield of “only” 25 megatons.
Some believe that there is an underground city or even an underground metro in Snezhinsk. The most daring take digger underground walks, and for those who like a more traditional holiday, there is a sanatorium not far from the city where you can ski on the slopes of the Cherry Mountains, and in the summer - swim in the lakes and sunbathe.
Chelyabinsk-40, Tomsk-7, Krasnoyarsk-26, Salsk-7. What do these numbers assigned to the regional centers of the USSR mean?
Closed cities in the USSR are secret places not marked on any map. Let's see how these cities lived in Soviet times, and what has changed for them now.
ZATO in the USSR
Why some cities in the USSR had a unique status is easily explained: there were objects of national importance from the energy, space or military industries. Only those who had the right to access classified information could know about the existence of a ZATO (closed administrative-territorial entity). Everything happened there under the strictest secrecy - from scientific tests with the Ebola virus to the birth of the first Soviet nuclear bomb. It sounds scary, but in fact, the life of the population of closed cities in the USSR could only be envied.
It was simply impossible to enter the closed city - only with a one-time pass or travel order, which was checked at the checkpoint. Only persons registered in a closed city or village had permanent passes. The numbering of bus routes, houses and institutions in ZATOs was not carried out from the beginning, but continued what was introduced in the regional cities to which ZATOs belonged. The population of cities with security patrols at the entrance, behind barbed wire and walls, the height of which depended on the degree of secrecy of the city, was forced to secrecy, being assigned to the nearest regional centers.
Residents of the closed city also could not talk about their place of residence - they gave a non-disclosure agreement, and its violation could lead to liability, even criminal liability. Outside the city, residents were encouraged to slightly distort reality when communicating with other citizens using their own “legend.” For example, if a person lived in the secret Chelyabinsk-70 (now Snezhinsk), in answer to the question about his place of residence, he discarded the number that carried secrets and, one might say, practically did not lie.
For patience and endurance, keepers of state secrets were entitled to certain bonuses in the form of benefits and privileges. Sounds good for that time: scarce goods unavailable to other citizens of the country, a 20% salary increase regardless of the field of activity, a thriving social sphere, medicine and education. The improved standard of living compensated for the inconvenience.
ZATO in the Russian Federation
After the collapse of the USSR, the fog of secrecy cleared a little: the list of ZATOs was declassified, and their list was approved by a special Russian law. The cities received separate names (previously they were only numbered). Many of the ZATOs are open to the public today, despite the special protection regime. All you need to do is get an invitation from a local resident, who must also be your relative (which naturally needs to be proven).
Today, there are 23 closed cities in Russia: 10 “nuclear” (Rosatom), 13 belong to the Ministry of Defense, which is in charge of another 32 ZATOs with villages. Secret cities in Russia are concentrated mainly in the Ural region, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk territories and the Moscow region.
The total population of ZATO is more than a million people: almost every 100th citizen of the Russian Federation today lives in a closed city or village and can openly declare this. Only the activities of industrial enterprises and military facilities in an isolated territory remain a state secret - it is better for residents to remain silent about this.
Zagorsk-6 and Zagorsk-7
The well-known Sergiev Posad near Moscow, which is more likely associated with pilgrimage than with science, was called Zagorsk until 1991 and included several small closed towns. In Zagorsk-6 the Virology Center of the Research Institute of Microbiology was located, and in Zagorsk-7 the Central Institute of Physics and Technology of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In Zagorsk-6, bacteriological weapons were manufactured, and in Zagorsk-7, opened in 2001, radioactive weapons were manufactured.
It was in Zagorsk-6 that weapons were created based on the smallpox virus, which was brought to the USSR by tourists from India in 1959. In addition, they developed deadly weapons based on South American and South African viruses, and also tested the famous Ebola virus. It is not surprising that the city is closed to this day. Interestingly, only people with the most crystalline biography could work at Zagorsk enterprises - not only personal, but also of all their relatives.
Now in Zagorsk-6, which is popularly called “six”, there are more than 6,000 residents. For the most part, former military men and members of their families, virtually cut off from the world, have a pretty hard life. They complain about their status as “hostages,” about food shortages and unstable cellular communications. The roads are rarely cleaned, and housing and communal services problems are practically not addressed. Traveling units independently decide which entrepreneurs to allow into the territory and which not. The choice of food products is quite limited, and therefore residents of the village travel ten kilometers to shops with a wide range of goods.
Birthplace of the atomic bomb: Arzamas-16 (now the closed nuclear center of Sarov)
In this city, on the site of the village of Sarova in the Nizhny Novgorod region, the first development of the Soviet atomic bomb under the secret name KB-11 took place. The nuclear center was one of the most closed cities and turned into a nuclear prison for the local population: until the mid-50s, it was impossible to leave the city even during vacation, with the exception of business trips. It was under serious protection: rows of barbed wire, a control strip, modern tracking equipment, and vehicle inspection.
The imprisonment was compensated by an average salary of 200 rubles and an abundance of goods on the shelves: sausage and cheese, red and black caviar. Residents of regional centers never dreamed of this. Today you can see the first Soviet nuclear bomb at the Nuclear Weapons Museum. Today the city's population is almost 90 thousand people. The city's scientific achievements are reminded of in the museum, where you can see replicas of equipment and nuclear weapons.
Sarov is a city of contrasts. Scientific institutes coexist here with the famous shrine - the Diveevo Monastery, which was founded by the Monk Seraphim of Sarov. Closedness was characteristic of these places long before the activities of Soviet scientists: under the monastery there are entire underground cities - catacombs and corridors, where the monks found peace and solitude.
Sverdlovsk-45 (now Lesnoy)
The city was located around a plant that enriched uranium, where, according to some sources, Gulag prisoners worked at the foot of Mount Shaitan. They say that there were tragic incidents: the construction of the city claimed the lives of several dozen people who died during blasting operations.
In terms of commodity abundance, the city was inferior to Arzamas-16, but it was famous for its comfort and convenience, which was the envy of residents of nearby cities. According to rumors, residents of the secret city were even attacked at the border by envious neighbors. In 1960, it was near Sverdlovsk-45 that an American U-2 spy plane was shot down, and its pilot Powers was captured.
Now the city of Lesnoy is under the auspices of Rosatom and is also open to prying eyes. You can get to it by bus from Yekaterinburg, which goes to the neighboring town of Nizhnyaya Tura.
Novouralsk (Sverdlovsk-44)
The city enterprise OJSC Ural Electrochemical Plant produces highly enriched uranium. The city is also famous for its natural wealth: Hanging Stone Rock and Seven Brothers Mountain. This mountain owes its name either to Ermak or to the persecuted Old Believers. According to legend, Ermak turned seven sorcerers who prevented him from conquering Siberia into stone idols. The second legend says that during Soviet times a raid was announced on Old Believers hiding in the Ural forests. Seven of them, in an attempt to escape persecution, fled to the mountains, where they were chained to stone by fear.
True, in order to admire the legendary beauty, you will have to overcome many difficulties: you can get into the city only through the forest near the village of Belorechka.
Peaceful. "City of Strollers"
The military town in the Arkhangelsk region became closed only in 1966 thanks to the Plesetsk test cosmodrome. Residents of a well-maintained and comfortable city were lucky - they could breathe freely and not feel imprisoned. Mirny was not fenced with barbed wire, and document checks were carried out only on travel roads. The city never paid for its openness, except that unexpected mushroom pickers and illegal immigrants came running to buy scarce goods.
It is interesting that Mirny received the name “city of strollers” due to the fact that graduates of military academies sought to quickly start a family and children in this prosperous place in order to settle for a long time.
Chelyabinsk-65 (now Ozersk)
Despite all the privileges, life in some closed cities was a great risk due to the close proximity of dangerous objects. In 1957, in Chelyabinsk-65, the secrecy of which is due to the enterprise for the production of radioactive isotopes, there was a large leak of radioactive waste, which endangered the lives of 270 thousand people.
At the Mayak production association, where a plutonium charge for atomic bombs was created for the first time in the USSR, one of the containers in which high-level waste was stored exploded. After the explosion, a column of smoke and dust rose up to a kilometer high. The dust shimmered orange-red and settled on buildings and people.
The radiation accident in the Urals posed a number of completely new tasks for science and practice: it was necessary to develop measures for radiation protection of the population. The specialists of this enterprise underwent a strict multi-stage selection process, and if they successfully arrived at the secret facility, they could not even correspond with their relatives for several years, let alone meet.
Today more than 85 thousand people live in Ozersk. The city still makes its contribution to the domestic industry: more than 750 enterprises operate on its territory.
Severomorsk
The city of Severomorsk, the former village of Vaenga, in the Murmansk region is a large Russian naval base, which is located on the shores of the Kola Bay in the Barents Sea. Construction of the naval base began in the mid-30s, and the city became closed after the collapse of the USSR, in 1996.
Fans of sailors and naval history will especially like it here: the giant North Sea sailor Alyosha on the main square, the monument to the torpedo boat TK-12, which sank four enemy ships during the Second World War, and the K-21 Submarine Museum.
In winter, from early December to mid-January, in Severomorsk, beyond the Arctic Circle, you can admire a real polar night. However, you should be wary of the local climate: it is not so easy to adapt to the icy wind and high humidity.
Snezhinsk - the birthplace of the hydrogen bomb
On the territory of the youngest closed city in the USSR, Snezhinsk, there is the Russian Nuclear Center - the Institute of Technical Physics named after E. I. Zababakhin.
The first visitor to the Snezhinsk nuclear center with the rank of Minister of Foreign Affairs was US Secretary of State Baker in 1992, and in 2000, Vladimir Putin made his first trip here as president.
The world's largest thermonuclear bomb, known as the "Kuzkina Mother" or "Tsar Bomba", was created in Snezhinsk. The Soviet superbomb was tested on October 30, 1961. "Kuzkina Mat" worked at an altitude of 4 kilometers above the ground, and the flash from the explosion amounted to 1% of the "power" of the sun. The blast wave circled the globe three times. The charge of the Tsar Bomba, to which a separate chapter of the Guinness Book of Records is dedicated, was 51.5 megatons. For comparison: the largest American hydrogen bomb, which wiped out Bikini Island from the face of the Earth in March 1954, had a yield of “only” 25 megatons.
Some believe that there is an underground city or even an underground metro in Snezhinsk. The most daring take digger underground walks, and for those who like a more traditional holiday, there is a sanatorium not far from the city where you can ski on the slopes of the Cherry Mountains, and in the summer - swim in the lakes and sunbathe.
