Declassified cities. Ghost towns: the fate of closed cities in the USSR and modern Russia (11 photos)
ZATO - a city or district in which strategic military enterprises, military installations are located, where a special regime for the protection of state secrets is established. The first closed cities began to appear in connection with the creation of the Soviet atomic bomb in 1946-1953. In those days, the cities in which employees of such enterprises lived were strictly classified, and it was almost impossible for an outsider to get into them. Moreover, an ordinary resident of the USSR knew about their existence only by rumors: they were not on the maps, and all residents of the cities gave a subscription, according to which one could be held criminally liable for disclosing their place of residence.
Life in a mailbox
Residents of closed cities were supposed to answer questions about their place of residence within the framework of the legend. For example, if a person lived in Chelyabinsk-70 (now Snezhinsk), he had to say that he was from Chelyabinsk. Sometimes such cities were called "post boxes" by analogy with the enterprises located in them, which did not have a specific address, but only the number of the mail box, to which all correspondence was sent. Closed cities were not only absent from the maps, they were not in the official statistics either: during the census, the inhabitants of the "mailboxes" were attributed to big cities from which they were located. For the purposes of conspiracy, ZATOs were most often called the same as the areas in which they were located: Chelyabinsk-40, Tomsk-7, Krasnoyarsk-26, Salsk-7, etc.
The degree of "closedness" of cities varied depending on their size and status. Enter such large ZATOs as Arzamas, Vladivostok, Zelenograd, Krasnoyarsk, Magadan, Omsk, Perm, Kuibyshev (now Samara), Saratov, Sevastopol, Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), Ufa, Chekhov, etc. ordinary person in fact it was possible, but at the entrance he was still waiting for a check of documents.
Sweet Closed Life
Closed cities were a closed world, and life in them had both minuses and pluses. So, they had a better supply of food: the stores had goods that were considered in short supply in other cities. In addition, the population of closed cities usually received a surcharge of 20% of wages, and this concerned all residents of ZATOs, and not just employees of defense enterprises and military personnel. In addition, closed cities generally had better service industries, and because entry into cities was restricted, crime rates were lower than the national average.
ZATO today
After the collapse of the USSR, closed cities ceased to be secret, but it turned out to be impossible to completely “open” all of them: strategic enterprises continued to function and required increased security measures. As a result, the law of 1992 approved a list of ZATOs that received instead digital notation names familiar today. On the this moment There are 44 ZATOs in Russia, in which, according to the 2010 census, more than 1.2 million people live.
In relation to modern ZATOs, the same rules continue to apply as in Soviet times: you can get into them only with a pass. They are issued on a permissive basis, not on a notification basis. That is, you can get into the city only by indicating the reason why such a visit is necessary. Visiting ZATOs is simplified for relatives of residents of closed cities, but does not apply to their friends and acquaintances.
Holes in the fence and holidays
Getting into many closed cities after the collapse of the USSR became much easier. For example, many of them began to host events during which anyone can visit the city. For example, an athletics race in Star City. It is also worth noting that many closed cities in fact have not been closed for a long time. For example, at the checkpoint ZATO "Raduzhny" Vladimir region entrance has been free for a long time, there has never been a fence in the village of Bolshoy Kamen, and in 2012 the checkpoint at the entrance to the city was abolished. In Krasnoznamensk, documents are still being checked at the entrance to the city, but at the same time, there are many holes in the fence around the city through which hiking trails are laid.
5 active ZATOs of Russia
But one should not think that such a situation has developed in all Russian closed cities.
The city of Sarov Nizhny Novgorod region holds the record for changing names. It received its name in 1706, in 1946 it was renamed Arzamas-16, since 1991 it was called the Kremlin, and in 1995 it again received its original name. AT Russian Empire the city was widely known for the monastery located here, in which the Orthodox saint Seraphim of Sarov lived. In 1946, a design bureau under the code name "KB-11" was located in Sarov, which was engaged in the development of an atomic bomb. You can enter the city only with a special pass. According to the census, about 88 thousand people live in the city.
ZATO Zheleznogorsk in the Krasnoyarsk Territory has a population of 93,680 people and received its status because of the defense, nuclear and space industries located here. In addition to the city itself, ZATO also includes the villages of Podgorny, Tartat and three villages - Dodonovo, Novy Put and Shivera. ZATO is surrounded by a fence, and access to the city is carried out with special passes through the checkpoint.
Snezhinsk is a city in the Chelyabinsk region, which long time was called Chelyabinsk-70. ZATO received the status of a city on July 8, 1993, however, a special regime continues to be provided in the city in connection with the location of the Federal State unitary enterprise"Russian Federal Nuclear Center - All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics named after Academician E.I. Zababakhin" (RFNC - VNIITF). special regime implies a closed flight zone over the city, restrictions on entry and entrepreneurial activity in ZATOs, as well as the right to own land and real estate.
Zarechny city in Penza region has a population of 64 thousand people, and the main enterprises are the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Federal Research and Production Center “PO “Start” named after. M. V. Protsenko” and the Research and Design Institute of Radioelectronic Engineering (NIKIRET). At the moment, you can still enter the city only with passes.
On the site of the city of Seversk in the Tomsk region in 1933, the Chekist youth labor commune was created, later renamed into corrective labor colony No. 1. In 1949, a plant for the production of highly enriched uranium-235 and closed. The people called it "5th Postal", because the construction of the plant was called "mailbox number 5". Currently, the city is surrounded by a fence with barbed wire. Access to the territory is through a checkpoint. Three more checkpoints are located within the city for access to the embankment of the Tom River. The population of Seversk is 108 thousand people.
Sevastopol, which became part of Russia along with Crimea, is a city federal significance. There is an ice-free port, an industrial, scientific, technical, cultural and historical center. Also in Sevastopol is the main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet Russian Federation. The population of the city at the moment is 343 thousand people.
In 1916, after the explosion of the battleship "Empress Maria" in the Sevastopol Bay, the city received the status of a closed one: foreigners could no longer enter its territory. After the October Revolution, the ban was lifted, but in 1939 it was closed again. Until 1992, Sevastopol was a city that was not easy to get into: there were special posts at the main entrances to the city, and people were allowed into it with passes.
The initiative to assign a closed status to the city caused a controversial reaction from Sevastopol residents. Someone considered this idea good, and someone spoke out against it. Yes, the head of the Agency strategic development Sevastopol, Alexei Chaly considered that such a measure would be economically unjustified. According to him, the base Black Sea Fleet is unable to independently ensure the existence of Sevastopol, and the city needs to attract investment, and its closed status will interfere with this.
Today on the territory of the Russian Federation there are more than 40 closed territorial-administrative entities, also referred to as ZATOs. All of them are surrounded by rows of barbed wire and guarded by military patrols. The data of the city belong to the Ministry of Defense, Roscosmos and Rosatom. In order to get into the territory of closed cities in Russia, you need to get a special pass. The easiest way to obtain such a document is for those who have relatives living in the ZATO territory. Those who got a job in such a city or found 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 are simply trying to find a hole in the fence to get into the city. We will warn you right away: illegal entry into the territory closed city may result in administrative liability and immediate expulsion. We have prepared for you a list of closed Russian cities that you should definitely visit. Well, or at least try to do it.
Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory
Other names of this settlement are 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 object located in this place is Information Satellite Systems OJSC, which, as the name implies, produces satellites. During the construction of the city, the specialists who worked on its project adhered to the concept of the 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 worked until recently. In addition to producing plutonium, he 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
At times Soviet Union the status of a closed city attracted foreign intelligence agents to this settlement. However, vigilant locals figured them out almost instantly. Especially popular among the population of Zheleznogorsk is a tale about their own fellow countryman. In the eighties of the last century, one of the workers of the plant managed to carry a small amount of plutonium through the checkpoint. The man kept the radioactive metal at home in the most ordinary glass jar. Later, when the thief was "spotted" with the help of special equipment, he began to make excuses that he just wanted to poison his beloved mother-in-law. As a result of a forensic medical examination, an 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 in the days of tsarist Russia there was a road called the sovereign, towards White Sea. According to the legends, it was along this road that Mikhailo Lomonosov followed the convoy to Moscow. However, there are no memorable 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 various 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 fact that the first Soviet navigation spacecraft was launched, the Cosmos-1000 obelisk was installed in the city, and when the Cosmos-2000 satellite was launched into orbit, another monument appeared on the territory of the settlement. locals By the way, they 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 that starts at the last turn of the neighboring village called Plesetsk. However, those who are here for the first time should check the topography with the locals and, of course, be prepared to meet with the military patrolling the area.
Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory
This closed city of Russia, also called Zaozerny-13 and Krasnoyarsk-45, received its special status due to the fact that on its territory there is an open joint-stock company under the name "Production Association "Electrochemical Plant". The specialists of 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 in its course the village was wiped off the face of the earth. Speaking about the sights of Zelenogorsk, it should be noted that there is a Museum of Military Glory, 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 taught here deserves special attention. There is little entertainment in Zelenogorsk: locals can relax on the banks of the river or go to the only nightclub in the city. Visitors to the city may surprise him appearance: the fact is that Zelenogorsk is completely different from typical cities Soviet era. There are fairly wide avenues, numerous squares, 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 but 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 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 Desert. Under 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?
Speaking about how to visit this secret closed city of Russia, experts advise using religious motives. In 2006, on the territory of Sarov, the work began again monastery, which regularly organize tours of pilgrims. However, atheists also have the opportunity to visit this settlement: the fact is that there is a Museum of Nuclear Weapons on its territory. The main exhibit that attracts visitors here is the tsar bomb. Yes, yes, this is the same “kuzkina mother” that Khrushchev once threatened to show 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 can be called the fact 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 in order to test Soviet ballistic missiles here, of course, combat ones. 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 the closed cities on the map of Russia, you should submit a request to be included in the tour group.
Dezik, Gypsy and Vasily Voznyuk
The first head of the training ground was Major General Vasily Voznyuk. He entered the service in the 46th year of the last century. By the way, local residents still remember him well, his portraits adorn the offices of the local administration and the Cosmonautics Museum located in the city. By the way, it was from the city of Znamensk that the very first space dogs went into flight. And it was far from Belka and Strelka! From here, Dezik and Gypsy went to 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 military equipment: there are various rocket launchers and radars.
Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk region
Speaking about the closed nuclear cities of Russia, one cannot but mention Sverdlovsk-45, known as the city of Lesnoy. On its territory there is the Electrokhimpribor Combine, which collects and recycles nuclear bombs. In addition, the Plant's specialists produce uranium isotopes. Appearance this city on the map of Russia - the merit of the prisoners of the Gulag. More than twenty thousand prisoners worked on the construction of a secret facility! The work was supervised by the best specialists, however, there were some tragic incidents during the construction of Lesnoy. Several dozen people died during the blasting. They were not buried properly, their bodies are in mass graves.
As for the appearance of Lesnoy, it is incredibly similar to other ZATOs. Monument to Lenin, Yuri Gagarin Square, 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 the historical and ecological museums.
Novouralsk, Sverdlovsk region
The list of closed cities in Russia also includes Sverdlovsk-44, better known to the townsfolk as Novouralsk. On its territory is the Ural Electrochemical Plant, which produces highly enriched uranium. Particularly desperate make their way to the city through the forest, located near the village called Belorechka. However, it is very easy for a person who has not been to these places to get lost, therefore extreme seekers are looking for guides. In the very heart of Novouralsk there is a museum of local lore, there is also an operetta theater in the city. Artists for the latter, by the way, are brought up by a local music school.
natural monuments
Why is this closed city of Russia so interesting? The list of natural monuments that abound in its surroundings is amazing. For example, here is the Hanging Stone Rock and Mount Seven Brothers. 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 sorcerers who prevented the conquest of these places. According to another version, the mountain is all that remains of the seven gold-digger brothers, who guarded their prey throughout the whole 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 powers but out of ordinary fear.
Obolensk, Moscow region
What closed cities of Russia have lost their status? There are dozens of them on the list. Perhaps a special place in the list is occupied by Obolensk near Moscow. During the Soviet Union, it was not marked on the 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 with 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 “ 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 engaged in this. All of them were part of an association called "Biopreparat", there is evidence that about forty thousand specialists worked in this scientific and production association.
ZATO, or closed territorial-administrative formations, are located in Russia in the amount of 42 objects. It is impossible to enter their territory without a special permit - usually it is issued to those who have close relatives in a closed city. Also, a pass can be obtained by people who got a job in it or married one of the local residents / residents.
The reason for the closeness of such cities is that on their territory there are objects of secret importance and important industrial enterprises.
You can get into closed cities not only with a pass. In some ZATOs, sports and cultural events, whose participants and guests are people from " outside world". Those unfortunate enough to be officially invited enter the closed cities through holes in fences or bypassing secret paths. However, if the violator of the city border is caught, he will be issued administrative penalty and escorted by convoy back to the fence.
In Russia, the most interesting closed cities are certain objects. Thus, Zheleznogorsk in the Krasnoyarsk Territory is known for its facilities for the production of weapons-grade plutonium and satellite systems, as well as for its virtually untouched natural landscape. The city of Zelenogorsk is also located there, where low-enriched uranium is produced. Residents of Zelenogorsk can boast of green city landscapes, cadet corps for boys and girls, as well as the Museum of Military Glory.
Most of the closed cities are built in the Soviet style of grayness and austerity, but there are still exceptions like Zelenogorsk.
AT Astrakhan region ZATO Znamensk is located - the administrative and residential center of a military training ground, where Soviet ballistic missiles. It is often visited by excursions of schoolchildren and students from neighboring settlements. In the Sverdlovsk region, you can visit the city of Lesnoy, where there are ecological and historical museums. Arkhangelsk is known for its ZATO Mirny, on the territory of which the first state spaceport is located. And finally, in the Chelyabinsk region is the city of Snezhinsk, known for its Russian Federal Nuclear Center, ski resort and rumors of gigantic tunnels beneath the city's surface.
Closed administrative-territorial formations (ZATOs) began to appear in our country while working on the creation nuclear weapons in 1946-1953. In Soviet times, they were strictly classified. They did not exist on the maps, it was impossible to talk about them (the residents signed a non-disclosure agreement). Letters for ZATO residents came to the mailbox. For conspiracy, closed cities were considered microdistricts regional centers(called, for example, Chelyabinsk-40, Sverdlovsk-45). Along the perimeter such settlements surrounded by fences with barbed wire and guards, you can get inside only through the checkpoint.
AT Soviet time the inhabitants of the bans lived quite freely. There was no such deficit as in the whole country. But in which case there were problems with power structures.
The list of closed cities became known after the collapse of the USSR, it was approved by a separate law adopted in 1992 and changed several times. At the same time, the "mailboxes" had their own names.
Now closed cities have appeared on the maps, but they can still only be entered with passes. Most ZATO residents like to live behind barbed wire and every time they get home through security posts, after inspection. The advantages include the absence of strangers and low level crime.
Russian ZATOs have different departmental affiliations: some belong to Rosatom, others to the Ministry of Defense, and others to Roskosmos.
There are currently 44 closed cities in Russia.
According to statistics, almost every hundredth inhabitant of Russia lives in ZATOs (ordinary military camps do not belong to ZATOs).
Now about each closed city of the Urals in more detail.
Closed cities of the Sverdlovsk region
Lesnoy (Sverdlovsk-45)
Year of foundation - 1947.
The population is 50 thousand people.
Specialization - disposal, assembly of nuclear weapons, production of stable isotopes. Subordinate to Rosatom.
It was created as Plant No. 418 (or Base No. 9) for electromagnetic isotope separation. It was built by prisoners of the Gulag. Started work in 1950. In 1951, the construction of the second plant in the USSR for the mass production of atomic bombs with a capacity of 60 units per year (plant No. 418) began here.
Modern name(city of Lesnoy) received in 1994. Now main plant Lesnoy is called the Elektrokhimpribor plant. Of the ZATOs of the Sverdlovsk region, it is guarded most strictly: several fences nearby, towers with guards, well-equipped checkpoints.
Novouralsk (Sverdlovsk-44)
Year of foundation - 1941.
The population is 83 thousand people.
Specialization - separation production of uranium isotopes. Subordinate to Rosatom.
It began in 1941 with a light alloy plant. In 1946, construction began on "Combine No. 813" for the production of highly enriched uranium. The highly enriched uranium produced here was used to create the first Soviet uranium atomic bomb. Now the leading enterprise of the closed city is called the Ural Electrochemical Combine.
Rosatom is considering the opening of the city of Novouralsk.
Svobodny Settlement (Nizhny Tagil-39)
Year of foundation - 1960.
The population is 8 thousand people.
The 42nd Tagil Missile Division of the Strategic Missile Forces is located here.
Uralsky settlement (Kosulino-1)
Year of foundation - 1960.
The population is 2.4 thousand people.
Here is the 21st arsenal. The current name was given in 1994.
Closed cities of the Chelyabinsk region
Ozersk (Chelyabinsk-65, formerly Chelyabinsk-40)
Year of foundation - 1945.
The population is 80.5 thousand people.
Specialization - storage and processing of spent nuclear fuel, production and processing nuclear materials military purpose. Subordinate to Rosatom.
Ozersk is considered the firstborn of the country's nuclear industry, since the plutonium charge for the atomic bomb was created here. Created by I.V. Kurchatov. The enterprise is PA "Mayak".
On September 29, 1957, a tank with high-level waste exploded at the Mayak plant. As a result, a significant area turned out to be contaminated, which was called the East Ural radioactive trace (EURS). At the head of the trail, the East Ural Radiation Reserve was established.
The name is given for the abundance around the lakes. Ozersk received city status in 1954. Since 1994, it has been officially listed with a declassified name, which it received in 1954 (minutes of the Presidium of the RSFSR Supreme Council dated March 17, 1954).
Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk-50, Chelyabinsk-70)
Year of foundation - 1957.
The population is 49 thousand people.
Specialization - the development of nuclear weapons. Subordinate to Rosatom.
Of all the ten cities of Rosatom, Snezhinsk is considered the most beautiful due to its lakes and picturesque views. Originated on the shores of Lake Sinara.
The enterprise "Russian Federal Nuclear Center - All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics named after academician E.I. Zababakhin"
Trekhgorny (Zlatoust-20, Zlatoust-36)
Year of foundation - 1952.
The population is 33 thousand people.
Specialization - development of instruments and systems for nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons. Subordinate to Rosatom.
It originated in 1952 from plant No. 933 for the production of atomic bombs. First aviation atomic bombs made here in 1955. Now this enterprise "Instrument-Making Plant" produces devices for nuclear power plants.
In 1993, Zlatoust-36 was named the city of Trekhgorny.
Settlement Lokomotivny (formerly Solnechny, Kartaly-6)
Year of foundation - 1965.
The population is 8.5 thousand people.
The 59th Kartalinsky division of the Strategic Missile Forces, disbanded in 2005, was stationed here. The current name of the village was given in 1992.
Closed cities of the Perm region
Settlement Zvezdny (Perm-76)
Year of foundation - 1961.
The population is 9 thousand people.
The 52nd Tarnopol-Berlin missile division of the Strategic Missile Forces, created on the basis of the Bershetsky military camp, was located here. Refers to the Ministry of Defense.
On December 2, 2002, the 52nd Missile Division was reduced, and on its basis, the 1328th base for reloading and storing elements of the BZHRK (combat railway missile systems) Strategic Missile Forces. There is a museum of the division. The village has now been opened.
Closed cities of the Republic of Bashkortostan
Mezhgorye (Beloretsk-15, Beloretsk-16)
Year of foundation - 1979.
The population is 16 thousand people.
The closed city of Mezhgorye consists of two parts, 20 kilometers apart. The 9th TSUMO, the 129th Department of Orders and Logistics of Special Objects (Mezhgorye-1) and the 1110th OUESO (Beloretsk-16) are located here. It is believed that here, on the territory of the South Ural Reserve, in Mount Yamantau, a bunker for the state elite was built.
Closed cities of the Orenburg region
Komarovsky village (Dombarovsky-3)
The population is 9.6 thousand people.
The 13th Red Banner Missile Division of the Strategic Missile Forces is located in the village. Refers to the Ministry of Defense.
The village is named after cosmonaut V.M. Komarov, who tragically died on the territory of the Orenburg region.