Secret ZATOs, which are closed territorial-administrative formations, trace their history back to the post-war days of the "cold confrontation" between the USSR and Western countries. Today, the closed cities of Russia are located in 44 ZATOs under the protection of military patrols. Some of them turned half a century old, but they stopped being invisible not so long ago - in 1992. Prominent cities have a rich heritage and a fascinating history. About this and much more - in the article.
Secret Cities of Russia
There are 23 closed cities on the territory of our country. 10 of them belong to the "atomic" (Rosatom), 13 - to the Ministry of Defense, which is in charge of 32 ZATOs with settlements. Closed formations of an administrative type are under a special protection regime. The activities of industrial enterprises and military installations in an isolated area are a state secret.
Cities of the closed type (ZG) 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 continuedintroduced in the regional cities, which included ZATOs. For example, school number 64 in Sverdlovsk-45 (now Lesnoy).
The visitors were being screened at the checkpoint. A one-time pass, a travel order gave the right to enter. Persons registered in a closed city or village had permanent passes. It was obligatory to give a non-disclosure agreement, its violation could even lead to criminal liability.
Privileges for residents of ZG
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 the rest of the citizens of the country. Everyone, regardless of the field of activity, was charged a 20% salary supplement. The social sphere, medicine, and education were well developed.
Many secret cities of Russia are still surrounded by rows of walls with barbed wire. The right to enter can be obtained if a local resident applies for a permit for a relative, but the relationship must be proven. You can get to sporting events in some ZATOs with your 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, control strip, modern tracking equipment, vehicle inspection.
The total population of ZATOs is more than a million people. Almost every 100th citizen of the Russian Federation lives in a closed city or village.
15 secret Russian cities wherevisit
Seversk of the Tomsk region stands out among the ZGs - it is the largest of the ZATOs of the atomic heritage. A 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 Hermitage and Diveevo.
The secret cities of Russia are concentrated mainly in the Ural region, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory and Moscow region.
Penza region is the birthplace of the city of Zarechny with one of the most powerful complexes of Rosatom for the production of elements of nuclear weapons. In the Sverdlovsk region, on the banks of the Tura, in picturesque places, stands the city of Lesnoy, where a plant for the disposal and assembly of ammunition is located. Novouralsk is known for its sights: 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, and nuclear materials were stored and processed in Ozersk. Nuclear instrumentation was carried out in Trekhgorny.
Zheleznogorsk and Zelenogorsk are closed cities in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Zheleznogorsk is known for plutonium production, while Zelenogorsk specializes in uranium enrichment and isotope production.
ZG Ministry of Defense
Among the "military" ZG, you should definitely visit Polyarny with the unique nature of the Kola Peninsula, Fokino - the main base of the fleet after Vladivostok. Znamensk of the Astrakhan region is unique, the only city among the villages belonging to the missile forces. It contains a polygon.
List of closed cities thatworth a visit, complete Krasnoznamensk and Mirny, related to the objects of aerospace defense. In Krasnoznamensk, Moscow Region, there is a complex for controlling space flights and military satellites. Mirny of the Arkhangelsk region is located near the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
Seversk
Seversk, the largest of the ZATO cities, is located on the banks of the Tom. Its foundation is associated with the construction of the Siberian Chemical Plant. The starting point of the history of the enterprise is March 1949: a decision was made to build a complex for the production of uranium and plutonium. The Siberian NPP is also located here, which occupies the 2nd place in Russia.
The 1993 accident at the plant exposed almost 2,000 people.
Seversk is the sports center of the region: 6 children's and youth sports schools, a hockey and football club, a figure skating group. Several future Olympic champions were brought up in city sports schools. The city is distinguished by a developed education system: 21 general educational institutions, a college and an institute.
Being 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, dates back to 1706. While still a settlement in the Nizhny Novgorod region, in 1946 it came under close scrutiny by statesmen 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 settlement 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 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 population of the city is almost 90 thousand people. A museum functions in memory of the achievements. In it you can see copies of equipment, nuclear weapons and the Tsar bomb that Khrushchev threatened America with.
Sarov is a closed city that impresses with its uniqueness. Next to the achievements of nuclear scientists, there is a shrine known to the whole Orthodox world: Diveevo, Sarovskaya Pustyn. In 1778 the monastery became the place of obedience for St. Seraphim of Sarov. Under the desert 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, through which it was possible to travel by boat.
Ozersk
Closed city of the Chelyabinsk region, one of the pioneers of the nuclear industry, where the plutonium charge for atomic bombs was created. Its secret status is due to the city-forming Mayak Production Association. The enterprise carries outproduction of radioactive isotopes. The city is located among picturesque places, four lakes, so it is no coincidence that ZATO was renamed from Chelyabinsk-65 to Ozersk. Let's dive into its history for a moment.
Ozersk's birthday is considered to be November 9, 1945, when the construction team arrived in area No. 11, so the construction of a plant for plutonium processing and two settlements began. The work was carried out within the framework of a classified project (Program No. 1). The first builders were settled in hangars for the subsidiary farming of local residents. The work was complicated by the lack of food, the absence 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 State Chemical Plant named after Mendeleev (the future Mayak). The settlement received the status of a city with the official name Chelyabinsk-40. In 1966, number 40 changed to 65. For the old-timers, the city of Ozersk remained the same - Sorokovka.
The territory of modern Ozersk is more than 200 km2, and the population is more than 85 thousand people. The city has a developed diversified industry, in which 750 enterprises are involved.
The relatively young city of Ozersk is rich in historical and cultural monuments: sculptures, palaces, two ensembles of squares, squares. More than 50 masterpieces belong to architectural monuments.
History of Snezhinsk and Trekhgorny
Secret mode in Snezhinsk (Chelyabinskregion) was due to the safety of the Russian Nuclear Center - Institute of Technical Physics named after E. I. Zababakhin. The settlement of Chelyabinsk-70 received a new name in 1991, and after 2 years - city status. Now about 50 thousand people live in Science City.
Snezhinsk is a closed city with a rich past, the birthplace of the hydrogen bomb, where Baker, the US Secretary of State, visited in 1992. A cozy town with clean green streets keeps many secrets. In Snezhinsk, you can see a lot of various 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. For lovers of extreme sports, digger underground walks are organized.
Among the mountain slopes near the city is a sanatorium. At the base you can rent skis and “fly” along the slopes of the Cherry Mountains. Several Snezhinsky lakes give the opportunity to swim and sunbathe on hot summer days.
Trekhgorny
ZATO Trekhgorny under Soviet rule was listed as Zlatoust-36. Nearly 35,000 people now live in Trekhgorny. The leading enterprise, FSUE Instrument-Making Plant, manufactures equipment for nuclear power plants and collects ammunition.
Not far from ZATO is the South Ural Reserve. It is rich in unique flora and fauna. Tourism and sports are developing in Trekhgorny thanks to the existing ski complex on the mountain slopes of Zavyalikha.
Zheleznogorsk
The city of Zheleznogorsk is a ZATO in the Krasnoyarsk Territory with a population of almost 100,000 people. The secret status is associated with the Combine of Mining Chemistry (GKH) operating in it, which produces plutonium-239, and OJSC Information Satellite Systems, which manufactures satellites.
ZG's birthday is February 26, 1950, when the resolution on complex No. 815 for plutonium production was issued. Prisoners took part in the construction of the secret plant, the closed city and the railway. Four years later, the village received city status. The name "Zheleznogorsk" was then secret, and the official name was Krasnoyarsk-26. The 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. Underground tunnels for the production and transport tasks of the plant are comparable in scale to the metro system in Moscow and will withstand a nuclear bombardment. The height of the halls underground reaches 55 m.
Zheleznogorsk is located on the banks of the river Kantat. These are the most beautiful places - the coast of the Yenisei, the Kurya River, the Kantat Gorge. The secret "Atomgrad" itself is in harmony with natural landscapes. From a great height, a picture opens up: in the middle of forests, residential areas with an abundance of green spaces.
There are 15 historical monuments in Zheleznogorsk: memorials, steles, obelisks, architectural compositions. Cultural life is in full swing: there are 3 museums, 6 theaters. There is a zoo, a cinema complex, a palace and a houseculture.
History of Zelenogorsk
ZG, formerly called Zaozerny-13, Krasnoyarsk-45, received a secret status thanks to the Electrochemical Plant for the production of enriched uranium, isotopes. After the collapse of the USSR, additional production of TVs, monitors under the Green Mount brand, plastic window profiles was opened at the plant.
The village of Ust-Barga on the Kan River became the place for laying the secret city. In 1956 the settlement turned into ZG. Almost 70 thousand people now live in the city. There is a large Krasnoyarskaya GRES and a construction department that works throughout Siberia.
Zelenogorsk differs from a typical Soviet town with beautiful houses with lawns, wide avenues, and numerous squares. There are two museums in the city: "military glory" and "exhibition center". You can visit the church of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Not so 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 leading its history since 1954. The site for the construction of Zarechny was a swampy dense forest. The city was created on an individual project. Each neighborhood is now separated by green spaces. The features of any area are the configuration, architecture, compositions peculiar only to it.
The main production enterprise is the PO "Start" for the production of ammunition. PPZ is engaged in science-intensive instrumentationengineering plant. The scientific center is the Institute that produces security technical equipment.
Today Zarechny is a developed industrial region with more than 600 enterprises.
Invisible Cities today
The collapse of the USSR put the closed cities of Russia not just in difficult conditions, but on the verge of extinction. R&D funding was cut off with falling demand, and the privileges accorded to secret facilities were no longer there. A decline in production, driven by a narrow production profile, was inevitable. People with high qualifications began to receive "penny" at best, at worst they were left without work.
The market dictated its terms. The presence of orders for mass products 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 were "sitting" without work in ZATOs. The unique potential of the intellectual elite, scientists, designers turned out to be unclaimed.
There was an acute problem of "brain drain", which did not go unnoticed. There is US intelligence data on former closed cities specialists developing nuclear weapons for Brazil, Libya, Iran.
A more significant problem was the "retention" of personnel to prevent possible disasters, the preservation of technology. In 1998, tax incentives were introduced for businesses in ZATOs. New firms created jobs. Since 2000, benefits have been partially canceled, and in 2004 they stopped completely.
Secret cities of Russia today still stand out from the ordinary. The sphere of culture, medicine, education are developed. Clean streets, immersed in greenery and flower beds, architectural ensembles. High-class specialists still work here: nuclear scientists, engineers, designers. They know how to work with ultra-modern technologies, but, unfortunately, most of them are not engaged in scientific work. So, without the support of the state and big business, the unique potential of closed cities is leaking drop by drop.
