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
On the territory of our country there are 23 cities of the closed type. 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 activity of industrial enterprises and military installations in an isolated area is
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 continued to be introduced in the regional cities, which included ZATOs. For example, school number 64 in Sverdlovsk-45 (now Lesnoy).
Visitors were 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 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 in 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 a passport.
Now not all closed cities have fences and checkpoints, in some they are not guarded. It depends on the privacy mode. Sarov, the former Arzamas-16, is under serious protection: rows of barbed wire, a control strip, modern tracking equipment, 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 of Russia worth visiting
Among ZG, Seversk of the Tomsk region stands out - it is the largest of the ZATOs of 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 Desert and Diveevo.
The secret cities of Russia are concentrated mainly in the Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territories and the Moscow Region.
The Penza region is the birthplace of the city of Zarechny with one of the most powerful 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 attractions: 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. Nuclear instrumentation was carried out in Trekhgorny.
Zheleznogorsk and Zelenogorsk are closed cities 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 landfill.
The list of closed cities worth visiting is completed by Krasnoznamensk and Mirny, related to aerospace defense facilities. In Krasnoznamensk, Moscow Region, there is a complex for controlling space flights and military satellites. Mirny Arkhangelsk region is located near the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
Seversk
On the banks of the Tom lies the largest of the cities of ZATO - Seversk. Its foundation is associated with the construction of the Siberian Chemical Combine. 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.
As a result of the 1993 accident at the plant, 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, 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.
While in Seversk, you can visit two theaters, a cultural center, a museum, a zoo and a cinema. Four restaurants cordially 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 the scrutiny of 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 village became closed Arzamas-16 in 1947. The Center 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 throughout the Orthodox world: Diveevo. In 1778, the monastery became the place of obedience to 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, on which it was possible to travel by boat.
Ozersk
Closed city of 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 enterprise produces 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.
November 9, 1945, is considered to be the birthday of Ozersk, 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 km 2, 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
The secret regime in Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk region) was due to the security of the Russian Nuclear Center - the Institute of Technical Physics named after E.I. Zababakhin. The 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 homeland 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 there 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. At the leading enterprise - Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Instrument-Making Plant" - they produce equipment for nuclear power plants, collect 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 Zavyalikhi.
Zheleznogorsk
The city of Zheleznogorsk is a ZATO of the Krasnoyarsk Territory with a population of almost 100 thousand 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 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.
The city of 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: 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 cultural center.
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 and isotopes. After that, additional production of TV sets, monitors under the Green Mount brand, plastic window profiles was opened at the plant.
The place for laying the secret city was the village of Ust-Barga on the Kan River. In 1956 the settlement turned into ZG. Almost 70 thousand people now live in the city. There is a large state district power station "Krasnoyarskaya" 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
The 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 that are unique to it.
The main production enterprise is PO "Start" for the production of ammunition. High-tech instrument-making is engaged in the PPP of the machine-building plant. The scientific center is the Institute, which produces security technical means.
Today Zarechny is a developed industrial area with more than 600 enterprises. The city has a developed transport, social and communal area, and health.
"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 specialists in closed cities developing nuclear weapons for Brazil, Libya, and 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.
The secret cities of Russia today still stand out among the ordinary ones. 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.
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 are periodically organized, the participants and guests of which are people from the “outside world”. Those unfortunate enough to be officially invited enter the closed cities through holes in fences or bypassing secret paths. However, if a violator of the city border is caught, he will be issued an administrative fine and escorted back to the fence by an escort.
In Russia, certain objects are considered the most interesting closed cities. 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 almost untouched natural landscape. The city of Zelenogorsk is also located there, where low-enriched uranium is produced. Residents of Zelenogorsk boast green cityscapes, a cadet corps for boys and girls, and the Museum of Military Glory.
Most of the closed cities are built in the Soviet style of dullness and austerity, but there are still exceptions like Zelenogorsk.
In the Astrakhan region, there is ZATO Znamensk, the administrative and residential center of a military training ground where Soviet ballistic missiles were tested. 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, famous for its Russian Federal Nuclear Center, ski resort and rumors of giant tunnels under the city's surface.
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 the 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 on the maps, they were not in the official statistics either: during the census of the population, the inhabitants of the "mailboxes" were attributed to the large cities, not far 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. In such large ZATOs as Arzamas, Vladivostok, Zelenograd, Krasnoyarsk, Magadan, Omsk, Perm, Kuibyshev (now Samara), Saratov, Sevastopol, Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), Ufa, Chekhov, etc., it was actually possible for an ordinary person to enter , 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 bonus of 20% of their wages, and this applied to 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, which received the usual names instead of digital designations. At the 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" of the Vladimir region, the entrance has long been free, in the village of Bolshoy Kamen there was never a fence, 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 in the 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. In the 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 for a 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 Research Institute of Technical Physics named after academician E. I. Zababakhin" (RFNC - VNIITF). The special regime implies a closed flight zone over the city, restrictions on entry and business activities in ZATOs, as well as the right to own land and real estate.
The city of Zarechny in the 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 "im. 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 of 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 of the 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. Thus, the head of the Agency for Strategic Development of Sevastopol, Alexei Chaly, considered that such a measure would be economically unjustified. In his opinion, the base of the Black Sea Fleet is not able to independently ensure the existence of Sevastopol, and the city needs to attract investment, and its closed status will interfere with this.
These cities were not on the maps. Their residents signed non-disclosure agreements. Before you - the most secret cities of the USSR.
Under the heading "secret"
Soviet ZATOs received their status in connection with the placement there of objects of state importance related to the energy, military or space spheres. It was practically impossible for an ordinary citizen to get there, and not only because of the strictest access control, but also because of the secrecy of the location of the settlement. Residents of closed cities were ordered to keep their place of residence in strict secrecy, and even more so not to disclose information about secret objects.
Such cities were not on the map, they did not have a unique name and most often bore the name of the regional center with the addition of a number, for example, Krasnoyarsk-26 or Penza-19. Unusual in ZATO was the numbering of houses and schools. It began with a large number, continuing the numbering of the settlement to which the inhabitants of the secret city were "assigned".
The population of some ZATOs, due to the proximity of dangerous objects, was included in the risk group. There have also been disasters. Thus, a large leak of radioactive waste that occurred in 1957 in Chelyabinsk-65 endangered the lives of at least 270 thousand people.
However, living in a closed city had its advantages. As a rule, the level of amenities there was noticeably higher than in many cities of the country: this applies to the service sector, social conditions, and everyday life. Such cities were very well supplied, they could get scarce goods, and the crime rate there was practically reduced to zero. For the costs of "secrecy" in addition to the basic salary of the residents of ZATOs, an allowance was charged.
Zagorsk-6 and Zagorsk-7
Sergiev Posad, which until 1991 was called Zagorsk, is known not only for its unique monasteries and temples, but also for closed towns. The Virological Center of the Research Institute of Microbiology was located in Zagorsk-6, and the Central Institute of Physics and Technology of the USSR Ministry of Defense was located in Zagorsk-7.
Behind the official names, the essence is a little lost: in the first, in Soviet times, they were engaged in the development of bacteriological, and in the second, radioactive weapons.
Once in 1959, a group of guests from India brought smallpox to the USSR, and our scientists decided to use this fact for the good of their homeland. In a short time, a bacteriological weapon based on the variola virus was created, and its strain called "India-1" was placed in Zagorsk-6.
Later, endangering themselves and the population, research institute scientists developed deadly weapons based on South American and African viruses. By the way, it was here that tests were carried out with the Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus.
It was difficult to get a job in Zagorsk-6, at least in a “civilian” specialty - an impeccable purity of the biography of the applicant and his relatives was required almost up to the 7th knee. This is not surprising, since there have been many attempts to get at our bacteriological weapons.
The military stores of Zagorsk-7, which were easier to get to, always had a good selection of goods. Residents from neighboring villages noted the striking contrast with the half-empty shelves of local stores. Sometimes they made lists in order to centrally purchase products. But if officially it was not possible to get into the town, then they climbed over the fence.
The status of a closed city was removed from Zagorsk-7 on January 1, 2001, and Zagorsk-6 is closed to this day.
Arzamas-16
After the use of atomic weapons by the Americans, the question arose of the first Soviet atomic bomb. They decided to build a secret facility for its development called KB-11 on the site of the village of Sarov, which later turned into Arzamas-16 (other names are Kremlyov, Arzamas-75, Gorky-130).
The secret city, built on the border of the Gorky region and the Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, was promptly placed on a heightened security regime and surrounded by two rows of barbed wire along the entire perimeter and a control strip laid between them. Until the mid-1950s, everyone lived here in an atmosphere of extreme secrecy. Employees of KB-11, including family members, could not leave the restricted area even during the holidays. An exception was made only for business trips.
Later, when the city grew, residents had the opportunity to travel to the regional center on a specialized bus, and also to host relatives after they received a special pass.
Residents of Arzamas-16, unlike many fellow citizens, learned what real socialism is.
The average salary, which was always paid on time, was about 200 rubles there. The shelves of shops in the closed city were bursting with abundance: a dozen varieties of sausages and cheeses, red and black caviar, and other delicacies. Residents of neighboring Gorky never dreamed of such a thing.
Now the Sarov nuclear center, the former Arzamas-16, is still a closed city.
Sverdlovsk-45
Another "born by order" city was built around plant No. 814, which was engaged in uranium enrichment. At the foot of Mount Shaitan, north of Sverdlovsk, prisoners of the Gulag and, according to some reports, Moscow students, have been working tirelessly for several years.
Sverdlovsk-45 was immediately conceived as a city, and therefore was built very compactly. It was distinguished by orderliness and characteristic "squareness" of buildings: it was impossible to get lost there. “Little Peter,” one of the guests of the city once expressed himself, although to others his spiritual provinciality reminded patriarchal Moscow.
By Soviet standards, they lived very well in Svedlovsk-45, although it was inferior in terms of supply to the same Arzamas-16. There was never a crowd and a stream of cars, and the air was always clean. The inhabitants of the closed city constantly had conflicts with the population of the neighboring Lower Tura, who envied their well-being. It used to be that they would watch for the townspeople leaving through the watch and beat them, solely out of envy.
It is interesting that if one of the residents of Sverdlovsk-45 committed a crime, then there was no way back to the city for him, despite the fact that his family remained in it.
The secret objects of the city often attracted the attention of foreign intelligence. So, in 1960, an American U-2 spy plane was shot down near him, and its pilot was captured.
Svedlovsk-45, now Lesnoy, is now closed to casual visitors.
Peaceful
Mirny, at first a military town in the Arkhangelsk region, was transformed into a closed city in 1966 due to the nearby Plesetsk test cosmodrome. But the level of secrecy in Mirny turned out to be lower than in many other Soviet ZATOs: the city was not surrounded by barbed wire, and documents were checked only on access roads.
Due to relative accessibility, there were many cases when a lost mushroom picker or an illegal immigrant who entered the city for scarce goods suddenly appeared near secret objects. If no malicious intent was noticed in the actions of such people, they were quickly released.
Many residents of Mirny call the Soviet period nothing more than a fairy tale. “A sea of toys, beautiful clothes and shoes,” one of the residents of the city recalls her visits to the Children's World. During the Soviet era, Mirny gained the reputation of the “city of carriages”. The fact is that every summer graduates of military academies came there, and in order to cling to a prosperous place, they quickly got married and had children.
Mirny retains its status as a closed city even now.
How to get to the closed city? The task is difficult, but solvable. We will not use espionage methods or look for a hole in the fence, but only list legal ways.
The first way to get into a closed city is to acquire close relatives there (blood or acquired). In this case, relatives will write an entry request in your name, and after certain checks (up to two months), you will be able to visit the city. With foreign guests, of course, it is more difficult. The state, for obvious reasons, carefully guards its developments. So it will take at least six months to get an entry permit in this case.
The second way is scientific. Scientific conferences are held in closed cities, especially those that belong to the Ministry of Atomic Energy. For example, the famous Kharitonov Readings have been held annually in Sarov for 10 years, in memory of the outstanding scientist Yu.B. Khariton. There is an adult and children's program. Those scientists who deal with problems related to the activities of the Sarov nuclear center participate in the adult. Usually these people also have information of a certain degree of secrecy and "belong to the clan." Gifted schoolchildren from any Russian city can come to school readings, strictly without parents, but with a supervisor. So most often one leader carries a group of children at once. Children's readings are held in many disciplines: biology, computer science, literature, mathematics, physics, chemistry, etc. Passes for scientific, sports and cultural events (see below) are issued on average two months in advance.
The next way to the closed space is cultural. Many closed cities hold various music and theater festivals ranging from hard rock and rattling rap to classic folklore chants. Most often, competitions are held either between the "natoshny", for example, such as the All-Russian competition of theaters ZATO "Territory of culture of the nuclear industry", or participants in the competitions from neighboring cities and towns come to the city. But if I contact the organizers in time and promise to weaken something really worthwhile, I can miss the participants who arrived from distant places.
All closed cities are for a healthy lifestyle. Their personnel are indispensable and valuable, so they must live long and not get sick. In this regard, children's and adult tournaments and competitions in numerous sports are regularly held, depending on what kind of sports facilities the city or village has. For example, in the city of Seversk in the Tomsk region, you can come with a team to play basketball, volleyball and hockey, or take part in the Ozersk City Cup in races on radio-controlled yachts. Information about sporting events can usually be found on the ZATO websites, where the contacts of the organizers will also be available.
If you are an outstanding singer, musician or actor, you can come to the closed city with a concert. Of course, the organizers here are not too agile and will not pull expensive stars, and they will doubt the commercial success of the immature ones. But a keen desire to cultivate the nasty inhabitants is able to overcome all sorts of obstacles.
Open, that is, settlements closed during the Soviet period, were not something surprising for Russia. Back in the 18th-19th centuries, there were closed Cossack settlements, cities built on the occupied territories to control the local population and collect taxes, and border fortress cities.
Representatives of the media are allowed into ZATOs without much desire, but in case of urgent need. Just like that - hardly. But if there is a serious reason, an event, or major officials have arrived, then they will allow it. Again, you need to order a pass in advance, and no “we have deadlines for submitting material are on fire” will speed things up.
Recently, secondary and higher educational institutions in ZATO have begun to accept nonresident applicants. According to teachers, visitors often study much better and harder than local children. Many schools and universities in the backwater cities are unique in their kind, because they provide specialized education related to the peculiarities of the city, which, with good study, actually guarantees further work at the enterprise. In Seversk, you can enter the Seversk State Technological Academy, in Sarov you can conquer the Sarov Institute of Physics and Technology, in Ozersk you can graduate from the Ozersk Institute of Technology, as well as branches of the MEPhI and SUSU.
The last option is to be Artemy Lebedev, who has already visited the closed Sarov, Seversk and Zheleznogorsk. How he did it, science is still unknown ...
