6 January 2023 - COLD WAR FORTRESS BENEATH MOSCOW

 

COLD WAR FORTRESS 

BENEATH MOSCOW

G'day folks,

Dr. Strangelove-esque tours reveal the inside a bunker once reserved for Stalin himself. 

There’s an amazing tunnel system snaking beneath the streets of Moscow, leading to a secret cold war fortress once code named “Bunker-42.”

Designed and built after the first series of nuclear tests by the Soviet Union, these tests revealed that the optimum depth for the bunker’s silo must be no higher than 165 feet beneath ground in order to survive nuclear fallout intact. The task for the builders was enormous: construct a gigantic structure beneath the city streets without damaging Moscow’s existing infrastructure of streets and communication pathways. To do so would alert the public and innumerable unknown spies to the existence of the bunker, thereby rendering the entire (read: top-secret) thing useless. 

 

Strategically located inside a hill in the Tagansky district due to its proximity to the Kremlin, allowing quick access to the bunker for Stalin and the premier tier of government officials within the USSR, Bunker-42 wasn’t completed until 1956 and was thankfully never put into use in its full capacity. Rather, it spent the subsequent three decades as an airstrike command base, communicating with aircraft transporting strategic bombers carrying nuclear weapons until the political climate began to shift in 1986.

 

Today, the space exists as a historical monument that is equal parts museum to what life was like on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War era and tour of the previously top-secret bunker itself, bringing visitors below ground to a time when the world lived on the constant brink of nuclear annihilation. A variety of tour packages are available at all hours of the day, catering to a range of ages, some of which focus more on the historical aspects of the space, while other take a nearly comic angle on the tangible threat of nuclear annihilation for all humankind. 

1 January 2023 - NUCLEAR BUNKER MUSEUM - PRAGUE

 

NUCLEAR BUNKER 

MUSEUM 

- PRAGUE -

G'day folks,

Buried five stories underground, this Soviet bunker is packed with gas masks and Cold War paraphernalia.  

Behind an unassuming graffitied wall is an old Soviet bunker which today evokes the paranoia and violence of the Cold War years.

A civilian bunker lies buried five stories beneath Prague’s decrepit Parukarka hill, a product of the fear of nuclear armageddon that penetrated the masses during the Cold War. Though both sides of the Iron curtain became obsessed with preparing for the possibility of a nuclear war, such bunkers were constructed with more frequency in the Eastern Bloc, as communist economies fully focused their resources on defense and army structures.

 

This bunker was not designed to house its inhabitants for decades, or even for years. Studies at the time found that there were many psychological risks associated with keeping people within the bunkers for extended periods of time, such as suicide and mass panic. So instead, the civilian bunker in Parukarka park was meant to save civilians from immediate death in face of nuclear explosions, and the idea was that they would evacuate to the countryside soon thereafter.

Today, you can explore the remnants of Soviet era paranoia on a two-hour-long guided tour, which takes you through some of the communist spots in Prague’s Old Town and ends in the nuclear bunker. The museum within the bunker serves as a snapshot of Soviet life, and in addition to the requisite dozens of gas masks, contains books, newspapers and photographs from the time.

 

14 October 2022 - OLD BUNKER HIDDEN BENEATH PARK in SPAIN

 

OLD BUNKER HIDDEN

 BENEATH PARK 

- SPAIN -

G'day folks,

A subterranean relic of the Spanish Civil War hides below this picturesque park. 

A relic from the Spanish Civil War hides in this picturesque Spanish park. There, among the postcard-perfect statues and greenery, is an old bunker buried beneath a thick layer of dirt and grass.

Known as Posición Jaca, the bunker was used by the Republican forces to defend Madrid from Nationalists. If attacked, high-ranking Republicans could seek refuge in the secure subterranean space. Covered beneath feet of soil and confined within the sturdy walls, they’d remain safe from bombs beating the surface above them.

 

Two hundred people could spend months hunkered down in the bunker, which was surprisingly spacious and equipped with toilets, offices, and electricity. Chimneys poking out of the earth provided ventilation and air circulation, and a communications system would keep the refugees in touch with the outer world.

 

The park the bunker is in was built between 1789 and 1839 by Duchess of Osuna María Josefa Pimentel, back when the area was part of her estate at Alameda de Osuna, outside the capital, as a lovely garden to host high society parties. During the French Invasion of 1808, the property was handed over to General Agustin Belliard to be used by his troops, but as they retreated the Duchess claimed it back. After her death, the place was administered by her grandson and later his brother, who continued hosting parties, even holding one in 1863 for Queen Isabel II.

The design Parque El Capricho shows English influence, as it includes naturalistic features such as a hermitage house, lilac forests, a lake and several rivers, a maze, and a mock Greek temple. The palace is often used for photo sessions, and in 2016 it was proposed to turn the structure into a museum.

7 October 2022 - ABANDONED BUNKERS IN FINLAND

 

 ABANDONED BUNKERS

 IN FINLAND

G'day folks,

Fortifications built for a Soviet invasion that never came now sit abandoned in a losing battle against nature. 

In the early 1940s, between the Winter War and the Continuation War, tensions were high in Finland. The Soviets could invade, seemingly, at any moment. As a result, in 1940, Finland began the construction of Salpalinja (the “Salpa Line”), a system of more than 700 field fortifications made from concrete or excavated from rock along Finland’s eastern border. 

 

Stretching 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) from the Gulf of Finland in the south to modern-day Pechengsky, Russia, in the north, Salpalinja consisted of bunkers, trenches, fueling stations, weapons depots, and more. The line incorporated many lakes and marshes into its terrain, as these areas could be tough to navigate and easy to defend.

Finished in 1944, Salpalinja was a mammoth project set to defend Finland against a possible Soviet invasion—only that invasion never came.

Fast-forward to today, and Salpalinja sees more action from tour groups and urban explorers than it ever did in combat. Many of the features of the line still stand today, as they never endured any of the devastations of war. Along the line are multiple museums dedicated to its past and its bunkers, as well as tours that provide a great overview of its history.

However, many bunkers, dugouts, and obstacles are buried deep in the forests, away from guided tours and foot traffic. These areas offer great experiences for those interested in a different or additional perspective from the various museums. The Ventovuori area in Virolahti offers numerous bunkers and systems to explore but it is still just a very small part of Salpalinja. 

 

Salpalinja was painstakingly built in the name of preparedness and defense, but today it remains only as a reminder of a history that never was, but could have been.

17 August 2022 - HITLER'S SECRET BUNKER IN NORTHERN FRANCE

 

HITLER'S SECRET BUNKER 

IN NORTHERN FRANCE

G'day folks,

Underneath a chalk hill in France lies what Hitler hoped would be the underground launching base for a devastating new weapon. 

The Forteresse de Mimoyecques exists as a frightening example of the Führer’s ambition.

Hidden underground in the Northern French hamlet of Landrethun-le-Nord lurked a very grim threat intended to aim directly into the heart of the British capital. A subterranean bunker with a series of tunnels that connected to five shafts that inclined upwards, this secret complex was to be the placeholder for 25 new, experimental weapons that would all be pointing straight at London. 

The V3 was a massive super gun, designed to be capable of firing explosive projectiles at the rate of 600 rounds per hour. The V3, codenamed Hochdruckpumpe (High Pressure Pump) was developed by Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production Albert Speer, and regardless of its prototype status, absolutely delighted Hitler. Giving the weapon’s development and employment his full support despite the absence of any firing trials, the Führer also had to consider the type of engineering base such a weapon would need to be consistently fired for any amount of time.

 

The solution presented itself as an underground launching base, supported by the already existing railroad. Ammunition storage galleries, five drifts capable of clustering 5 V3’s each, and a network of tunnels were installed once the hill was excavated, built by over 5,000 German workers as well as hundreds of miners and Soviet prisoners. Construction began in September 1943 and had a target date of March 1944, but relentless bombing from the Allies thwarted the deadline. French agents had an inkling that something was afoot in the hill by late 1943, but without the proper intelligence, they couldn’t get close enough to the site to uncover the goings-on, and the Germans went on diligently building.

However, the ambitious undertaking that could have easily devastated London wasn’t meant to be. The high-reaching project couldn’t withstand the relentless shelling, and when Mimoyecques became the focus of the Allied air forces, the site was so bombarded that the Germans were forced to desert what they were sure would be their game-changing advantage. By July, 1944, the tunnels had been collapsed and and the majority of the bunker was destroyed. 

After several attempts by the British to safely demolish the substantially solid bunker (thoroughly pissing off the French who were not invited to discuss the site’s fate) the complex was finally closed off through demolition. Private owners eventually reopened the tunnels as a museum in 1984 by gaining access through one of the five drifts that was meant to hold the super guns. The museum serves as a memorial as well as a sanctuary to a large colony of rare bats.

 

4 June 2022 - BRATISLAVA'S HIDDEN BUNKERS - SLOVAKIA

 

BRATISLAVA'S HIDDEN

 BUNKERS - SLOVAKIA

G'day folks,

A line of disused military bunkers built to defend against Nazi invasion lies hidden on the outskirts of the city. 

In Petržalka, the very edge of the city of Bratislava on the western bank of the Danube, sits a string of concrete bunkers scattered across a variety of fields and woods. These are the best-preserved remnants of an expensive border defense system that was constructed throughout the country over 80 years ago.

In the 1930s, what was then Czechoslovakia invested in a line of military fortifications to defend against invasion by Nazi Germany, which by 1938 following the annexation of Austria (Anschluss), also threatened Bratislava, which sits on the Danube mere miles from the Austrian border.

At the time of building the bunkers were state of the art, but ultimately proved of little use. Under the Munich Agreement brokered between Britain, France, and Germany, Czechoslovakia was forced to give up most of its borderlands, including the bunkers. This left the country with a new, poorly defended border and soon afterward the entirety of what was Czechoslovakia fell under Nazi control.

 

There are 14 surviving bunkers along the stretch of border. The largest and best preserved is BS-8, which is maintained as a museum by a team of dedicated volunteers. If you are lucky or make advance contact, they will give tours allowing you access inside the restored bunker. BS-8 is located next to a small World War I cemetery and a slightly incongruous picnic area and playground. Other smaller bunkers, BS-9, and BS-7 can also be found nearby.

Standing at BS-8 you can see a nearby road across a field; this road is where the border with Austria lies. Standing at the bunker looking across the perfectly flat fields, you get a sense of the vulnerability the young nation that created these bunkers must have felt.

 

21 August 2021 - MASSIVE BUNKER BUILT UNDERGROUND IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

 

MASSIVE BUNKER BUILT 

UNDERGROUND IN

 SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

 

G'day folks,

The Cold War era in the United States is like no other time in history. People were fearful every day that this might be it. This may be the day that the United States and the Soviet Union finally go to war. 

The outcome of this happening would have been the almost certain and total annihilation of both countries, and possibly most of the world. This threat was a daily reality for hundreds of millions of people living in both countries.

 Children in the United States would practice bomb drills in school out of fear that they may be attacked at some point. Although I’m not really sure what hiding under a desk is going to do when nuclear bombs are being detonated. Well this reality was such a big concern for some that they decided to take matters into their own hands. The wealthier in America had the luxury of building a highly technologically sophisticated, multi million dollar bunker that would actually provide shelter and security if The Cold War ever escalated to actually all out war. Well if you’re still in the market for a perfectly usable and functional underground bunker, the seller of this multi million dollar bunker may have something for you!

This is the property, located in Savannah, GA. As you can see, it is situated on a pretty big piece of land that looks to be far away from any major population centers.

 The bunker was built-in 1969 at the height of The Cold War, and is located 45 feet underground. The bunker has two different levels. The top level is entirely composed of apartments, while the other contains the common areas.

 

The bunker was actually originally built for military training purposes. It has since been repurposed into a luxury underground living space. These are the living quarters. At about 600 square feet, they’re quite spacious for being underground.

 Chris Salamone, co-owner of Bastion Holdings the company selling the bunker, said it “offers the ultimate safe haven for any family, business or government that wants the ultimate in security and comfort.”

 

This bunker has the ability to withstand a 20 kiloton nuclear blast, terrorist attacks and civil disturbances. I can’t imagine being down there, knowing the world was burning above you.

  The property also includes air intake systems and a nursing station. Whoever remodelled this place really did everything they could to bring this place up to date. The fact that this place has $100k invest into just the CCTV system shows you that they did not skimp on an inch of this place. Whoever does end up as the owner of this multi-million dollar bunker is gonna feel secure no matter what happens to the world outside.

 

Clancy's comment: I'd go crazy without windows. What about you? Looks like a guesthouse for secret agents.

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