- (ZATO) closed for free visiting cities and towns in the USSR and the Russian Federation. Urban planning of the USSR and Russia Documentation Urban planning code Rules for land use and development Master plan Planning project ... Wikipedia
Cemeteries closed- Closed cemeteries - cemeteries where only related burials are carried out, as well as burials in created family (tribal) and service plots within the existing boundaries of cemeteries ... Source: DECISION of the Moscow Government dated ... ... Official terminology
"site" redirects here. See also other meanings. Web site (from English Website: web web and site "place") in a computer network united under one domain name or IP address) a collection of documents of a private person or ... ... Wikipedia
- (ZATO) an urban district within which industrial enterprises are located for the development, manufacture, storage and disposal of weapons of mass destruction, processing of radioactive and other materials, military and other facilities, for ... ... Wikipedia
Closed administrative-territorial formations (ZATOs) closed to free access to cities and towns in the USSR and the Russian Federation. Urban planning of the USSR and Russia Documentation Urban planning code Land use rules and ... ... Wikipedia
Closed administrative-territorial formations (ZATOs) closed to free access to cities and towns in the USSR and the Russian Federation. Urban planning of the USSR and Russia Documentation Urban planning code Land use rules and ... ... Wikipedia
In the Ural economy. area. Founded in 1934 Pl. 87.9 thousand km², adm. center - Chelyabinsk; other large cities: Magnitogorsk, Zlatoust, Miass, Troitsk. Located at the junction of the Ural Mountains ... Geographic Encyclopedia
CHELYABINSK REGION, subject of the Russian Federation; located in the Southern Urals and in the Trans-Urals, is part of the Ural economic region. Pl. 87.9 thousand km2. Population 3681.0 thousand people (1998). Center of Chelyabinsk. Dr. large cities Magnitogorsk, ... ... Russian history
In Russian federation. 87.9 thousand km2. Population 3681.0 thousand people (1998), urban 81.3%. 30 cities, 30 urban-type settlements. Center Chelyabinsk. Located in the Southern Urals and in the Trans-Urals; in the east the West Siberian Plain. Medium… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Books
- Brainstorming, S. L. Leskov. The author talks with Russian scientists about the origins of our problems and the prospects for modernization, as well as how to involve young people in building a knowledge economy. Essays introduce readers to…
- Binary code - 7. Doomsday Clock, Artur Zadikyan. My dear reader, we went through the levels of a top-secret organization, the Polygon object, closed cities, secret laboratories, secret clubs, combat and the virtual world. Now a new one...
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 the 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, there is the largest of the ZATO cities - 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 close scrutiny by government officials and became a "pioneer" in the field of future nuclear research. The secret status is associated with a unique scientific complex of its kind - a nuclear center belonging to the All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics.
The village became closed Arzamas-16 in 1947. The Center 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.
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. A pass for scientific, sports and cultural events (see below) is 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 organizers' contacts will also be found.
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 Ozyorsk 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 ...
