When it comes to ingenuity in entertainment, Russians are a class apart, and they will provide you with some genuinely classy stuff.For instance, take this abandoned nuclear attack bunker 18 stories below Moscow. The Russians thought it would be a great idea to convert a rusty piece of Cold War relic into an Entertainment area and boy did they succeed in this crazy idea. Right down to the dimly lit conference room where the fate of the World is decided to a heavily guarded Soviet Era entrance gate, the Tagansky Protected Command Point remodeled as “Bunker 42” has it all.
Here is what it is like inside the eerie Russian abode:
It is located in the middle of Moscow. What were they thinking? Wasn’t Moscow supposed to be the primary target during the Cold War?
The gate stands out in the surroundings as it still bears the Sign of the Soviets.
The entrance is an obvious military checkpoint complete with a lot of debarred personnel. I hope your name isn’t in the list!
Behold, the entrance into the bunker! It was built in the Cold War to provide security to top Kremlin brass including the Nuclear Command officers.
Work started in 1951 and was commissioned by Joseph Stalin himself. It was completed a few years after his death in 1956.
The bunker is 65 meters below the ground, so it can easily survive any kind of nuclear blast in the vicinity. The place probably had a food stockpile for years.
The bunker’s access tunnels, rooms, and other operational areas add up to about 75,000 square feet which is almost equal to 35 3-bedroom apartments.
Up to 3,000 people could survive inside. But the main purpose was to serve as haven former Soviet Union’s top brass. So, they could probably last for a long time in here. This conference room is just breathtaking. You can just imagine the kind of decisions that were made here. Who should we nuke or not nuke?
The workers involved in the construction commuted through the local train station Tagansky, and that is where the name comes from.
In 2006, the Russian government had no use for this aging, rusty complex and proceeded to sell it for 65 million Rubble (2.4 million $) to a private company.
Everything was in extremely bad shape after decades of neglect according to the company’s director. They probably had to use their imagination to the maximum while thinking of stuff they could put here. They have done an extremely well job at that.
It was renovated heavily and christened “Bunker-42”
It is full of Cold War technology and artifacts that will take you to a different time altogether.
Just look at this crazy hardware and how old it is right now.
Some extremely great posters from the era.
The receptionist looks more like a high-security clearance clerk!
More posters.
Sculpture of the great communist leader Lenin on a desktop.
Even the form of this tour represents a top security file! Man these guys have creativity. It costs an affordable 1800 Rubles or 26$ for a tour.
You enter through these doors that can withstand a shockwave from a nuclear blast.
The decontamination area beyond the gate was where soldiers could have been decontaminated and then sent inside. These fancy protection clothes will also make it closer to reality.
Now you walk down 14 flights of stairs.
Until you can see the security desk at the bottom.
A long passageway leads to all four bunker tubes.
Breathtaking isn’t it?
Time for a Soviet-era photograph.
During the tour, they show a Cold War era movie on nuclear arms race between the then USSR and the USA. It shows Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings as a show of force which is right in my opinion.
The film also shows Russian leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin as traitors. They were both very popular in the West for scaling down Russia’s bunkers and weapons.
The tour also simulates what it would be like to face a nuclear attack.
You can use filters and equipment to your advantage and play the part of a Russian communications analyst.
These authentic Soviet uniforms can also be tried. Good going, Comrade!
But, the most enjoyable experience is at the end, when you get to nuke a US city of your choice using a Nuclear Launch console. Turn two keys and the launch is confirmed.
Then to complete the utter drama, the screen plays clips from Sum of all Fears and the in-character tour guide thanks the visitor for rendering great service to the Socialist Republic.
If it had been a real ICBM, the city would have been reduced to ashes within 33 minutes. You can celebrate the death of the opportunistic capitalist world!
There are some cool architectural points like this crossroads in addition to a nuclear Armageddon simulation!
There is also a nice dining restaurant that will surprise you since it appears a “little” out of place.
There is also a Stalin doppelganger! There is no time to be stalin’ we should see this place!
And Leonid Brezhnev, another famous USSR leader as well.
These children parties affect the eerie persona but what the hell. It is a family entertainment in any way.
You can eat these cute military cakes.
Children can don military uniforms and announce their affiliation to the communist cause!
These fake Kalashnikov’s are enough to make a whole feature film out of the bunker.
Other empty tubes can be rented out for a social event. Bands must be returning customers as this awesome place is one-of-a-kind.
If you get caught getting in without permission, there is a chance of temporary incarceration, just for fun.
There are many undeveloped areas too that are rusting away. They will eventually be developed by the same company.
Despite the presence of a large number of doomsday experience areas throughout Russia in actual missile silos, this one beats them all because of the actual Soviet-era experience deep underground. It has a feeling of authority that didn’t fade away unlike USSR itself. A great idea and setting from the Russian team!