At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union had more than 40 secret settlements in operation, according to The Guardian. These sites were often omitted from maps and were given unique code names. Skrunda-1 —built in 1963 in west Latvia — was one of them.
In its prime, Skrunda-1 was home to over 5,000 people, according to The Baltic Times. It was a city built around two huge radars which were used to scan the skies for signs of enemy intrusions. The 100-acre site featured supermarkets, a gymnasium, and even a night club.
A Guardian feature detailed how the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the beginning of the end for sites like Skrunda-1. Funding wavered for the purpose-built city and inhabitants began to leave. The site remained under Russia's control for 7 more years until 1998, when Russian troops pulled out and took almost everything of value with them back to Moscow.
After nearly two decades of disuse, Skrunda-1 is now a ghost town. What remains are derelict buildings, containing forgotten furniture, toys, and other possessions.
Skrunda-1 was built in 1963 and for decades was a fully-functional settlement. Now, it is a 100-acre ghost city with over 70 empty buildings, surrounded by dense forest.
Source: The Guardian
Local authorities charge visitors four euros to be led around what remains of the communist-era architecture by tour guide, according to Baltic news outlet DELFI.
Source: DELFI
Tourists are able to explore a labyrinth of buildings, schools, factories, and underground bunker networks left behind in the 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed.
Source: Reuters
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