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TheSecret World of Underground Bunkers(http://io9.com/the-secret-world-of-underground-bunkers-511609185)

Underground bunkers are among the world's most fascinating structures. They're designed to

protect people from the w orst effects of atomic warfare and global annihilation. Here is an

incredi ble look inside some of the most secure locations on the planet.

The German Government Bunker (Regierungsbunker), 16 miles (25km) south of Bonn, Germany

Officially named Emergency Seat of the Federal Constitutional Organs for the State of Crisis or

State of Defence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Defence_(Germany)) to Maintain

their Ability to Function, (Ausweichsitz der Verfassungsorgane des Bundes im Krisen- und 

Verteidigungsfall zur Wahrung von deren Funktionstüchtigkeit, or AdVB) and built between

1960 and 1972.

(http://vincze_miklos.kinja.com)

VINCZE MIKLÓS (HTTP://VINCZE_MIKLOS.KINJA.COM) ARCH54,399 6 114 (http://io9.com/the-secret-world-of-underground-bunkers-5116 0918 5#replies)

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(http://io9.com/is-this-the-red-button-lets-push-it-and-

find-out-511777614)

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basement-4-511790851)

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is-a-contr-511791136)

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tv-but-th-511804222)

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511824185)

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take-your-order-511824241)

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a-little-fre-511824356)

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somethi-511844119)

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511851134)

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enterpris-511870826)

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press-this-button-

ford-513713341)

t from the world of tomorrow.

AG/SCIENCE) · MOVIESES) · TV

BOOKSS) · FUTURISMRISM) · CONCEPT ARTEPT-ART) · COMICSCS) · SPACEE) · SUPERLISTR-LIST)

nd of the Universe?

ou-survive-the-end-of-

09)

a! The Full Results of the

p://io9.com/the-glamour-

lts-of-the-2013-hu-

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(via Leralle/Ralf 

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/leralle/sets/72157604274767084/with/2375324044/), Jan

Griesbaum (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jan-griesbaum/tags/regierungsbunker/) and 

 Felix/fxp (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fxp/2354259128/))

Burlington Cold War City (but known as Stockwell, Subterfuge,Turnstile and Site 3), Corsham, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

This is the former emergency relocation site for the British government in the event of nuclear

attack.

Coffee machine in the main canteen, of course.

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The BBC's underground broadcasting studios for the Prime Minister to address the nation.

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 A wooden telephone switchboard from the 1950s

This butterfly valve could be closed to prevent nuclear fallout or chemical contamination from

entering the ventilation system.

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The storage area, containing everything from glass ashtrays to stationary and unused

telephones.

This telephone exchange was maintainted by British Telecom until the mid-80s.

The Prime Minister's private bathroom

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(via Burlington Bunker (http://www.burlingtonbunker.co.uk/), The Blog Below

(http://www.theblogbelow.com/2008/07/burlington-nuclear-bunker-at-c.html))

The Greenbrier (or the Project Greek Island, Project Casper orProject X), the former U.S. Government Relocation Facility, WhiteSulphur Springs, West Virginia

This emergency shelter under the Greenbrier Hotel was never actually used, and its existence

 was revealed thirty years after its completion, in 1992 by Ted Gup of The Washington Post.

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/daily/july/25/brier1.htm)

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(via Bobak Ha'Eri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2008-0831-TheGreenbrier-North.jpg),

The Blog Below (http://www.soap.com.au/underground/2008/05/the-greenbreir-

bunker.html) and Not Purfect 

(http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/nuke/green/greenbrier.html))

Emergency Government Headquarters, built for the Government of Canada

These bunkers are called Diefenbunkers, after the Prime Minister of the day, John Diefenbaker.

 War Room

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Nuclear Room

The Prime Minister's office

 At the subterranean dentist's office.

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The doctor's office

Teletype machines

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Cafeteria

(via I. Gouss (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diefenbunker_terminals.jpg), Auto Exposure

Canada

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/autoexposurecanada/sets/72057594128522089/with/155032

 326/) and Amy Allcock

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/amyallcock/sets/72157615934465985/with/3391535111/))

Underground Project 131, Hubei province, China

This system of tunnels was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s for the Chinese military 

command headquarters in a nuclear war. It was never fully completed, and now it functions as a

museum.

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"Visitors not allowed beyond this point."

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Communication center

(via Wikimedia Commons

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Underground_Project_131))

Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker (NORAD), near ColoradoSprings, Colorado

The complex was designed to withstand a 30 megaton nuclear explosion within 1.2 mi (1.9 km).

It was built between 1961 and 1966, and used for forty years.

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(via Wikimedia Commons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NORADNorth-Portal.jpg),

USAF 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NORADBlast-Doors.jpg) - 2

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NORADCommandCenter.jpg))

Bonus: A bunker, used during the two World Wars, somewhere inFrance

 Abandoned since the 1970s.

(http://gizmodo.com/5906168/this-secret-

underground-bunker-is-full-of-world-war-ii-

 weapons-and-military-vehicles)

Secret Underground

Bunker Is Full of World

War Weapons and

Military Vehicles(http://gizmodo.com/5906168/this-

secret-underground-

 bunker-is-full-of-

 world-war-ii-

 weapons-and-

military-vehicles)

RELATED

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Office space

Left: "From Hell to Heaven", right: mushrooms.

 A 77mm Model-1896 WWI field cannon

(http://gizmodo.com/5906168/this-secret-

underground-bunker-is-full-of-world-war-ii-

weapons-and-military-vehicles)

The world is full of hidden, forgotten treasures.

Like this gigantic bunker excavated in a forest,

 buried in a secret location. It's full of… Read…

(http://gizmodo.com/5906168/this-secret-

underground-bunker-is-full-of-world-war-ii-

 weapons-and-military-vehicles)

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Panhard VCR 

 A French military truck 

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ERC-90, designed in the 1970s

Inside the VCR 

(via Defense Tech (http://defensetech.org/2012/04/25/ffffound-underground/) and Pridian

(http://pridian.net/blog/archives/154))

Discuss (/posts/511609185/reply)

48 discussions displayed because an

author is participating or following a

participant.

27 additional replies awaiting review.

Author is participating

SheThing (http://shething.ki…

 You're always so quick to post items from

Hungary, I can't believe that you left out

sziklakórház! That is a bunker with a

fascinating history...

6/07/13 3:56pm (http://io9.com/youre-always-so-quick-to-post-items-from-hungary-i-can-512021277)

1 (/posts/512021277/reply)

Vincze Miklós (http://vincze_…

 You're right, but there were some licensing

issues.

 And the same thing happened with the secret

Hungarian government bunker under the

Buda Castle.6/08/13 5:52pm (http://io9.com/youre-right-but-there-were-some-licensing-issues-and-512135858)

(/posts/512135858/reply)

Author is participating

Major Tom (http://majortom…

 Vince, dammit... your posts are always my 

favorite.

6/06/13 4:39pm (http://io9.com/vince-dammit-your-posts-are-always-my-favorite-

1 (/posts/511775224/reply)

Vincze Miklós (http://vincze_…

I'm happy to see this!

6/08/13 6:08pm (http://io9.com/im-happy-to-see-this-512137074)

(/posts/512137074/reply)

Author is participating

lshell1 (http://lshell1.kinja.co…

 Arthur Dent: What happens if I press this

1 (/posts/513713341/reply)

Author is participating

MiniLee (http://minilee.kinja…

Cmon guys, they're still using Cheyenne

Mountain...

(/posts/511889991/reply)

Like 1.3k

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 button?

Ford Prefect: I wouldn't-

 Arthur Dent: Oh.

Ford Prefect: What happened?

 Arthur Dent: A sign lit up, saying 'Please do

not press this button again.'

6/16/13 4:41pm (http://io9.com/arthur-dent-what-happens-if-i-press-this-button-for

Vincze Miklós (http://vincze_…

That's why I love every single commenter

here!

6/21/13 5:44am (http://io9.com/thats-why-i-love-every-single-commenter-here-52

(/posts/529498125/reply)

6/07/13 8:08am (http://io9.com/cmon-guys-theyre-still-using-cheyenne-mountain-511889991)

Vincze Miklós (http://vincze_…

No, Stargate Universe was cancelled in 2011,four years after the original series :((( Sad

story.

6/08/13 5:58pm (http://io9.com/no-stargate-universe-was-cancelled-in-2011-four-years-512136321)

1 (/posts/512136321/reply)

3 participants

Daybreaker (http://daybrea…

 Wasn't Cheyenne Mountain the base in

Stargate SG-1?

6/06/13 5:16pm (http://io9.com/wasnt-cheyenne-mountain-the-base-in-stargate-sg

3 (/posts/511783606/reply)

Dwayne Day (http://dwayne…

I think that technically, Stargate Command

 was supposed to be UNDER Cheyenne

Mountain.

I toured CM a couple of years ago. It's mostly 

shut down. There's a backup command

center there, and apparently a few things

that are classified (as in other agency 

command centers, but likely small ones).

There's a little visitor's center/museum

inside the gate, not open to the general

public. One disappointing thing was that I

saw no references at all to Stargate, even

though they had publicity photos of other

"famous" visitors, like AAA baseball teams.

6/06/13 5:29pm (http://io9.com/i-think-that-technically-stargate-command-was-su

1 (/posts/511786646/reply)

3 participants

MrAllspark (http://mrallspar…

That awkward moment when you go to

 watch some TV but then you remember the

human race has been nearly eradicated, if 

not irradiated so no ones minding the TV 

stations.

#deadworldproblems

6/06/13 7:05pm (http://io9.com/that-awkward-moment-when-you-go-to-watch-some-tv-but-th-511804222)

(/posts/511804222/reply)

MrAllspark (http://mrallspar…

The picture speaks to me though: three TV's

and nothing to watch, I call it the " American

 Nightmare".

6/06/13 7:08pm (http://io9.com/the-picture-speaks-to-me-though-three-tvs-and-nothing-511804661)

1 (/posts/511804661/reply)

1 participant

mwhite66 (http://mwhite66…

The Greenbrier bunker was conceived at at

time when the principal threat was manned

Russian bombers. Our air defense system

gave us up to 8 hours warning, enough time

to bus VIPs to bunkers. With the advent of 

ICBMs, warning times were reduced to 30

minutes at most, making these bunkers

obsolete.

 Also, the Greenbrier was sized to house the

House and Senate members, but not their

families. When interviewed, most members

said they wouldn't go but would stay with

their wives and children.

6/06/13 5:05pm (http://io9.com/the-greenbrier-bunker-was-conceived-at-at-time-

2 (/posts/511781096/reply)

5 participants

lightninglouie (http: //lightnin…

I love Cold War era codenames for defense

preparedness levels.

6/06/13 4:55pm (http://io9.com/i-love-cold-war-era-codenames-for-defense-preparedness-511778830)

2 (/posts/511778830/reply)

AdmiralThrax (http://admiral…

 As a child stationed on a CDN Forces base

 with my parents in what was (Baden-

Sollingen) 'West Germany', we routinely 

heard radio broadcasts cut short by this:

"SNOWBALL SNOWBALL SNOWBALL,

THIS IS AN OPERATION SNOWBALL. ALL

PERSONNEL REPORT TO THEIR WAR-

TASK ASSIGNED PLACE OF DUTY. THIS

IS A SNOWBALL". It was an alert drill that

had all of the men report to the base, some 8

km away. Only once did we hear something

different, and we quickly grabbed the little

suitcases under our beds and headed to

 board a flight to Greenland. That was during

the aborted rescue in Tehran during the

Carter administration.

1 (/posts/511820200/reply)

1 participant

ChrisWhiteWrites (http://chri…

No love for Beijing's Underground City? It's

85 square kilometres, and the tunnels were

dug by hand. the Underhround City was

capable of holding 6,000,000 people in case

of a nuclear war with the USSR, and iscurrently (and illegally) inhabited.

1 (/posts/511828064/reply)

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lightninglouie and 1 others...

6/06/13 8:47pm (http://io9.com/as-a-child-stationed-on-a-cdn-forces-base-with-my-paren-511820200)

AdmiralThrax (http://admiral…

I should note that halfway tot he base, the

alert returned to a SNOWBALL, and life as

 we knew it returned to it's normal, albeit

 weird routine.

6/06/13 8:48pm (http://io9.com/i-should-note-that-halfway-tot-he-base-the-alert-retur-511820389)

1 (/posts/511820389/reply)

 And one of the *secret* entrances:

6/06/13 9:53pm (http://io9.com/no-love-for-beijings-underground-city-its-85-squa

Iwona Burgunda (http://kris…

I am surprised that China cares enough

about its people to house 6 million of them.

6/07/13 9:02am (http://io9.com/i-am-surprised-that-china-cares-enough-about-its-

1 (/posts/511904456/reply)

 

mwhite66 (http://mwhite66…

These are shots of the Cabinet War Rooms,

the underground bunker in London from

 which Winston Churchill conducted World

 War II. It's open to the public, and well

 worth the trip next time you're in old Blighty.

6/06/13 4:42pm (http://io9.com/these-are-shots-of-the-cabinet-war-rooms-the-undergrou-511775777)

2 (/posts/511775777/reply)

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