10 most interesting places that are closed to the public

There are a huge number of places on our planet that are of genuine interest, but, unfortunately, many of them are inaccessible to ordinary people.

The authorities of the countries in whose territory secret attractions are located have forbidden them to visit for various reasons.

In our article, you can find a list of 10 most interesting and unusual places that are currently closed to the public.

10 Metro-2 in Moscow

Rumor has it that the capital of Russia has another subway, which runs parallel to the public metro line. It is believed that its construction began during the reign of Stalin.

Journalists suggest that the system is larger and longer than the one along which ordinary residents of the city move. Metro-2 is also said to connect the Kremlin to the FSB headquarters, to the Vnukovo-2 terminal and to an underground secret city.

However, the existence of such a place is not confirmed by any evidence, so it is difficult to say that it really exists.

9. Ise Shrine (Japan)

Shinto shrine is located in Japan, dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu. This is a complex of two main sanctuaries and many additional ones. Ordinary people are forbidden to visit it. Only clergy who are relatives of the imperial family have access to the temple.

8. Nuclear Research Center in Dimona (Israel)

The nuclear installation is located in the desert, at a distance of about 30 km from the city of Dimon. The construction of the research center began in 1958.

In the 1980s one of the workers who worked in it fled outside of Israel and told the press secret information about the center.

In 2012, the operation of the center’s reactor was suspended. It is worth noting that the territory on which it is located is very carefully guarded.

7. Pine Gap is a restricted area in Australia.

The military base is located on the continent of Australia, 18 km from the city of Alice Springs, its activities are controlled by the Australian and American authorities.

The secret area consists of several objects, at least eight hundred people work here. The Australian territory was chosen as the site for this strategically important object due to the fact that this zone is located far from the water and spy ships cannot pick up its signals.

6. Hawaiian island Niihau

The island belonged to Elizabeth Sinclair and is now owned by her descendants. It is forbidden to visit ordinary people, there are no asphalt, roads, electricity and other infrastructure facilities on its territory.

The island is the 7th largest among all the Hawaiian islands, on one of its sides there is a school that receives electricity from solar energy.

The territory was closed in 1915, the owner of the island did this in order to preserve the life and culture of the locals, the natural beauty and wealth of these lands.

5. Spy Museum in Jiangsu (China)

This place houses classified documents related to the history of espionage in China. There are papers and things here from the 1920s, it was during this period that the Chinese espionage system was established.

The museum building has a collection of spy items that are disguised as lipstick, hidden in coins, etc. Foreigners cannot visit this place, only the natives of the country can do this, but even they cannot photograph anything there.

4. Church of Mary of Zion in Aksum (Ethiopia)

The temple is located in Ethiopia, access to ordinary people is prohibited. Rumor has it that the sanctuary contains one of the most significant biblical items.

It is the Ark of the Covenant, it was brought here by Menelik first. The relic is considered so sacred that people are even forbidden to approach the church, only a specially selected monk has access to it.

3. Secret archives of the Vatican

A person cannot visit the secret archives (that is, their very premises), but he can get acquainted with the document of interest to him, which is stored in them, the main thing is that this document is more than 75 years old.

The archives contain many papers on which the laws adopted in different years by the papacy are written. Also here are documents of national importance, various correspondence that the church has been collecting for several centuries.

In the 17th century, access to the archive was closed, but in 1881, documentation was again allowed to be viewed for research purposes. Scientists have calculated that there are more than eighty kilometers of shelves.

2. Poveglia – an island near Venice (Italy)

A small island is located in northern Italy. For many centuries, this territory served as a place for the exile of the sick, prisoners, and there was also a dump for the dead.

In the 1340s, there was an outbreak of the bubonic plague in the country, and this land became a quarantine zone. To avoid an epidemic, the authorities of Venice exiled to this place many people who had symptoms of the disease.

In the center of the island, bonfires were constantly burned, on which both the dead and the living, who were considered as such, were burned. The same story repeated itself in 1630, when the disease broke out again in the city.

In the 20th century, a hospital for the mentally ill was built on the island, but in the 1960s. it was closed, the territory became uninhabited. Today, the island is forbidden to visit not only tourists, but also the indigenous people of the country.

1. Lascaux Caves (France)

The cave complex is located in France. It is famous for its rock art dating back to the Paleolithic period. More than 900 drawings have been found in the caves, the researchers claim that they are over 17000 years old. They depict various animals that lived on these lands many years ago.

The attraction was closed to visitors in 1963, as the caves began to collapse under the influence of mold that had come from nowhere, so the French authorities considered that the presence of a person poses a threat to the historical monument.

Now the caves are still closed, they are visited only once a week to check the condition.