Dr Prem Travel & Tourism Logo-R
Dr Prem Guides & Magazines Banner

Destinations that do not welcome visitors

The world is full of magnificent places to see and visit, but there are some sites you are just not allowed in. Either it is a secret military facility, satellite installation or a network of tunnels used by certain governments as bunkers, those places are banned for the general public to visit and most likely will remain this way. This article will show you some of the most interesting forbidden places starting with the RAF Menwith Hill in the U.K.

Run by the U.S. National Security Agency and the Royal Air Force, RAF Menwith Hill is the largest monitoring communication station in the world. The complex is spread over 560 acres of masts, satellite dishes and radomes, or as the locals call them, “giant golf balls.” Menswith Hill has come under criticism lately, especially after the disclosures made by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who revealed that the NSA surveillance programs are being used for gathering information about the internet communications and phone calls worldwide.

The “giant golf balls” are probably the most interesting thing to see at this installation as they are believed to be used by ECHELON “… a global system for the interception of private and commercial communications.”

Metro 2 secret underground system is located in Moscow; it is thought to have been built by Stalin for the use of the Russian Secret Services. This underground metro system is rumored to connect the Kremlin with the Federal Security Service a.k.a FSB.

Many people who have worked on its building have given interviews claiming that the system actually exists, but its entrance has never been found. In recent years, some Russians officials have given some information on that subject but that information neither proved nor denied the existence of the secret underground. One of the major conspiracies today is that the system is still operating and used by the Ministry of Defense.

Many of us have heard about the Vatican Secret Archives from Dan Brown’s books. Though the name contains the word “secret”, they are not (at least in the general sense); “secret” is probably more accurately used with the meaning of “private”. This complex is estimated to contain 52 miles of shelving and about 35,000 volumes.

Conspiracy theorists claim that the archives are hiding large number of documents that might change the history of humanity. It is claimed that the archives keep relics as the Holy Grail, the True Cross and many other. It is not secret as you might think, because you can submit a request for a document and it will be supplied to you; the only catch is that you cannot enter the archives as only four people are allowed in. It is even unclear if the Pope himself is allowed in.

Where else, except in France, you can see perfectly preserved art, especially one that is 17,000 years old. Southwestern France is the home of the Lascaux Cave, famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The complex consist 900 of the most perfect examples of that period. The images are of large animals that are believed to have existed in the region.

The cave has been closed for the public since 1963 as some of the paintings have been damaged by the CO2 exhaled from tourists. In the latest years, the cave has grown black mold and only a few days a month a few scientific experts are allowed into the cave in order to try and remove it as it is damaging the paintings.

When you hear the name Room 39, you would never imagine what this building actually is. Believed to be located in a Workers’ Party building in Pyongyang, Room 39 is a secretive organization controlled by the North Korean government. Supposedly, it serves as a front for drug dealing and smuggling, production of methamphetamine and heroine and international insurance frauds.

The organization holds up to 20 bank accounts in China and Switzerland used for counterfeiting, money laundering and other illicit transactions. More than 120 foreign trade companies are under the jurisdiction of the organization and the direct control of Kim Jong-un.

Summary

Plenty of places around the world are supposed to be secret complexes of the military, the secret services, or spy agencies. While some of these really do exist, several are little more than conspiracy theorist fodder.

Recent Articles:

Scroll to Top