Buzz
After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, it left numerous remnants of its legacy. Across the former Soviet republics, you can find forsaken villages, mines, industrial complexes, and occasionally entire urban centers.
Discover 10 of the most fascinating ghost towns abandoned after the fall of the Soviet Union.
10. Kadykchan
Kadykchan, a once-bustling coal mining community, now lies in ruins with charred remnants of homes. Established in the 1940s by prisoners from the gulag system, the town flourished after coal deposits were discovered, attracting settlers. By the late 1970s, its population had soared to more than 10,000 residents.
The collapse of the Soviet Union severely impacted the coal industry, leading to the town's decline. At its height, Kadykchan was home to almost 11,000 residents. However, falling coal prices in the 1990s forced the mines to shut down. A tragic mine explosion in 1996 claimed six lives, reducing the population to fewer than 300. By the early 2000s, only a few people remained. Exploring Kadykchan in winter feels like stepping into a forgotten era, with crumbling Soviet-era apartments and deserted playgrounds still visible in the town square.
After a massive coal reserve was found in Far East Siberia, the Soviet regime enlisted gulag laborers to construct the town and a highway, famously dubbed the Road of Bones. Kadykchan remains extremely remote, cut off from both eastern and western Russia, with the nearest city center requiring at least three days to reach. Moreover, the Kolyma highway is inaccessible for much of the year.
9. Skrunda-1
Once a bustling military town, Skrunda-1 now lies in ruins. Efforts have been made to transform the site into a tourist attraction, including plans for an industrial park. However, the area remains under military jurisdiction, making it off-limits to the public.
Constructed in 1963, Skrunda-1 served as a top-secret military base featuring extensive infrastructure and underground bunkers. At its peak, it housed more than 5,000 Soviet troops and 1,000 civilians. The complex boasted two enormous radars designed to monitor the skies for potential threats, alongside schools, factories, and living quarters.
Skrunda-1 has now fallen into total obscurity. Following Latvia's 7.5 billion euro bailout from the European Union in 2008, the government had to sell the property at auction. The town was acquired for a mere €12,000, a fraction of its previous auction value, with the local government unanimously supporting the decision.
8. Neftegorsk
The earthquake that struck Neftegorsk on May 28, 1995, remains the most devastating in Russia's modern history. Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, it claimed at least 2,040 lives—over half the town's population. The disaster left the city in ruins, sparing only a chapel, a cemetery, and a memorial.
Once a prosperous town, Neftegorsk declined as its tar sands were depleted by mining operations. This led to the displacement of thousands of residents.
7. Mologa
The relocation of Mologa spanned four years but faced delays due to protests from neighboring regions. Consequently, central government funding for the project was exhausted before the town could be fully moved.
Mologa, a historic town dating back to the 12th century, was submerged in 1935 under Stalin's orders to create a hydroelectric power station. Once a vital trading hub between the Baltic Sea and Asia, the town was sacrificed for the Rybinsk Reservoir project. Over 130,000 residents were displaced, with reports suggesting more than 300 drowned during the flooding.
Today, former residents of Mologa gather in Rybinsk every mid-August to commemorate the Day of Mologa. The town's remnants occasionally surface when the reservoir's water levels drop, revealing streets and structures in aerial photographs.
6. Wunsdorf
Located approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Berlin, the Wunsdorf complex began as a Prussian shooting range before becoming the headquarters of the German military. During World War II, the Nazis used it as a command center. After the Soviets seized control in 1945, it became the largest Soviet military base outside the USSR, housing up to 50,000 personnel. Known as 'Little Moscow,' it featured schools, shops, hospitals, and leisure facilities, with daily train connections to the Soviet capital.
By the time the Berlin Wall fell, Wunsdorf's population had dwindled from 60,000 to a mere 6,000. Soviet troops stationed there were recalled, leading to chaos as soldiers faced uncertainty about their destinations and housing. Some resorted to purchasing buses for temporary shelter.
Today, Wunsdorf-Waldstadt is a mix of revitalization and eerie decay. While some structures have been reclaimed by nature, others have been renovated into homes. Efforts are ongoing to preserve the remaining buildings, with local authorities seeking investors to repurpose them for educational use.
5. Veszprem
Veszprem was seized by Soviet forces during the Vienna Offensive in World War II. During the Cold War, it became a key hub for Soviet helicopter operations. The airfield, originally constructed in the 1930s and expanded in the 1980s, still features imposing structures, though they remain unrestored.
Veszprem hosted various Soviet military units, including a tank division, an armored training regiment, a paratroop battalion, a chemical defense battalion, and an NCO training school. At its peak, 10,400 Soviet troops were stationed in Hungary.
4. Irbene, Latvia
A Russian astronomer and his spouse journeyed 186 miles (300 kilometers) from Riga to Irbene, Latvia, to explore Northern Europe's largest radio telescope. Along the way, they found the town deserted, with cafes and power plants left in disrepair. Despite the abandonment, the Soviet-era structures remained intact, with utilities and sewers still operational after the Russian military's departure.
The Soviets vacated Irbene in 1993, but the colossal radio telescope remains. Visitors can approach the massive dish, the largest in Northern Europe, though access requires a special permit.
The covert military base spanned over 494 acres (200 hectares) and was operated by military unit 51429. Its antennas intercepted phone communications across vast areas and even facilitated contact with Soviet adversaries. The smallest antenna, with a diameter of 32.5 feet (10 meters), was specifically designed to monitor incoming calls.
3. Tskaltubo
Tskaltubo, once a glamorous Soviet retreat, attracted party leaders, military officials, and even Joseph Stalin. Today, its crumbling hotels, bathhouses, and sanatoriums lure adventurous travelers. The ruins showcase Georgian designs and patriotic emblems, echoing the resort's storied past.
Tskaltubo is home to a radon spring renowned for its therapeutic properties. Stalin transformed the resort into the USSR's largest balneological center, constructing 19 sanatoriums between the 1930s and 1950s. These structures epitomize Stalinist architectural style.
2. Vozrozhdeniya Island
In 1948, Vozrozhdeniya Island, a once-ordinary Soviet island, became a classified biological weapons research site. The village of Kantubek was converted into the military town of Aralsk-7, with laboratories established on the island's southern edge. Here, scientists experimented with some of the deadliest pathogens ever developed.
On the southern part of Vozrozhdeniya Island, the Soviets created an open-air testing area to study the spread of bio-weapon agents and detection methods. Detectors were placed at 0.6-mile (one-kilometer) intervals, and tests involved anthrax, brucellosis, plague, and typhus.
The Vozrozhdeniya Island test site continued operations even after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. Eventually, the remaining Russian military personnel were evacuated. Over time, the site deteriorated and was stripped by scavengers. Following the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. and Uzbek governments collaborated to decontaminate the island, ensuring no lingering pathogens remained. As the Aral Sea recedes, Vozrozhdeniya Island has transformed into a peninsula shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
1. Klomino
Klomino, Poland, is a deserted Soviet-era town that once served as a prison camp. Now abandoned, it has a population of just five, with no transportation links, shops, or eateries. The town has largely been stripped by looters.
The Soviet Union seized the village in 1945, renaming it Grodek. While absent from Polish maps, it housed over 6,000 Soviet soldiers. After the USSR's collapse in 1993, the Polish military attempted to sell the village but abandoned it a year later due to lack of buyers and insufficient funds for maintenance.
Today, Klomino's primary inhabitants are its ghostly legends. Visitors can explore the empty Soviet Army buildings, though there are no tourist amenities or public transport. Despite its desolation, the few remaining residents find contentment in their isolated lives.
