The Cold War was a time of intense war-preparations by the two opposing blocs NATO and the Warsaw Pact, including for a potential nuclear war. The building of massive underground bunkers was an essential part of these developments, with Object No.1180 being an example of a Soviet bunker building during the last decade of the Cold War.
Object 1180 was designed to be the command post of the Soviet Supreme Command of the South-west Forces. An identical command post, for the Soviet Supreme Command of Western Forces and with the designation of Object No.1181, exists in Belarus and allegedly there is another one located in Azerbaijan but nobody seems to know exactly where it is. For reference Object 1181 is said to be located in the Western part of Belarus, at 100 km from the city of Grodno and at 30km from the border with Poland. Since it is covered by a camoflage hanger, I have not yet been able to locate it yet on Google maps.
Object 1180 was built between 1985 and 1991 and consists of two blocks of a cylindrical shape, designated Unit A and Unit B, each with a diameter of 36 metres and a depth of about 60 metres divided into 12 floors. Both cylindrical blocks were capped with 3 metres of reinforced concrete with granite fragments as coarse aggregate. Two tunnels interlink the two units. Rooms are separated with metal insulated walls filled with reinforced concrete, while some less important walls were filled with glass wool. Unit A was intended to be used as the command point while Unit B should have been the support and technical unit. The cost of construction in the mid 1980s was almost 32 million Rubles (if converted to modern currency would be about 55 million Euros). With the collapse of the USSR, construction stopped and Object 1180 was abandoned at 95% completion.
Today access is only possible to Unit A as Unit B seems to be occupied by an private company slowly dismantling it for scrap metal. Unit A is today flooded below the sixth floor. With the access stairways now all collapsed and/or looted, easy entry is only possible onto the top two floors. Ropes and a minor deathwish would allow access to floors 3 to 6. Scuba, ropes and a major deathwish for the rest.
1. The two units are about 50 metres apart
2. The two units each consist of twelve floors, capped by 3m of concrete and are interconnected by two tunnels
3. The floor plans are different for each unit and but for each unit the floor plan is identical for each level. Note the lift shaft on one side and a staircase on the other
REPORT
4. A 1.5km access road leads to the site
5. And passes the skeletons of two administartion buildings, never completed and now reclaimed by the forest
6.
7. We first see Unit A. Note that its 3m concrete cap has been mostly removed
8. On one side, the cap is entirely gone
9.
10.
11. On either side of the unit was this space, one for the lift and the other to accomodate the staircase
12. This is 60m deep
13. The staircase has recently collapsed (within the last 3 years) - I doubt I would had trusted it anyways
14. The unit is flooded from the 6th level
15. Entry is possible for the first two levels only - not for the faint hearted it involves jumping over that 60m drop at it's narrowest point!
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. We wandered over to Unit B, but a private company was slowly dismantling it and we were shouted away. Note how large these units are in comparison with the vehicles!
21. A much smaller third unit was nearby, but again we were very aggressively shouted away
Thanks for reading. The identical Object 1181 in Belarus is very much on my to-do list (once I have located it). I am aware that Russian explorers have recently been in.
Object 1180 was designed to be the command post of the Soviet Supreme Command of the South-west Forces. An identical command post, for the Soviet Supreme Command of Western Forces and with the designation of Object No.1181, exists in Belarus and allegedly there is another one located in Azerbaijan but nobody seems to know exactly where it is. For reference Object 1181 is said to be located in the Western part of Belarus, at 100 km from the city of Grodno and at 30km from the border with Poland. Since it is covered by a camoflage hanger, I have not yet been able to locate it yet on Google maps.
Object 1180 was built between 1985 and 1991 and consists of two blocks of a cylindrical shape, designated Unit A and Unit B, each with a diameter of 36 metres and a depth of about 60 metres divided into 12 floors. Both cylindrical blocks were capped with 3 metres of reinforced concrete with granite fragments as coarse aggregate. Two tunnels interlink the two units. Rooms are separated with metal insulated walls filled with reinforced concrete, while some less important walls were filled with glass wool. Unit A was intended to be used as the command point while Unit B should have been the support and technical unit. The cost of construction in the mid 1980s was almost 32 million Rubles (if converted to modern currency would be about 55 million Euros). With the collapse of the USSR, construction stopped and Object 1180 was abandoned at 95% completion.
Today access is only possible to Unit A as Unit B seems to be occupied by an private company slowly dismantling it for scrap metal. Unit A is today flooded below the sixth floor. With the access stairways now all collapsed and/or looted, easy entry is only possible onto the top two floors. Ropes and a minor deathwish would allow access to floors 3 to 6. Scuba, ropes and a major deathwish for the rest.
1. The two units are about 50 metres apart
2. The two units each consist of twelve floors, capped by 3m of concrete and are interconnected by two tunnels
3. The floor plans are different for each unit and but for each unit the floor plan is identical for each level. Note the lift shaft on one side and a staircase on the other
REPORT
4. A 1.5km access road leads to the site
5. And passes the skeletons of two administartion buildings, never completed and now reclaimed by the forest
6.
7. We first see Unit A. Note that its 3m concrete cap has been mostly removed
8. On one side, the cap is entirely gone
9.
10.
11. On either side of the unit was this space, one for the lift and the other to accomodate the staircase
12. This is 60m deep
13. The staircase has recently collapsed (within the last 3 years) - I doubt I would had trusted it anyways
14. The unit is flooded from the 6th level
15. Entry is possible for the first two levels only - not for the faint hearted it involves jumping over that 60m drop at it's narrowest point!
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. We wandered over to Unit B, but a private company was slowly dismantling it and we were shouted away. Note how large these units are in comparison with the vehicles!
21. A much smaller third unit was nearby, but again we were very aggressively shouted away
Thanks for reading. The identical Object 1181 in Belarus is very much on my to-do list (once I have located it). I am aware that Russian explorers have recently been in.
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