Most Protected Places On Earth

 

Last week I blogged about top secret sites around the world. This week I'm blogging about the most protected places on Earth. These two topics are not the same. Secret Sites asks the question 'what goes on there' where protected places simply refer to the value of contents that need to be protected whether people or valuable objects.

Criminals will go to any lengths to get a hold of high-value assets. Powerful institutions, meanwhile, have secrets to guard and V.I.P.s to protect. Over the centuries, that's created a kind of arms race between the bad guys and the security experts. Whether it's Fort Knox, Buckingham Palace, or the White House, protective measures seem to get stricter each year.

The White House (protecting the President of the United States)

Things have progressed a great deal since 1812 when President James Madison ordered 100 volunteer militiamen to guard the White House from imminent attack by the invading British. At that time, the volunteer army retreated from the advancing British forces. Today, the Secret Service provides the strict security that keeps the President and his family safe.

Needless to say, the Secret Service is tight-lipped about the details of guarding the White House. We do know that armed emergency response teams patrol the grounds and snipers are stationed on the White House roof. Other security measures include the steel perimeter fence, an array of sensors to detect intruders and bulletproof windows.

Lascaux Cave (protecting millenniums old art)

The Lascaux Cave is a complex of underground caverns in southwestern France's Dordogne region. It's home to some of the most extraordinary cave art anywhere in the world. Stunning images of bison, ibexes and horses dating back as much as 20,000 years cover the walls. It's no surprise that these priceless artworks, first discovered in 1940, are well protected.

Steel doors and security cameras keep guard. Unfortunately, these paintings—some of humans earliest artworks—have been under threat from unwanted microbes causing mold formation. These were introduced to the cave in the time when as many as 2,000 people visited each day. The caves were closed to the public in 1963, and now human visits are strictly limited for conservation and academic purposes.

Fort Knox (protecting the nation's gold)

Although the building looks something like a massive mausoleum, Kentucky's Fort Knox contains gold bullion rather than bodies. According to the MoneyWise website, the value of all the gold bars (27.5 pounds each) stashed there is around $190 billion. That calls for serious guarding including a vault door that weighs in at 20 tons.

The walls are made from granite with a concrete inner layer and overall the building includes 1,420 tons of steel. Guard posts overlook the entrance gate to the vault grounds which, are surrounded by a steel fence, and the building itself has sentry points at each of its corners. When it opened for business in 1936, the authorities imposed a strict rule, still in force today. In the words of the U.S. Mint's website, "No visitors are permitted in the facility." Fort Knox is actually the name of the army base that surrounds the United States Gold Depository. Being in the middle of an army base certainly provides increased security.

Houses of Parliament London, U.K. (protecting the United Kingdom's government)

The House of Lords and the House of Commons sit in separate chambers in this magnificent Gothic edifice completed in 1860. It's set on the River Thames and is watched over from the land side by a statue of Sir Winston Churchill. It has had its share of attacks over the years, although it was a different building that was nearly blown up in the Gunpowder Plot led by Guy Fawkes in 1605. He and his co-conspirators were apprehended and put to death.

The chances of anyone managing to smuggle explosives into Parliament's basement today as Fawkes did are pretty much nil. Tight security surrounds the building and although visitors are allowed they have to go through strict checks. If you visit, you'll pass through a scanner to confirm that you don't have any weapons. Once inside the building, you'll be covered by cameras at all times and will notice armed police patrolling.

Bank Of England Gold Vault, London (protecting England's gold)

Bank of England Gold Vault sits beneath the institution's imposing headquarters on London's Threadneedle Street, where it's been since 1734. The current vaults were constructed in the 1930s, and today there are some 400,000 gold bars stored there worth about $280 billion.

A tempting target for any bank robber, but the chances of any criminal making off with any of the Bank of England's gold are slim and growing slimmer. The vault's walls are eight feet thick. The doors require keys that are a foot long and only open when accompanied by voice-activated software.

Granite Mountain Records Vault, Utah (protecting the records of the Mormon Church)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon Church as it's better known, has its main temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Granite Mountain Records Vault, opened in 1965, is much less well known and set in the mountains near Salt Lake. This vault is carved some 700 feet into the heart of a mountain, has 14-ton doors and is said to be nuclear-bombproof.

But the Mormon secure vault doesn't store worldly wealth. It houses the Church's archives which include extensive genealogical records. There are 3.5 billion images recorded on microfilm which is in the process of being digitized.

ADX Florence Supermax Prison, Colorado (protecting the public from the most dangerous criminals)

The ADX Florence Prison in Colorado hosts some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. The Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, 9/11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui and Mexican cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman are some of those incarcerated in America's highest security prison. Called by some The Alcatraz of the Rockies, the institution includes 12 gun towers, which are supplemented by armed patrols on the ground.

Once you're locked up in ADX Florence, you'll be spending up to 23 hours each day in a cell measuring 7 ft by 12 ft with solid concrete furnishings. When you leave your cell, you'll be wearing leg irons and handcuffs with waist chains. The prison includes 1,400 electronically operated doors and is surrounded by a 12 ft razor-wire fence. Even for notorious prison escapee El Chapo, ADX Florence is the end of the line.

Buckingham Palace, London (protecting the UK's reigning monarch)

Buckingham Palace is the principal residence of the United Kingdom's reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. It's a major draw for tourists who flock there to see the pageantry of the changing of the guard. But as the residence of the monarch, the palace is also one of the most closely guarded locations in the U.K. High walls topped by barbed wire and security cameras surround the palace grounds. Senior members of the royal family are protected round the clock by security personnel specially trained by the SAS.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway (protecting crop seeds and the food chain)

It's easy enough to understand the impulse to protect gold bullion, important data and national leaders, but what about seeds? It turns out that one of the world’s most secure locations is expressly designed to preserve seeds. The Global Seed Vault is on the Norwegian island of Svalbard, which lies about 650 miles from the North Pole. It's literally a giant secure refrigerator filled with seeds.

The Svalbard Vault contains some 930,000 varieties of crop seeds, stored at the end of a tunnel that runs for 430 feet into a mountain. Much of modern agriculture depends on a very few plant strains. So this massive seed bank is a kind of insurance policy against catastrophic crop failure. As one of the vault's managers said, "Inside this building is 13,000 years of agricultural history."

The Kremlin, Moscow (protecting Russia's president)

The Kremlin, the Russian president's official residence in central Moscow, is actually a whole estate with some 15 different buildings. The complex includes gardens, museums, and churches. Overlooking the Russian capital's Red Square, the Kremlin covers 68 acres and is surrounded by a 1.5-mile long wall. In some places this formidable barrier is 21 ft thick.

A special unit of elite troops guards the Kremlin. An unusual qualification each of them must reportedly have is the ability to hear a whisper from a distance of 20 ft. There are said to be around 500 soldiers attached to the Kremlin's dedicated guard unit with special forces, tanks, and armored vehicles on call near by.

Iron Mountain, Boyers, Pennsylvania (protecting mushrooms then data)

The large hole in Iron Mountain, which looms over Boyers, Pennsylvania, was originally an iron ore mine. In 1936, Herman Knaust procured the defunct mine which extended 220 feet below ground. He started a mushroom farm which was a success at first. In the1950s, the mushroom business began to fade. Knaust needed to find another use for his ex-mine. He hit upon the idea of storing documents and valuable items such as historic photos. However, now that we've moved into the era of digital data, the mine is being brought up to date with the installation of secure servers.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York Gold Vault (protecting more of the U.S. gold)

The United States Gold Depository at Fort Knox may be the best-known U.S. gold storage facility, but the vault at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York actually contains more gold. It's stored deep beneath the Federal Reserve Bank's downtown New York headquarters. The vault lies some 30 feet below the city's subway system.

Not all of the 6,190 tons of gold stored there belong to the U.S. government. Much of it belongs to foreign powers and international organizations, which obviously believe New York is a safe place for their bullion. According to the Fed's own website, the vault entrance is protected by "a 90-ton steel cylinder…set within a 140-ton steel-and-concrete frame." Motion sensors, armed guards and cameras monitor around the clock.

Surtsey Island, Iceland (protecting a preserved scientific UNESCO site)

A three-and-a-half-year eruption in the volcanic waters around Iceland was dramatic enough to form a whole new island when it ended 1967. Located roughly 20 miles off country's south coast, scientists took an early interest in the island's appearance even as the mass had barely cooled.

Researchers commandeered the island in 1964. Their aim was to study how animals and plants became established on newly-formed land. The 348-acre rock eventually attracted more than 330 species of invertebrates and various other bird, fungi and lichen species. To preserve the study area, the island is accessible to only a handful of scientists and was given UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008.

Tomb of the Qin Shi Huang, China (protecting a priceless terracotta army)

In 1974, farmers in China's Shaanxi region unearthed a sizeable army of terracotta sculptures representing the military personnel of the country's first serving emperor, Qin Shi Huang. The detailed figurines, numbering in the thousands, date back to around 200B.C. The find filled the ruler's subterranean burial network and is considered among the most significant in history.

The grounds where the terracotta soldiers stand are among the most notable tourist attractions in China. The actual tomb is shrouded in secrecy. There are rumors of extreme security measures protecting the crypt from trespassers, and deadly levels of mercury have been recorded in the compound. About 2,000 of the incredible sculptures are visible to visitors. But several thousand more, along with other valuables, could still be concealed in the burial chamber.

Pluto’s Gate, Turkey (protecting ancient ruins)

Pamukkale, which translates from Turkish as "cotton castle," may sound like a slice of heaven on Earth. The city's tourism industry was founded on its thermal spas thousands of years ago, and today relies on its impressive collection of Roman ruins. There's a deadly enigma nestled among the ancient relics, and it's known as the Pluto's Gate.

Also known as the Gate to Hell, archaeologists first discovered Pluto's Gate in 2013, when they followed the path of a thermal spring. However, clouds of natural gases that emanate from the site have rendered the historic spot unsafe for people to visit. The same volcanic activity that formed the hot springs is also responsible for levels of carbon dioxide deadly enough to suffocate a human in under 30 minutes.

Niihau, U.S.A. (protecting a sacred site)

Hawaii is made up of multiple islands, each with inviting names, where visitors can lose themselves. Some tourists opt to hop from Maui (the "Valley Isle") to Oahu (the "Gathering Place"), Kauai (the "Garden Island") and beyond. But even if they think they've taken in all the country's highlights, they'll never see Niihau, the "Forbidden Island."

The historic Niihau lies 17 miles from Kauai's coastline, and is only visible when the epic sunsets seen from Kekaha Beach intensifies the Forbidden Island's silhouette. The 70-square-mile idyll has been privately owned since 1864, and is prohibited for anyone outside of the inhabitants' direct descendants. It was the Hawaiian king's wish to preserve the place as he had known it.

Vatican Secret Archives, Vatican City (protecting the church's secrets)

In March 2020, historians were granted rare access to files stored in the Vatican secret archives. German researchers there found documents dating to World War II indicating that the Catholic Church was aware of the Holocaust some time before they acknowledged it. The damning papers suggesting a cover-up are among centuries of closely-guarded records including letters, state papers, and accounts kept in the vault.

Some say the archives contain proof of aliens and demons. It's also alleged that documents show the Church was involved in fascist activities in the mid-1900s. However, only the most learned of educators and scholars are granted access to the Vatican's files after a rigorous vetting process. Casual visitors will never know what secrets live there.

Ise Grand Shrine, Japan (protecting a sacred shrine)

Japan is a nation with a rich culture of temples and shrines. It is thought there are more than 80,000 shrines sprinkled across its islands. Perhaps most notable is the Ise Grand Shrine. It's a complex building, believed to be the most expensive in the country due to its intricate architecture. It's renovated every two decades, an undertaking that costs around one million dollars. The process represents death and rebirth, a pillar of the Shinto religion. Only members of Japan's imperial family are allowed to enter this sacred building. Tourists may only admire its beauty from afar.