Secret cities & lightning towers: 5 breathtaking Soviet-era sites (VIDEO)

The Soviet Union gave the world an impressive array of architecture, ranging from ordinary apartment blocks to futuristic generators. RT’s ubiquitous drones have buzzed some of those now abandoned sites to collect the most amazing views.

(1) Secret city in Latvia

Skrunda-1, a former Soviet secret city located in modern-day Latvia, was constructed in the 1960s to spy on Western Europe. It boasted two Dnepr radar installations, which were used during the Cold war. 

(2) Prison-turned-swimming-spot in Estonia

This one is footage of Estonia’s most beautiful swimming spot in Rummu, a municipality in the Vasalemma Parish of Harju County. It is highly popular among diving enthusiasts. Until very recently there was an ex-Soviet prison functioning at the site. The facility is now underwater, however, which obviously gives an adrenaline rush to those who reach the bottom. 

(3) Abandoned hospital in Moscow, Russia

Mystery and mysticism have surrounded one of the largest abandoned buildings in Moscow, the multi-purpose Hovrino hospital, since the very first day of its construction in 1981. RT’s drone provides a unique chance to get a bird’s eye view of the building’s unusual shape.

Thanks to the ability of drones to reach the most remote and previously inaccessible locations, we now have a chance to see the striking view from the top of a nuclear reactor.

(4) Vogelsang military base in Germany

This reminder of the Soviet military’s glorious past comes from a site not so far (64 km) from Berlin, Germany. The military base, which was called Vogelsang, was home to more than 15,000 soldiers and their families in its day. It was fully functional until the troops withdrew in 1994.

(5) Tesla Tower outside Moscow

To top them all off, here is the stunning and actually not so abandoned Soviet ‘Tesla Tower’ that was constructed in the 1970s in a secluded forest of Russia’s Moscow Region. It is said to have an outstanding charge capacity equaling Russia’s entire electrical output.