On the vast surface of this Earth, it is
safe to say, there are many places unexplored by mankind. There are,
however, places and things that have been explored and are known to man
but at present time restricted to the general public for viewing unless
it is for academic purposes (only in some places). Curiosity has been
known to kill the cat but these places are safely nestled away from
prying eyes. Attention to all inquisitive minds, this is a list of
places that are closed off to people for access but definitely spark the
curiosity.
Lascaux Caves, France
The Lascaux Caves, known to house some of
the best well-known Upper Paleolithic Art, is situated near the village
of Montignac in Dordogne. The paintings are approximately 17,300 years
old according to estimation. They are largely paintings of animals that
were said to have lived in the region during that time (based on fossils
collected in the area). Lascaux was included in the UNESCO World
Heritage Sites in 1979 alongwith other historical sites in the
surrounding area of the Vezere Valley.
Lascaux has been closed to
the public since 1963 because the carbon dioxide produced by visitors
were damaging the paintings. Currently, however, they are dealing with
the problem of fungus which could be attributed to the air conditioning
system, the high-powered lighting or the presence of still too many
visitors. Therefore, at the moment, only one person is allowed inside,
to check the conditions, every week for 20 minutes.
Vatican Secret Archives, Vatican City
The Vatican's Secret Archives, in the
Vatican city, is located near the Vatican Library. They comprise of
various documentations of the church and many more stores of knowledge
pertaining to the church. Pope Paul V in the 17th century divided the
Vatican Library from the Archives keeping it closed to outsiders, save
for limited access to scholars, untill the 18th Century when they were
opened to researchers by Pope Lepo XIII.
The ownership of the
archives is in the hands of the pope and remains so untill the next one
is appointed. They're not exactly secret archives but more belong to the
pope and special permission in the form of an application needs to be
handed in to be able to access them. The archives have 84 km of shelving
in only the selective category and the indexes must be checked in the
Index Room and restored to their original place after use. Publication
of the archives in any form is prohibited.
The Jiangsu National Security Education Museum, China
Stories of espionage have plagued the
general population for a long time with no real proof of activity but in
China there is a museum dedicated to it which holds records and gizmos
from the founding of the Communist Party's Central Committee espionage
department to the 1980s. Rules for entry certify that you have to be a
Chinese national because the government doesn't want any foreigners
having access to the spying tactics of China. You can find a crazy
collection of gadgets here used in espionage like miniature cameras,
guns cloaked as lipstick, maps concealed in decks of cards and much
more. Photography is forbidden in the museum even by Chinese nationals.
Niihau, Hawaii
Niihau, the 7th largest inhabited island
of Hawaii, was bought by a Scottish homemaker in 1864 from the Kingdom
of Hawaii and was passed on to her heirs. This island has no paved roads
or stores, restaurants, electricity and indoor plumbing but has the
only entirely solar-powered school in the country.
The island was
shut off to public to conserve the native wildlife and culture. Even
local inhabitants or natives need special permission for their relatives
to visit. The island actually has the nickname "The Forbidden Isle".
Pine Gap, Australia
Pine Gap is a satellite tracking station
managed by the governments of both Australia and the United States. The
place has about 800 employees and is located in Central Australia,
southwest of Alice Springs.
The location is key due to the fact that
it controls America's spy satellites that go over areas like Russia,
China and the Middle-Eastern Oil Fields. The destination was meant as a
strategic move to avoid detection(interception of signals) by spy ships
passing.
The Negev Nuclear Research Center, Israel
Located on the Southeast of Dimona, the
Negev Nuclear Research Center, as the name suggests is a Nuclear
facility that is highly classified. While Israel accepts the place
exists, the purpose of the place is ambiguous. There has been a lot of
speculation surrounding the place for a long time and the place has had
strong defences protecting it from any kind of destruction as much as
possible. After much debate about the safety of the reactor, estimated
to have been able to produce 100 to 200 nuclear bombs by the year 2000,
it was shut down in 2012. The reason cited for this was that the
government feared it sensitive to attack from Iran.
Ise Grand Shrine, Japan
A Shinto shrine dedicated to goddess
Amaterasu-ōmikami, the Ise Grand Shrine, comprises of two main shrines
and close to 125 more. The site is only accessible to the priest or
priestess who is chosen from the Japanese Imperial family. An
interesting part about the place is that every 20 years the two main
buildings - Naiku (Inner Shrine) and Geku (Outer Shrine) - in the Ise
Jingu Shrine are rebuilt as a practice of passing on age-old building
ways from one generation to another. Another reason for this practice is
the Shinto belief of the shortness of life and the revival that happens
in death. The blueprints that are used to rebuild the place are almost
1,000 years old.
Poveglia, Italy
A small island situated between Venice
and Lido, Poveglia, became the island of the damned. In the 13th
century, all inhabitants were moved due to foreign attack, at which time
a fortification called the Octagon was built on the island that is
still visible. The island remained uninhabited untill the 17th century
when it became a check point for things going to and from Venice. The
island was quarantined when some ships brought in the plague and then
became a dumping group for the diseased and deceased.
In the 19th
century there buildings were converted into an asylum but was closed in
1968 and remained uninhabited again untill recently when there was an
attempt to restore the place but construction was stopped mid-way
without reason. The place is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the
plague victims and a doctor who apparently abused and mutilated his
insane victims.
Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, Ethiopia
Known to house the original Ark of the
Covenant, The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, is said to be closed off
to everybody except one monk who can enter the temple. This is due to
the sacred nature of the Ark of the Covenant, because of which nobody
else is allowed to lay eyes on it.
Metro-2, Russia
Metro-2 is the name given to a secret
underground metro system, supposedly started during the time of Joseph
Stalin, that exceeds the public metro. The legend is said to be
perpetuated and started by people who have claimed to help build the
place. However, all the information is disparaged due to there being no
pictures or documentation to support the theory. The metro is said to
connect places of national importance and managed by the Main
Directorate of Special Programs and the Ministry of Defense.
On the vast surface of this Earth, it is
safe to say, there are many places unexplored by mankind. There are,
however, places and things that have been explored and are known to man
but at present time restricted to the general public for viewing unless
it is for academic purposes (only in some places). Curiosity has been
known to kill the cat but these places are safely nestled away from
prying eyes. Attention to all inquisitive minds, this is a list of
places that are closed off to people for access but definitely spark the
curiosity.
Lascaux Caves, France
The Lascaux Caves, known to house some of
the best well-known Upper Paleolithic Art, is situated near the village
of Montignac in Dordogne. The paintings are approximately 17,300 years
old according to estimation. They are largely paintings of animals that
were said to have lived in the region during that time (based on fossils
collected in the area). Lascaux was included in the UNESCO World
Heritage Sites in 1979 alongwith other historical sites in the
surrounding area of the Vezere Valley.
Lascaux has been closed to
the public since 1963 because the carbon dioxide produced by visitors
were damaging the paintings. Currently, however, they are dealing with
the problem of fungus which could be attributed to the air conditioning
system, the high-powered lighting or the presence of still too many
visitors. Therefore, at the moment, only one person is allowed inside,
to check the conditions, every week for 20 minutes.
Vatican Secret Archives, Vatican City
The Vatican's Secret Archives, in the
Vatican city, is located near the Vatican Library. They comprise of
various documentations of the church and many more stores of knowledge
pertaining to the church. Pope Paul V in the 17th century divided the
Vatican Library from the Archives keeping it closed to outsiders, save
for limited access to scholars, untill the 18th Century when they were
opened to researchers by Pope Lepo XIII.
The ownership of the
archives is in the hands of the pope and remains so untill the next one
is appointed. They're not exactly secret archives but more belong to the
pope and special permission in the form of an application needs to be
handed in to be able to access them. The archives have 84 km of shelving
in only the selective category and the indexes must be checked in the
Index Room and restored to their original place after use. Publication
of the archives in any form is prohibited.
The Jiangsu National Security Education Museum, China
Stories of espionage have plagued the
general population for a long time with no real proof of activity but in
China there is a museum dedicated to it which holds records and gizmos
from the founding of the Communist Party's Central Committee espionage
department to the 1980s. Rules for entry certify that you have to be a
Chinese national because the government doesn't want any foreigners
having access to the spying tactics of China. You can find a crazy
collection of gadgets here used in espionage like miniature cameras,
guns cloaked as lipstick, maps concealed in decks of cards and much
more. Photography is forbidden in the museum even by Chinese nationals.
Niihau, Hawaii
Niihau, the 7th largest inhabited island
of Hawaii, was bought by a Scottish homemaker in 1864 from the Kingdom
of Hawaii and was passed on to her heirs. This island has no paved roads
or stores, restaurants, electricity and indoor plumbing but has the
only entirely solar-powered school in the country.
The island was
shut off to public to conserve the native wildlife and culture. Even
local inhabitants or natives need special permission for their relatives
to visit. The island actually has the nickname "The Forbidden Isle".
Pine Gap, Australia
Pine Gap is a satellite tracking station
managed by the governments of both Australia and the United States. The
place has about 800 employees and is located in Central Australia,
southwest of Alice Springs.
The location is key due to the fact that
it controls America's spy satellites that go over areas like Russia,
China and the Middle-Eastern Oil Fields. The destination was meant as a
strategic move to avoid detection(interception of signals) by spy ships
passing.
The Negev Nuclear Research Center, Israel
Located on the Southeast of Dimona, the
Negev Nuclear Research Center, as the name suggests is a Nuclear
facility that is highly classified. While Israel accepts the place
exists, the purpose of the place is ambiguous. There has been a lot of
speculation surrounding the place for a long time and the place has had
strong defences protecting it from any kind of destruction as much as
possible. After much debate about the safety of the reactor, estimated
to have been able to produce 100 to 200 nuclear bombs by the year 2000,
it was shut down in 2012. The reason cited for this was that the
government feared it sensitive to attack from Iran.
Ise Grand Shrine, Japan
A Shinto shrine dedicated to goddess
Amaterasu-ōmikami, the Ise Grand Shrine, comprises of two main shrines
and close to 125 more. The site is only accessible to the priest or
priestess who is chosen from the Japanese Imperial family. An
interesting part about the place is that every 20 years the two main
buildings - Naiku (Inner Shrine) and Geku (Outer Shrine) - in the Ise
Jingu Shrine are rebuilt as a practice of passing on age-old building
ways from one generation to another. Another reason for this practice is
the Shinto belief of the shortness of life and the revival that happens
in death. The blueprints that are used to rebuild the place are almost
1,000 years old.
Poveglia, Italy
A small island situated between Venice
and Lido, Poveglia, became the island of the damned. In the 13th
century, all inhabitants were moved due to foreign attack, at which time
a fortification called the Octagon was built on the island that is
still visible. The island remained uninhabited untill the 17th century
when it became a check point for things going to and from Venice. The
island was quarantined when some ships brought in the plague and then
became a dumping group for the diseased and deceased.
In the 19th
century there buildings were converted into an asylum but was closed in
1968 and remained uninhabited again untill recently when there was an
attempt to restore the place but construction was stopped mid-way
without reason. The place is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the
plague victims and a doctor who apparently abused and mutilated his
insane victims.
Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, Ethiopia
Known to house the original Ark of the
Covenant, The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, is said to be closed off
to everybody except one monk who can enter the temple. This is due to
the sacred nature of the Ark of the Covenant, because of which nobody
else is allowed to lay eyes on it.
Metro-2, Russia
Metro-2 is the name given to a secret
underground metro system, supposedly started during the time of Joseph
Stalin, that exceeds the public metro. The legend is said to be
perpetuated and started by people who have claimed to help build the
place. However, all the information is disparaged due to there being no
pictures or documentation to support the theory. The metro is said to
connect places of national importance and managed by the Main
Directorate of Special Programs and the Ministry of Defense.
