The Red Square, St. Basil`s Cathedral, Tretyakov Gallery, the Bolshoi Theatre are amongst the “standard” must-see attractions in Moscow for a foreign traveller. However, there is a number of places in Moscow foreign tourists are rarely shown. One of them is restricted USSR military object – Secured Command Post «Taganskiy» (GO-42), located 65 meters underground.

Kotelnicheskii Pereulok in Taganskiy district of Moscow is a street many citizens have walked down thousand times but few people know that deep under their feet the long tunnels of the Secured Command Post «Taganskiy» are situated. The entrance to the formerly secret object is carefully masked in an ordinary-looking 2-storey yellow building.

The object was constructed in the 1950`s during the Cold War period to provide trouble-free telephone and telegraph communication for the state leaders in case of a nuclear attack. In the 60`s the object was equipped as a nuclear attack autonomous sanctuary, and in the 80`s, when the nuclear tensions between the USSR and the USA eased, the object started to fall in a state of decay.

In 2006 the object was bought out at an auction by a private company, reconstructed, and opened to the city citizens and tourists. Now it is one of the few atmospheric places in Moscow that keep a strong feel of the USSR strength and might.

Getting inside the bunker is like travelling on a time-machine. As soon as you are inside, you forget that outside is the 21st century. Slightly lit tunnels, heavy steel constructions, old Soviet communication facilities, and even an “ancient” but still functional soda water machine…

For it is highly wet in the bunker, tourists are advised to wear proper shoes; here and there water is dropping from the ceiling. The bunker is located on the same level with Taganskaya subway station and it is possible to get to the subway rail tracks from the tunnels, but due to some understandable reasons tourists are not allowed to do that. Down inside the bunker you can hear the rattle and vibration produced by the subway trains.

An excursion to Secured Command Post «Taganskiy» is amongst the most unforgettable and unusual experiences one can get in Moscow.