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Most nations of the world have something to protect, an installation or building that
houses something incredibly important or immensely valuable.
To keep the treasured contents from falling into the wrong hands, highly-sophisticated
security measures and trained guards are employed, giving us these top ten most well-guarded
places on the planet.
Of course, we’re not guarding that subscribe button and bell, so while we’re not looking,
hit ‘em and click ‘em to be notified every time we upload a new Archive video.
10.
Vatican Secret Archives Is the Vatican’s repository of historical
religious texts and archives really that difficult to gain access to, considering it makes documents
public after 75 years?
Despite the illusion of openness, the Vatican Secret Archives are actually still very protected,
especially when it comes to documents dated after 1939 and the personal accounts of cardinals
from 1922 and beyond.
Entry can be requested by students of a higher education university that can provide a letter
written by said institute, but if you think you’re just walking in, the armed Swiss
Guards and Vatican City police force may have something to say about it.
If we only had that kind of security for our own Archives.
9.
The Secret Vaults of the Mormon Church Allegedly just a collection of genealogy and
historical records, the guarded vault in Granite Mountain seems to be one of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ greatest mysteries.
Thought to house over 2.4 million rolls of microfilm and who knows what other secrets,
the “Secret Vaults” are completely closed off to public access, which is enforced by
14-ton blast doors, the natural facing of Little Cottonwood Canyon, and frequent patrols.
Seemingly less concerned about documents going missing, the LDS prefers to keep the vault
locked tight to better regulate the climate and avoid document destruction.
8.
Alcatraz of the Rockies If the real world had an Arkham Asylum, chances
are the Alcatraz of the Rockies, better known as Supermax, would be it.
The worst of the worst wind up at this Florence, Colorado penitentiary, and the cemented walls
house such pillars of the community as “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, 1993 World Trade Center bomber
Ramzi Yousef, and, before his death, Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh.
To keep these villainous figures where they belong, Supermax employs solitary cells equipped
with cameras and microphones, motion detectors, pressure pads, 12’ (3.7 m) razor-wire fences,
heavily armed guards, and 1,400 remote-controlled steel doors, which can also be closed all
at once via a “panic button.”
7.
The Korean Demilitarized Zone If you think it’s easy to cross over the
160 miles (257 km) long border separating North and South Korea, well, let’s just
say it’s not like getting into Canada.
Or crossing any national border, for that matter.
Known for being the most heavily guarded border in the world, the DMZ dividing the two nations
was established by the Korean Armistice Agreement.
Ensuring no one crosses without consent, the DMZ is lined with landmines and protected
by heavily armed guards and barbed-wire fences.
Since the 2.5 miles (4 km) wide zone is so dangerous for humans, Mother Nature has had
a chance to move in and reclaim the land.
6.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Not only does the New York Federal Reserve
Bank secure gold for the United States government, foreign governments, private account holders,
and major banks, it’s where U.S. monetary policy is implemented.
With over 500,000 gold bars within, one can understand why the vault housing the abundance
of gold is protected by a 90-ton, 9’ tall (3 m) steel cylinder, a 140-ton steel-and-concrete
frame, 24-hour security monitoring, motion sensors, timed automatic locking, and the
armed Federal Reserve police force.
And then there’s the lengthy process involved every time the vault is opened, even for maintenance
purposes.
5.
Area 51 Whether it houses extraterrestrial corpses
or super-secret military gadgets, the public will never be given access to the inner workings
of Area 51.
How do we know for sure?
Well, the level of security present at the Nevada military base is a pretty good sign.
From helicopter and four-wheel scouts to motion detectors believed to be able to distinguish
between animal and human motion, the perimeter of Area 51 is an obstacle course of guards
and gadgets for trespassers.
How advanced the sensors scattered around the outskirts of the base is a topic of discussion,
with some claiming they can detect the scent of a person.
4.
Doomsday Seed Vault Housing over 930,000 different samples of
seeds, which consist of around 500 seeds per sample, the Doomsday Seed Vault, or Svalbard
Global Seed Vault, is a fail-safe for when everything goes down the tubes during a global
crisis.
Since it’s a back-up that could potentially save the planet, there’s some sense behind
the heavy security, which includes motion sensors, airlocks, 3.3’ (1 m) thick steel
reinforced concrete, and blast doors.
Of course, the vault’s isolation within a copper mine in the Arctic Circle should
be enough to keep it safe, but a flood in May of 2017 caused by melting snow and heavy
rain proved that there were still flaws in the vault’s design.
3.
Church of Scientology Vault There may be a general agreement as to how
crazy Scientologists sound in their practice, but if there’s one thing we should learn
from them, it’s secure storage.
Hidden in an underground complex in New Mexico, marked by two crop circles viewable only from
the sky, the vault is said to house steel plates and gold discs inscribed with teachings
of the faith.
Besides isolation, these plates are protected by 5,000-lb steel doors, armed guards, security
cameras, and security gates, all within a complex capable of withstanding a hydrogen
bomb.
2.
The White House As the residence of the President of the United
States and workplace of all factions of American government, the White House should be one
of the most secure structures in the country, and for the most part, it is.
An iron fence, secret service agents scattered about the property, and concrete barriers
to prevent vehicles from driving onto the property secure the exterior while infrared
sensors, bulletproof windows, restricted airspace monitored by radar and lasers, and food scanners
that check all food that enters the White House provide a greater sense of security.
Though runners still find their way onto the property, the Secret Service is quick to respond,
sometimes lethally. 1.
Fort Knox Pegged as the most secure vault in the world,
cracking into the bullion depository in the U.S. Army post of Fort Knox, Kentucky would
require getting around multiple levels of security to access a wealth of secrets and
gold.
Four-foot (1.2 m) thick granite walls, fire and bullet-proof tinted windows, manned security
stations, complex surveillance systems, and a 22-ton blast door all work together to protect
the contents of Fort Knox.
Before one even gets to the security measures, they’ll have to find a way around four barriers
and other suspected defenses like virtual trip wires, land mines, and a satellite defense
system.
Thanks for watching!
Do you know of other super-secure places around the world?
Let us know about them in the comments below.
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