Our planet is bestowed with many places that are simply breath taking.
Some of these are natural and some are man made.
And that is why travellers all around the world look to travel to unknown places in
the search for the amazing.
And yet, there are a few places which they can’t,
simply because civilians are banned from visiting.
Let’s take a look at some of them.
19.
Vatican Secret Archives.
Considering that the church has been, and probably still is,
one of the most powerful organisations in the whole world,
it is but natural to assume that any papers related
to it will be important and worth a view.
But the church obviously thinks its history and transaction are worth protecting as all
of their papers are held in a secret archive
which one can only enter a rigorous application process.
And even then, they can only view what the church wants them to!
18.
North Sentinel Island.
This island off the coast of India has really picturesque beaches
and some stunning views of nature.
And yet, no one can enjoy any of that because visits have been banned by the government.
The reason is that the island is home to some native tribes who are extremely hostile
and reject contact with the outside world.
They are also pretty violent and have been known to kill those who step on the island.
So, to protect them and to protect visitors, going to the island is officially banned.
17.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
You know how everyone prepares for the apocalypse?
Like Noah with his ark and all that?
Turns out, we have also been preparing for something like that.
The Global seed vault in Svalbard has the capacity to hold seeds of 4.5 million types
of plants and currently holds about 1 million.
The whole purpose is to preserve the seeds in the case of a regional or global crisis!
Wonder if they should start stocking animals as well!
16.
Lascaux caves.
In south-western France, there is a cave which has over 900 best preserved examples of prehistoric
art.
They offer a simply amazing view and makes one wonder at the strides that human beings
have taken since they decided to walk on two legs.
Unfortunately though, entering the caves is actually forbidden since 1963 because there
have been a series of unexplained fungal attacks
and any human presence is potentially destructive to the caves!
15.
Area 51.
Perhaps the most famous site in the world which normal civilians are not allowed to
visit is the Area 51 in the US.
Although it has been around for long time,
the US government only acknowledged its existence very recently.
The area is supposed to contain a highly secret military base
where many weapons and planes are tested and developed.
Some are even of the opinion that this is where aliens and their ships are being held
and studied!
Whatever the reason, Area 51 is off limits to everyone and is even a no fly zone!
14.
Surtsey island.
In Iceland, recent volcanic activity has given rise to one of the youngest islands in the world
Surtsey.
But while it may be very exciting to exciting to check out new land, it is actually forbidden
for anyone to step on the island.
Except if you are part of a small group of scientists who study it to see how natural
ecological evolutions takes place without outside interference.
Pretty intense, right?
13.
Metro 2.
What war does is that it creates a lot of paranoia.
The case in point being the Metro 2, which is basically a secret underground metro system
built when the official metro system was being built.
It basically connected the important government institutions like Kremlin,
the General staff academy and others and is rumoured to be longer than the official metro!
Till date, civilians are not allowed to enter this metro line!
That is not surprising actually since the government has neither confirmed nor denied
its existence in the first place!
12.
Coca Cola Vault.
Perhaps the most favourite drink in the world, Coca Cola has had many loyal fans over the year.
In fact, what many may not know is that Santa Claus’s iconic red dress was a part of Coca
Cola’s marketing strategy!
But while many have marvelled at the taste of Coca Cola, not many know of its recipe.
It is kept under heavy guard and is one of the best kept secrets in the world.
Located in the World of Coca Cola museum, it is said that there are only 2 people in
the world who have access to it!
11.
North Brother Island.
Situated on the banks of New York’s East river,
the north brother island has a very gloomy history.
It was established as a quarantine hospital and was home to the infamous Typhoid Mary
before becoming a drug rehab centre for teenage drug addicts.
The island has seen its share of death and pain and perhaps that is why it is forbidden
to actually visit it.
Many believe that the tormented spirits are still around
there so not many want to visit it in the first place!
But while that may be a conjecture, it is today a bird sanctuary as well!
10.
Spy Museum.
In China, there is a museum dedicated to spies.
And come on, if that doesn’t excite you, not much else will!
The Jiangsu national security education museum holds many secrets like tiny pistols,
hidden cameras and concealed wiretaps.
But unfortunately, you can only visit the museum if you are a certified citizen of China,
as the government believes the displays are far too sensitive to be shown to outsiders!
And even Chinese citizens are not allowed to take photos inside!
9.
Bank of England Vaults.
While the vaults in a bank are not usually open to public,
there is extra security in this one!
Located on threadneedle street in London,
the bank of England’s vaults contains almost 20% of the entire gold in the world!
The estimated value of the approximately 5134 tons of gold inside is 248 billion dollars!
No wonder it is one of the most heavily guarded places on Earth!
8.
Chichen Itza Museum.
The mayans were one of the earliest civilizations in the world
and any relic associated with them is a prized possession.
And one of the most famous Mayan ruins is the Chichen Itza, located in Mexico.
The site is so famous that it attracts almost 1.5 million visitors every year.
But one of the major attractions there, the El Castillo pyramid is not accessible to the public.
The reason for that is that a woman died in 2006 after tumbling from the top of the pyramid!
7.
Heard Island.
Now this one is something which is very difficult to access, even if it was open to the public!
Located between Madagascar and Antarctica,
Heard islands are home to two active volcanoes
and is composed mostly of limestone and debris from eruptions.
In 1996, the Australian government banned people from entering the island without permission
to preserve its ecology as it is supposed to be very fragile!
6.
Pravcicka Brana.
This magnificent sight in the Czech Republic is one which is sure to take your breath away.
The Pravcicka Brana is the largest sandstone arch in Europe and used to be a popular tourist spot.
However, since 1982, visitors are not allowed on the arch as it leads to erosion
which kind of makes the whole arch unstable.
In fact, scientists think that even without human interference, natural degradation may
lead to the arch collapsing soon.
Well we think that if it does, its best not to have people on it when it does!
5.
Poveglia Island.
The plague brought many horrors to Europe.
And to deal with it, many countries had to resort to extreme measures.
The Poveglia island in Italy is one such which was used as a quarantine centre.
It supposedly was home to 160,000 infected people
who lived out the last of their miserable end here.
In fact, so many people died here that almost half of the soil is supposedly made of human remains!
And not just that, the island became home to a mental asylum later on
where many were allegedly tortured and killed.
The dark history of the island is enough to convince almost anyone to not visit it
and even if, for some reason, they wanted to visit it, it is officially closed to the public.
4.
Tomb of Qin Shi Huang.
The Qin dynasty is perhaps the most ancient one in China.
It is no wonder then that the tomb of its founder
and the first emperor of China is considered a sacred place.
The complex consists of many caverns which hold all things that the Emperor might need in the afterlife,
including a reproduction of his army, known poetically as the Terracotta army!
The tomb of the emperor however is still underground and the Chinese government does not allow
anyone to even go looking for it.
Perhaps they never will, in order to not disrespect their first Emperor!
3.
Mezhgorye.
While there are many facilities and sites that are off limits,
there is an entire town in Russia which is closed to the general public!
Mezhgorye is a small town in Russia where some highly classified work goes on around mount yamantaw.
What that is, we may never know!
But conspiracy theorists have speculated a secret nuclear program,
a repository of Russian treasures, a large bunker and even a huge warehouse of coal!
2.
Snake Island.
With a name like that, it is really not likely that too many people would want to visit it.
About 90 miles from Sao Paulo lies the Snake island which pretty much lives up to its name.
It is home to about 4000 snakes spread over a 110 acres.
That is 1 snake in every 6 square yards!
Not to mention that some snakes, like the golden lancehead, are extremely poisonous
and can even melt human flesh!
The government has banned people from entering the island not only because it is obviously dangerous
but also because of poaching concerns.
1.
Bohemian Grove.
If there was ever a place where the most powerful men in the world met, it would most definitely
be a heavily guarded one.
Not to mention someplace normal humans could not enter.
And while you would be right in thinking that that is a stuff of spy stories, the Bohemian
grove is an actual place where top secret meetings between the most powerful of men
have been held.
In fact, the Manhattan project was given birth here which led to the creation of the first
atomic bomb!
No wonder that it is a site which is closed to the general public!
If you have ever visited a top secret place, or some place which is forbidden, do share
your experiences in the comments section below.
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