It looks like something out of a science fiction movie, inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone. A former top secret military object used by the Soviet Union, the mysterious giant antenna system called the Duga-3, was the origin of an extremely powerful but anonymous signal between 1976 to 1989. The sharp, tapping signal came without warning, disrupting broadcasts and communications worldwide. Transmission power on some woodpecker transmitters was estimated to be as high as 10 MW EIRP. It was built in the 70\’s as an early missile detection system (over-the-horizon radar system). It was also called the Steel Yard hence its distinctive appearance. The towers are incredible feats of engineering: the big ones measure 479 feet tall and spans a length of 2,460 feet (nearly half a mile). The antenna was deactivated in 1989.

credit:  Michael Kötter

Under the mountain there is an armoury, a channel, and a service, repair and equipment base for submarines. It had been built since 1957 until 1961 by military men, who were later accompanied by specialists in underground construction. It is also an anti-radiation shelter for 3000 people. The maximum width of the rocky ground is 126 meters. The channel has a length of 505 meters, a width of 6-8.5 meters and a depth of 6-8.5 meters. In 1991 the base was closed and the last submarine left in 1996. The base was opened as museum that show the armoury and the channel, but the access to mines, torpedoes and the service, repair and equipment base remain closed for regular viewers.

credit: Land Rover Our Planet