ZKP Tagansky Cold War Museum

On a quiet side street near Taganskaya pl sits a nondescript neoclassical building. This is the gateway to the secret Cold War–era communications centre, ZKP Tagansky. Operated during the Cold War by Central Telephone and Telegraph, the facility was meant to serve as the communications headquarters in the event of a nuclear attack. As such, the building was just a shell and served as entry into the 7000-sq-metre space that is 60m underground.

Now managed by private interests, the facility is being converted into a sort of museum dedicated to the Cold War. Unfortunately, not much remains from that era. The vast place is nearly empty, except for a few exhibits set up for the benefit of visitors, such as a scale model of the facility.

Visitors are herded into a small elevator and whisked downwards for 18 stories to the museum. A 20-minute film about the history of the Cold War is followed by a guided tour of the four underground ‘blocks’, which are dark, dank and more than a little bit creepy. Through a locked door, visitors can hear the rumble of trains ploughing by – this facility is at the same depth underground as the Taganskaya metro station.

This new museum is a work in progress. Research about the activities that took place here in the past is ongoing, so it has the potential to provide a unique perspective on a secret and sexy subject. This may be your only opportunity to explore a secret underground Cold War command centre.