The Awesomest Secret Lairs

The Awesomest Secret Lairs

 

Alarms going off, panic in the streets, Internet and radio signals down – when civilization is crashing down, you’re going to need a secret lair to hide out in if you want to survive whatever doom is creeping up the road. With the recent news of Bin Laden’s takedown, we thought we’d take a look at some famous secret hideouts, lairs, bunkers and palaces around the world. Some of these places are still in use, some long defunct, but at the time they all did their job – protect and conceal.

Bin Laden Compound – Abbottabad, Pakistan: Let’s kick things off with the lair of the guy on everyone’s mind, Bin Laden himself. Fifteen foot high walls topped off with razor wire, protected Bin Laden in this 8 bedroom house that looks more like a large crack den than the mansion of an international terrorist.

RAF Menwith Hill Secret Base – Yorkshire, England: Housing British and US personnel, the Death Star looking dome is part of a secret compound reported to be the biggest spy base in the world. Run by the National Security Agency, little is known about what goes on inside, with a “ask no questions, get no answers” mentality.

US Bullion Depository – Fort Knox, KY: When you’re housing over 5,000 tons of gold you’re going to need a high security, near impenetrable fortress. Very few photographs and only one video of the depository’s interior is available, adding to the conspiracy theories of what exactly goes on inside Fort Knox. What we do know, is that each gold bar weighs 40lbs and is protected behind 21 inch thick steel doors and heavily armed military police.

Bran Castle – Transylvania, Romania: Home to the man that spawned Dracula, the castle was built in the 13th century and housed Vlad “The Impaler” Draculae. Not the nicest of guys, Vlad enjoyed such pastimes as impaling his enemies on wooden stakes and watching them squirm while enjoying his dinner. Medieval castles don’t get much spookier than this place.

The Congressional Bunker at the Greenbrier Hotel – West Virgina: Things weren’t so stable in 1960 with the Cold War placing some serious nuclear tension between the US and Russia. Which is exactly why we needed an underground bunker that can accommodate up to 800 VIPs, should all hell break loose. Today, the secret bunker is part of a tour available to guests of the Greenbrier who may be bored of the golf course.

Robber’s Cave – Oklahoma: This secret hideout may have lacked the steel doors, razor wire or military protection of other hideouts, but it was perfect for outlaws on the run. In the years following the Civil War, the cave was a sanctuary for such notable bandits as Jesse James, Belle Starr and the James-Younger Gang. Not so secret anymore, the cave is now part of a popular state park.

Fuhrerbunker – Berlin: Wow, could this place look any creepier?! It actually looks like exactly the type of place one would expect an evil mastermind like Adolf Hitler to hideout in his final days. Thirty small rooms and two levels (one eight meters underground) made up the bunker where Hitler and his wife would commit suicide during WWII.

Area 51 – Southern Nevada: There’s so many conspiracy theories floating around about this place. Who’s to say exactly what has gone on and what currently goes on at the military base – the US Govt. doesn’t acknowledge the area much and would generally like to keep things that way. However, if the military does have evidence of extraterrestrial life, it’s probable that Area 51 is involved.

Saddam Hussein’s Al Faw Palace – Baghdad, Iraq: Okay, so it wasn’t so secret, but still, that’s a pretty impressive lair for a ruthless dictator. The massive estate contains 62 rooms, 29 bathrooms, private lake and is surrounded by high security walls.  Now that Saddam isn’t using it any longer, the palace is home to the US Army and site of Camp Victory.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault – Norwegian island of Spitsbergen: This icy chamber is described as a “dooms day vault” for that exact purpose – global disaster, end of the world type sh$%.  Built deep inside a mountain, the complex with only one entrance is meant to withstand any kind of disaster and preserve seeds in case of a global crop extinction. Pretty extreme stuff.