Paldiski Nuclear Submarine Training Center, Former Soviet submarine training base in Paldiski, Estonia
This is a massive site filled with old military buildings that stand quietly against a flat landscape, surrounded by nature slowly reclaiming the space and a calm atmosphere that feels like stepping back in time to the Cold War era.
The center was built in the early 1960s as a top-secret Soviet base for training submarine crews, it was the largest of its kind in the Soviet Union, and after Estonia regained independence in the 1990s, the area was partially cleaned up and secured.
The place reflects the complex history of Soviet military presence in Estonia, and its silent structures remind people of Cold War tensions and the efforts related to nuclear safety, making it a symbol of a past that demands respect and reflection for many visitors.
The area is now protected and closely guarded, and access is restricted for safety reasons, so if you plan to visit, it is wise to learn beforehand about the current regulations and available opportunities for exploring the surrounding area.
Walking around this site, you notice how nature is slowly reclaiming the space, with long grasses and wildflowers growing between the cracks of concrete, giving the area a peaceful and mysterious atmosphere where the past seems to quietly rise from the ground.
Location: Paldiski linn
Location: Lääne-Harju vald
Operator: AS A.L.A.R.A.
Address: Paldiski, 76806 Harju County, Estonia
Website: https://alara.ee/hallatavad-objektid
GPS coordinates: 59.36111,24.10674
Latest update: December 3, 2025 15:05
This collection brings together underground military sites, strategic bunkers, and highly secured installations across the world. Many of these places were built during the Cold War, when nuclear threats pushed governments to create protected command centers deep under mountains or in remote areas. Some remain active today, serving national security purposes, while others have been decommissioned but preserve their massive concrete structures and tunnels. Though their existence is known from public sources, access remains strictly forbidden. The sites include the Raven Rock Mountain Complex in Pennsylvania, carved deep into the Appalachian Mountains with tunnels stretching for miles through solid rock, and the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station in Colorado, where rooms rest on massive springs inside the Rocky Mountains to absorb shocks from potential attacks. In Russia, the Skalisty submarine base serves nuclear submarines through underground piers carved directly into rock along the Barents Sea. RAF Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire spreads across a wide area marked by white geodesic domes that protect satellite antennas, while the Svalbard Global Seed Vault lies embedded in arctic permafrost, storing millions of plant seeds behind thick concrete walls. These places show how governments sought to protect command systems, military operations, and even biological reserves by building deep into mountains or along remote coastlines, creating installations that remain largely hidden from public view.
Monument to Salawat Yulayev, Paldiski
3 km
Leetse manor
1.4 km
Pakri Lighthouse
4.9 km
Pakri Cliff
4.9 km
Paldiski Fortress
3.4 km
Paldiski Cliff
3.3 km
Pakri juga
4.5 km
St George Church, Paldiski
3.2 km
Kersalu waterfall
4.3 km
St. Nicholas' Church, Paldiski
3.3 km
Valli juga
3 km
Leetse-Lepiku talu kalmistu
3.1 km
Uuga Cliff
4 km
Põllküla juga
3.6 km
Leetse Cliff
2.7 km
Saint Pantaleon Church in Paldiski
3.2 km
Leetse Lodukivi
1.4 km
Paldiski town cemetery
3.1 km
Neosti kivikülv
2 km
Paldiski luteri kalmistu
2.9 km
Paldiski II maailmasõja matmispaik
3 km
Leetse suured rahnud
1.3 km
Amandus Adamson's house
2.9 km
Station building of Paldiski train station
3.2 km
Karl Friedrich Kalk
3.3 km
Eesti sõduritund
3.2 km
Amandus Adamson
3.3 km
Waterfall
1.3 kmReviews
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