Sarov
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Sarov (Саро́в) is a town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia.
Formerly it was known as Kremlyovsk and Arzamas-16 and was considered a "closed city" generally off limits to foreigners. Much of the city was built by German POWs and the architecture has a definite German / European flavor. The city also houses the Russian "Atomic Bomb" museum which has a number of "shells" of Soviet-era nuclear weapons and photographs of those involved in their production. Most access is by train, which, after a security stop and inspection, is allowed into the city to disembark passengers. A small airport on the facility is generally for government aircraft only, and visitors usually fly to Nizhny Novgorod airport and then drive three hours.
It was a major research center for nuclear weapons during the Soviet era. The city is surrounded by fences that are patrolled by the military. Many foreigners who visit are forced to surrender their passport, phone and camera to Russian security while they are in the facility, though some documentary filmmakers have shot footage inside the city walls.
See also:
External links
- Sarov Information from the Nuclear Cities Initiative Website (http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/na-20/nci/cities_sarov.shtml)