Bunker-703

Bunker-703 is a former secure underground storage facility of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, now open as a museum of modern fortification. It is located in the Zamoskvorechye district of Moscow, at 2nd Novokuznetsky Lane, building 14, structure 1, next to the Paveletskaya metro station and across from the Rot Front confectionery factory. The structure has a technical connection to a service branch tunnel of the Moscow metro.

History

Construction of the deep underground facility began in the mid-20th century: work was already under way in 1953. The bunker was put into service on November 10, 1961. For 44 years it served as a secure storage facility for classified documents — the special archive of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2005, groundwater breached one of the facility's blocks, disrupting storage conditions, and the documents had to be urgently evacuated. Between 2005 and 2008 the site underwent partial reconstruction. In 2018 the bunker was handed over to a veterans' organization of security services, and in July that year it opened to visitors for the first time as a museum.

What to see

Today Bunker-703 operates as a museum of modern fortification. The underground section covers 1,216 square meters and consists of two levels connected by a thirty-meter passage. The tunnels are built from cast-iron tubing segments, the same kind used in metro construction. To reach the exhibition, visitors walk down to a depth of 42 meters.

The museum displays the former secret storage's equipment and documents and explains how such facilities were designed and used. One memorable part of the tour is the chance to trigger the siren that once warned of a nuclear attack.

How to get there

The nearest metro station is Paveletskaya. Bunker-703 can also be reached by buses B, K and n8 (a night route) and trams 3, 38 and 39; bus m5 stops at Vishnyakovsky Lane. The entrance to 2nd Novokuznetsky Lane is between the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Bolvanovka and the Rot Front confectionery factory.

Good to know

Visits are by advance booking only, and tours run in groups. Tickets can be bought on site about 10 minutes before a tour starts. There is street parking near the entrance: free on Sundays and public holidays, paid on other days.