The World’s Most Secure Buildings | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

From underground military bunkers to historic religious archives, explore some of the most secure buildings worldwide.

Key Insights

• 🚉 The Cheyenne Mountain complex in Colorado served as a vital Cold War facility and still functions as an Air Force training station and backup strategic command center.
• 🇻🇦 Access to the papal archives in the Vatican City is highly restricted and limited to academic scholars.
• 🔒 The United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox is renowned for its security measures, including granite walls, a blast-proof security door, and unique passcodes for staff.
• 🐕‍🦺 The underground data center operated by Bahnhof offers extreme security for internet services, with subterranean location, blast resistance, and backup generators.

Transcript

while almost every building incorporates elements to keep its occupants contents and the built asset itself safe some buildings take security to the extreme from underground military bunkers and gold reserves to historic and rarely accessed religious archives these are the world's most secure buildings built adjacent to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Fo... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the Cheyenne Mountain complex?

The Cheyenne Mountain complex is an underground facility in Colorado that served as the Center for NORAD and the United States Space Command during the Cold War. It can withstand a 30 Megaton nuclear blast and remains operational.

Q: Who has access to the papal archives?

Access to the papal archives is strictly limited to academic scholars who must renew their access requests every six months. Journalists, students, and amateur historians are not allowed entry.

Q: What is stored in the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox?

The United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox holds a significant portion of the United States gold reserves. It is heavily guarded and has strict access restrictions.

Q: How secure is the underground data center operated by Bahnhof?

The underground data center operated by Bahnhof is located 30 meters beneath a Granite Mountain and was originally a Cold War bunker. It can withstand a hydrogen bomb blast and has backup generators.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Cheyenne Mountain complex in Colorado, located 610 meters underground and built adjacent to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base, is capable of withstanding a 30 Megaton nuclear blast and remains operational. It is now used as an Air Force training station and backup strategic command center.

• The papal archives in the Vatican City house over 1200 years of historical documents and texts, with strict access granted only to academic scholars who have to renew their access requests every six months.

• The United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox holds large portions of the United States gold reserves and is heavily guarded by the United States Mint police. Access is highly restricted compared to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

• A secure underground data center operated by Swedish internet provider Bahnhof is located 30 meters beneath a Granite Mountain. It was originally a Cold War bunker and is capable of surviving a nuclear blast.

• The White House in Washington DC utilizes numerous security measures, including background checks for visitors, a flight exclusion zone, surface-to-air missile launchers positioned across the city, and infrared cameras to monitor the perimeter.