Abandoned Ionospheric Research Station

"QUANTUM SHOT" #292
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Rusting Giant Antennas in the Middle of Ukrainian Forest

Continuing the theme of our "Creepy High Voltage Installations" article, this research station (though not completely abandoned) is just as big, full of rust and bizarre "post-apocalyptic" atmosphere.

During the 80s this place had the functioning antenna complex the size of a soccer field, plus the "Ural" super-computer presiding over it all... The Ionospheric Research Station is located near Zmiev, close to Kharkov and is still used from time to time by (no doubt desperate) scientists - the area was declassified recently (it used to be a top secret installation, hm... I wonder why). This marvel of Soviet technology seems to be no match for HAARP Research Station in Alaska, but looks can be deceiving - and in the meantime it serves as a good "stomping ground" for all sorts of explorers of creepy and abandoned places.

The High Frequency Transmitter and Antenna Array

The biggest antenna is capable of producing 25 MW impulse power (compare it to the HAARP station's 12.5 MW) and is 25 meters in diameter. The IS (incoherent scatter) radar is quite unique (there are only 9 in the world) and covers 100 meter x 100 meter area.

The trees and bushes are slowly reclaiming the territory:

Various gorgeous scientific equipment seems to be well-preserved since the Cold War days:

Ring... Ring...
"Comrade Petrov?... Point the main transmitter to these coordinates and incinerate the war-mongering imperialist spy satellite out of the sky!"

Next James Bond adventure should definitely feature a villain climbing one of these babies:

The steel lattice-work is quite impressive:

Images are courtesy Neal, from KharkovForum and Fata-Morgana from Sun-Skadi site.

The similar, but better-maintained facility is located in Irkutsk. Here is a link to an informative (but very slow) English-language site.

Something else is lurking inside the Russian forest, the remains of an open-air cinema (!), for example:

or these bizarre structures that we can't identify yet:
(the location of these may not be necessarily Russia, so we'd like to hear what they really are)

UPDATE: This is an old granite quarry near Krakow, Poland. See more atSilent Wall and here. Plus a Google map location (thanks Marcin Derecki).

Marcin writes:
"It's called "Liban's Quarry". The place was open till late 60's. Now it's closed.
At the time of Second World War near this place was a concenration camp. In 1992 Steven Spielberg was making the movie "Schindler's List" in this quarry. I live about 1 km from that place."

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