Fort Zverev

http://tbsf.livejournal.com/?skip=100

Built by engineer Konstantin Zverev in the 1870s, Fort Zverev now lies in ruins, with machine gun mounts, bunkers, and water tubes slowly rusting away.

But the part of Fort Zverev that feels truly nightmarish lies in the basement area, where in the 1970s, a fire erupted. However this wasn’t just any fire.

In this basement they stored a Russian alternative to napalm, and when it caught fire it reached temperatures of over 2000С, so hot in fact, that it literally melted the brick above it. In doing so it created a sort of artificial cave of red brick stalactites dripping down from above.

Today the fort, and its cave of dripping brick stalactites are still there, slowly falling back into the Russian countryside.

Know Before You Go

The Northern Forts are all near Kronstadt. Go to the subway station "Chernaja Rechka" (Black River) and take a minibus to Kronstadt and go forward. The way to Kronsdatd is through the dike. Please note that the minibuses don't stop on the dam because of police restrictions.The best season to visit the fort is in winter when the ice is frozen. This will allow you to walk in any direction by foot on the lake. Otherwise, a motor boats should be hired in Kronstadt for transport.