Every year, hundreds of tourists make the perilous climb to the top of a degrading nuclear lighthouse in far-eastern Russia.
The abandoned structure is perched on a remote rock at Cape Aniva, which requires a 90-minute drive from the nearest settlement, with tourists then having to embark on a two-hour boat journey to get to the final destination.
Once arrived at the location, they then have to use ropes to rock climb their way up to the base of the lighthouse, which stands at 100ft above the sea. Being built nine-storeys tall, in an exposed position, means the light could be beamed up to 19 nautical miles away.
The nuclear-powered lighthouse once used a light that revolved on a bed of liquid mercury. The Soviets installed "atomic batteries" to power the lighthouse, using a radioisotope thermoelectric generator. It would convert the heat generated by nuclear decay into electricity to power the lighthouse.
These types of battery provide reliable power for up to ten years, making it ideal for lighthouses in remote locations. The tower was powered by these atomic batteries up until 2006, when it was finally abandoned. All workers at the lighthouse were withdrawn in 1990 by the USSR.
The structure once housed 12 crew at a time, who stayed in living quarters due to its remote location. Tourists are able to visit and look around the sleeping areas, alongside the lighthouse’s former control room. The view from the top of the giant structure is said to be a main pull for tourists.
Travel expert Dmitri Kulikov told the Russia Beyond website that: “The lighthouse is in satisfactory condition for now. It is still safe to visit, but it may soon become dangerous, as there are parts that have begun to deteriorate.
“While the tower is made of concrete, parts of the brickwork, metal doors and structures have begun to rust badly.”
On the lighthouse’s pull, he continued: “When tourists get there for the first time, it always has a ‘wow-effect’ on them. The lighthouse looks epic: rugged, unyielding, it stands in the middle of the sea and overhangs a steep cliff.
“It’s completely grey now, but, if you look closely, you can see that it used to be coloured in stripes.
“It conveys an impression of total abandonment.”
