Closed City - Explanation

Explanation

Closed cities were not represented on any maps, except classified ones. There were no road signs or similar designations for closed cities, and they were omitted from railroad time tables. Bus routes to closed cities were shown as going to a nearby tiny village, with the stop nearest the closed city named "47km" etc. For mail delivery, a closed city is usually named as the nearest large city and a number, e.g. Arzamas-16, Chelyabinsk-65. These can be rather distant from their namesakes, for instance, Sarov, designated Arzamas-16, is in the federal republic of Mordovia, whereas Arzamas is in the Nizny Novgorod region. People not dwelling in a closed city were subject to document checks and security checkpoints, and explicit permission was required for them to visit. To relocate to the closed city, one would need security clearance by the KGB.

The closed city was sometimes guarded by a security perimeter with barbed wire and towers, much like a penal camp. This did not limit the freedom of the residents, who could easily cross the perimeter via the security checkpoint. The very fact of such a city's existence was often classified, and residents were expected not to divulge to outsiders their place of residence. This lack of freedom was often compensated by better housing conditions and a better choice of goods in retail trade than elsewhere in the country. Also, in the USSR, people working with classified information received a salary bonus.