How the 1% are Prepping for the Apocalypse

I’m so excited to tell you about The Oppidum, billed as “the largest billionaire bunker in the world.” This top-secret facility, once a joint project between the former Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia), was built over 10 years beginning in 1984. The premiere apocalypse dwelling is a place that billionaires can live out the horrors of the apocalypse- be it zombie or other- in luxury with every amenity you could ever hope for.

But, The Oppidum isn’t alone. There are multiple doomsday luxury properties all over the world:

     “Luczak Architekten created a vibrant residential block in Cologne from a ground-level world war two shelter. The 17 loft-style apartments feature large windows and terraces, as well as flexible floor plans, internal atriums and gardens.

     Vivos Europa One, in Rothenstein, is one of Germany’s largest repurposing projects. The 76-acre former Soviet bunker is capable of withstanding a nuclear blast, a direct plane crash or biological attack. It is being transformed into 34 five-star apartments, starting at 2,500 sq ft, which aim to protect the super-rich from any forthcoming apocalypse.

     Property developer Stefan F. Höglmaier converted an air-raid shelter in Munich into apartments, reserving three floors for himself.

     While bunker developments in the West are typically pitched at the luxury end of the housing market, re-purposed shelters provide basic subsistence accommodation for up to one million people below Beijing, in China, dubbed the “rat tribe”.

     A secret bunker in South-East London, built to protect key government employees during a nuclear winter, has been transformed into a $4 million luxury residence.

     Retail firm Survival Condos offers refuge at a re-purposed missile silo in Kansas, United States. The luxury apartments here are stacked underground and protected by blast doors designed to withstand explosions.”

Most “shelters” include enough food for a year or more, and many have hydroponic gardens to supplement. The developers also work hard to create “well-rounded communities with a range of skills necessary for long-term survival, from doctors to teachers.” (During the 2016 elections, Vivos received a flurry of interest in its shelters from both liberals and conservatives and completely sold out of spaces in its community shelters.)

Many of the interiors are left as a blank slate so that each owner can create what they are looking for in terms of comfort and luxury- and it all comes at a cost. Base models can start at $25,000 and go up to almost $5 million dollars. Their footprints also vary from quaint to 5000 square feet.

The end of all things

Developer Larry Hall of Survival Condo in Kansas utilizes two abandoned Atlas missile silos built by the US Army Corps of Engineers to house warheads during the early 1960s. He says, “Our clients are sold on the unique advantage of having a luxury second home that also happens to be a nuclear-hardened bunker. This aspect allows our clients to invest in an appreciating asset as opposed to an expense.”

At Survival Condo’s, owners have access to their homes and the facilities at any time, even if we aren’t in crisis. The complex features a pool, general store, theater, bar, and library. But, during an emergency, owners are required to work four hours a day.

While most of us see this type of luxury unnecessary, developers believe these features are critical to survival, “These shelters are long-term, a year or more. It had better be comfortable.”

This is from CNN – not my favorite, but had to share!

XO- Erin

Source: CNN