Russian bunker comes to life for doomsday party |
A Cold War-era bunker designed to save Soviet leaders from a nuclear attack will host a 24-hour party for Russians willing to pay $1,000 for a ticket to escape the apocalypse, which, according to New Age prophesies, could come on Friday. Bunker No. 42, now a tourist attraction full of red alarm lights, is located 56 meters (184 feet) under ground in central Moscow, near the Kremlin, and can accommodate up to 300 people. "Many people would feel much calmer if they could spend this critical day enjoying maximum comfort and safety," said Alexei Pavlovsky, a tour guide at the bunker, adding there was strong interest in the party which will start at midnight on December 20. Pavlovsky said the idea of holding a party at the bunker, which has served as a museum since 2006, came from visitors keen to mark the end of an era in the Maya Long Count calendar due at sunrise on December 21 - an event interpreted by some groups as the end of days. "We don't have control over things such as the end of the world. But we are ready for pretty much everything," he said. "There'll be a children's room with cartoons, for adults there'll be movies, talks dedicated to the end of the world and tours of the museum. There'll be live broadcasts from other bunkers in other countries." Upon entering the bunker, built in 1956, visitors will be whisked 18 floors down in an elevator to a warren of rooms where loudspeakers blast out the old Cold war warning: "Attention! Attention! The enemy has carried out a nuclear attack!" "The bunker is rather big, but everything here is arranged in a way that makes people feel safe. This is a comfortable, cozy place to spend not just a day, but a whole war and even the end of the world," said Anna, a student visiting the bunker on Wednesday. Other resorts across the world are offering refuge for those fearing the doomsday predictions. A hotel on the slopes of Mount Rtanj in Serbia is selling itself as the best place to survive the apocalypse, basing its promise on the mystical powers that locals say have flooded the area since the mountain swallowed a castle belonging to a well-to-do sorcerer, trapping him inside. (Agencies)
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冷战时期修建的一处地堡原计划是为保护苏联领导人免遭核攻击,如今将要举办一场长达24小时的聚会,参与者是那些为了逃离这场大灾难而愿意购买价值1000美元门票的俄罗斯人。根据先知们对新时代的预言,这场灾难将于本周五降临。 42号地堡,如今已成为旅游景点,周围布满了红色报警灯。它位于莫斯科中心、距克里姆林宫不远处地下56米(合184英尺)处,可以同时容纳300人。 “对于许多人而言,能将这生死攸关的一天花在尽情享受舒适与安全的生活上,他们会觉得内心更加平静,”该地堡的一名导游阿列克谢•帕夫罗夫斯基说道。他还补充说,这场即将于12月20日午夜开场的聚会受到了极大的关注。 帕夫罗夫斯基表示,在地堡(自2006年以来一直作为博物馆对外开放)举办聚会是游客的创意,他们都很热衷纪念玛雅长历法所记载的时代终结之日,即12月21日太阳升起之时——有些团体将这一事件解读为末日降临。 他说:“虽然对于类似掌控世界灭亡这样的事情,我们无能为力,但我们几乎为一切都做好了准备。” “这里将会置办一间墙上贴满卡通画的儿童房间。大人们则看看电影或是聊聊天,内容都是与世界末日以及博物馆参观有关的。届时,还会现场直播其他国家地堡里的情况。” 一进入这个建于1956年的地堡,游客们便会乘上电梯,从18层迅速滑落至一个周围布满房间的大杂院。院子里,喇叭中传出冷战时期的警告语:“注意!注意!敌人已发动了核攻击!” 一名周三参观这一地堡的学生安娜说道:“虽然地堡体积相当庞大,但这里的一切都布置得井井有条,让人有种安全感。不论是度过一整天的时间,还是整个战争期间,甚至世界末日,这里都是个舒适安逸之所。” 世界上其他一些旅游景点也将为那些担心末日预言的人提供避难场所。 位于塞尔维亚瑞塔尼山山坡上的一家宾馆极力向外推销自己,称这里是躲避这场大灾难的最佳场所,之所以这么说是因为当地人声称瑞塔尼山曾吞噬了一位富有巫师的城堡,将其困在城堡中,从那以后这一地区就充满了一股神秘力量。 相关阅读 (中国日报网英语点津 实习生王宾雷 编辑:陈丹妮) |
Vocabulary: bunker: 地堡 apocalypse: 大灾变 warren: 大杂院;拥挤的地区 sorcerer: 魔术师;男巫士 |