Beyond Fort Knox: A Tour Of The World’s Most Impenetrable Vaults

Vaults are highly secure structures designed to store valuable and sensitive items, such as gold, jewels, and confidential documents. Here are the five most secure vaults in the world.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York

This vault is one of the most secure in the world. It is located 80 feet below street level and is encased in steel-reinforced concrete walls that are 7 feet thick. The vault houses over 6,000 tons of gold, making it one of the largest gold depositories in the world.

Fort Knox

This US Army base in Kentucky houses the United States Bullion Depository. The vault is protected by a 22-ton steel door and an extensive security system, including sensors and cameras. The depository holds around 147.3 million ounces of gold, which is worth over $260 billion.

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

This military installation hosts NORAD and is designed to withstand a nuclear attack. The complex is buried 2,000 feet under solid granite and is protected by blast doors that can withstand a 30-megaton nuclear blast.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

This vault is located in Norway and is designed to protect the world’s food supply in case a global catastrophe were to happen. The vault is built into a mountainside and is protected by thick walls of reinforced concrete. It stores over 1 million seed samples from all over the world, ensuring that essential crop diversity is preserved for future generations.

Iron Mountain

This facility in Pennsylvania is protected by armed guards, biometric scanners, and surveillance cameras. It stores over 21 million boxes of paper documents and electronic data for companies and governments around the world.