Luxury underground living or luxury subterranean bunkers have become more popular among the world’s ultra-wealthy as a means of preparing for impending natural calamities or social collapse. Known as “doomsday bunkers,” these heavily guarded underground homes offer the wealthy and their families a cozy and secure haven.
The Oppidum: an extensive underground luxury resort
The Oppidum in the Czech Republic is among the most striking instances of opulent subterranean life. This underground bunker, spanning over 323,000 square feet, includes:
- a 6,750 square foot apartment and six 1,720 square foot apartments.
- A ground-level golf course and a helipad.
- A 5-star underground bunker with amenities such as a hot tub, double sinks, and rain showers.
- Spa, pool, cinema, library, billiard room, conference rooms, gym, bar, cellar, and hospital.
Vivos Europa One: a fortified mountain hideout
Another notable luxury bunker is Vivos Europa One in Germany, dug into a 400-foot high mountain. This underground complex offers:
- 34 customizable homes, each 2,500 square feet.
- Services such as kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, swimming pools, theaters, gyms, and bars.
- Thick concrete shells and impenetrable steel doors for protection.
Survival condominium: a repurposed missile silo
The Survival Condo in Kansas is a luxury bunker built from an old missile silo. This underground structure, 201 feet deep, features:
- Fifteen floors with various amenities.
- Protection against a nuclear bomb 100 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
- Luxuries like an indoor dog walking area, a shooting range, a climbing wall, an indoor pool, a water park, a library, a theater, a bar, a gym, and a first aid center.
Trident Lakes: a bunker styled like a resort.
Trident Lakes is a luxury bunker complex spanning 700 acres with
- 600 condominiums.
- A golf course, sports center, polo fields, sports courts, water sports, shooting ranges, and helipads.
- A facility of 55,000 square feet with 90% underground construction facing a body of water.
- Interior spaces ranging from 900 to 7,200 square feet.
The Appeal of Luxury Underground Living
The increasing number of opulent subterranean bunkers can be attributed to the ultra-wealthy’s increased anxiety about possible natural calamities or civil turmoil. The privileged may continue to live comfortably and attractively in the event of a disaster thanks to these bunkers, which offer a sense of protection and control in difficult times.
But worries about the sustainability of living alone underground over the long term and the possibility of psychological discomfort have called into doubt the usefulness of these bunkers. Furthermore, some say that the building of these opulent shelters symbolizes growing wealth inequality and the gap between the affluent and the rest of society.
