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Cities

The peculiar logic behind how metropolises grow, die, and reinvent themselves.

72 articles

Latest Cities

Zheleznogorsk/Krasnoyarsk-26: Siberia’s Secret Nuclear City
Cities56.25 N, 93.53 E

Zheleznogorsk/Krasnoyarsk-26: Siberia’s Secret Nuclear City

Explore the hidden history of Krasnoyarsk-26, a Soviet secret city built to produce weapons-grade plutonium, its luxurious gilded cage existence, and the devastating environmental legacy that outlasted the Cold War.

Simon WhistlerJuly 5, 2026
The Most Extreme Prison in Russia
Cities51.50 N, 58.44 E

The Most Extreme Prison in Russia

Discover Black Dolphin, Russia's most notorious supermax prison. From its brutal conditions to its depraved inmates, explore what makes this modern-day gulag inescapable.

Simon WhistlerJuly 3, 2026
Alnwick Poison Garden: The Deadliest Plants in the World
Cities55.41 N, 1.71 W

Alnwick Poison Garden: The Deadliest Plants in the World

Explore England's Alnwick Poison Garden, where deadly plants require government permission to grow and visitors risk fainting among nature's most dangerous killers.

Simon WhistlerJuly 1, 2026
The Boötes Void: The Biggest, Emptiest Thing in the Universe
Cities46.00 N, 14.50 W

The Boötes Void: The Biggest, Emptiest Thing in the Universe

Discover the Boötes Void, a 330 million light-year expanse of near-nothingness that changed our understanding of cosmic structure, and explore the theories behind this mysterious region of space.

Simon WhistlerJuly 1, 2026
Cactus Dome: The Nuclear Tomb in Paradise
Cities36.83 N, 116.07 W

Cactus Dome: The Nuclear Tomb in Paradise

The Cactus Dome on Runit Island contains 111,000 cubic yards of radioactive waste from US nuclear testing. As sea levels rise and concrete cracks, this Cold War tomb threatens to release its poison into the Pacific.

Simon WhistlerJuly 1, 2026
The Caribbean Capital City... That is a Ghost Town
Cities16.74 N, 62.19 W

The Caribbean Capital City... That is a Ghost Town

How Mariupol, Ukraine's tenth-largest city, was besieged, destroyed, and rebuilt as a Russian city—erasing its people, culture, and identity in one of the most brutal urban campaigns of the 21st century.

Simon WhistlerJuly 1, 2026

Places Field Notes

Weekly notes from Simon Whistler on remarkable locations, hidden histories, and maps worth following.

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More in Cities

The Lake Catastrophe You've Never Heard Of...
Cities59.93 N, 30.34 E

The Lake Catastrophe You've Never Heard Of...

The untold story of how Hooker Chemical, DuPont, and other industrial polluters poisoned White Lake, Michigan—and the decades-long fight for justice by local activists.

Simon WhistlerJuly 1, 2026
Why Are There TWO Congos?
Cities1.00 S, 23.00 E

Why Are There TWO Congos?

Discover why Africa has two Congo nations—DRC and Republic of Congo—sharing a river, history, and culture, yet divided by colonialism, Cold War politics, and greed.

Simon WhistlerJuly 1, 2026
Why Nobody Lives on Bikini Atoll.
Cities11.61 N, 165.38 E

Why Nobody Lives on Bikini Atoll.

Discover the tragic history of Bikini Atoll, where 23 nuclear tests displaced an entire population and created a radioactive wasteland that remains uninhabited today.

Simon WhistlerJuly 1, 2026
The Wolf’s Lair: Hitler’s HQ on the Eastern Front
Cities54.08 N, 21.49 E

The Wolf’s Lair: Hitler’s HQ on the Eastern Front

Explore the history of Wolfsschanze, Adolf Hitler's largest military headquarters on the Eastern Front, from its construction in 1940 to the 1944 assassination attempt and beyond.

Simon WhistlerJuly 1, 2026
The World’s Last Hunter-Gatherers
Cities1.00 S, 36.00 E

The World’s Last Hunter-Gatherers

Discover the Hadza people of Tanzania, among the last true hunter-gatherers on Earth. Explore their ancient culture, unique language, genetic isolation, and the modern threats to their survival.

Simon WhistlerJuly 1, 2026
The World's Most Controversial Museum.
Cities40.42 N, 3.70 W

The World's Most Controversial Museum.

Buried in Central Tokyo near the Imperial Palace lies the Yūshūkan museum, a place so egregious it doesn't just get protested or vandalised—it gets bombed. Discover why this shrine-museum complex sparks international outrage.

Simon WhistlerJune 27, 2026