There is certainly something to be said for the intrepid photographers who go to great measures to get pics of things someone doesn’t want anybody to see. Without them, world history and the 20th century in particular might have played out very differently.
And there is definitely something compelling about being able to see things we’re not supposed to see. Just check out these pics and see for yourself!
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North Korea
Generally, visitors to North Korea can take all kinds of pics, so long as their minders accompanying them don’t have a problem with it.
However, in 2008, a pair of Austrians decided to travel to the Hermit Kingdom via an illegal point of entry, and spent 36 hours there without an official minder guiding them and got to see large swaths of the country that tourists usually don’t get to see.
Dubai
Yes, Dubai is actually quite welcoming to tourists, and they love to show off the city’s beautiful architecture and spots like the Burj Khalifa.
However, this pic was taken after curfew during a COVID-19 lockdown. This drone is supposedly spraying disinfectant, but could also be enforcing that lockdown.
Chernobyl
Yes, tourists technically can visit the site of the world’s worst nuclear tragedy, and the area has welcomed visitors since 2011.
Nevertheless, the area is still quite dangerous and people will sneak in and wander around Pripyat, the ghost town that more than 50,000 people called home until Chernobyl exploded in 1986. Without tour guides, they go where they want, taking pics of things like this abandoned classroom.
Paris Catacombs
Again, guided tours of the Paris Catacombs are commonplace. But tourists don’t get to see the entirety of the Paris Catacombs because they go on for miles, and parts of the underground tomb are essentially a labyrinth.
People have been known to venture into those sections and never come out again, and so authorities have made the labyrinthine areas illegal. And yet, people still go down there, as the graffiti on the walls can attest.
The Sistine Chapel
If you’ve visited the famous Sistine Chapel, you’re probably familiar with their strict “no photography” policy.
While flash photography can indeed cause priceless artwork to fade over time, that’s not why sneaky pics like this are discouraged; it’s because of exclusive licensing rights following the chapel’s 20-year restoration project.
Scientology Center
Enough former Scientologists have come forward with their stories that we know pretty well what goes on inside the walls of Scientology centers, but seldom have outsiders actually seen inside those walls.
Well, here you go. This is where the thetan magic happens.
The Pyramids
The Great Pyramids of Egypt are one of the rare objects in the world we can call “wonders” and never be accused of hyperbole. They live up to the word.
Given that they’re thousands of years old, it’s only natural that the country’s authorities don’t want tourists climbing all over them. This tourist did just that anyway to get this pic. It’s a nice view and all, but not a cool thing to do.
The Keys
That’s the Florida Keys, where a group of friends with some Lamborghinis and decided to block off a highway for a photo shoot. Only problem? They didn’t have a permit.
They just stopped in the road and blocked traffic, both breaking the law and making a whole herd of enemies in the process.
The Eiffel Tower
Yes, there are thousands upon thousands of pics of the Eiffel Tower, but technically speaking, it’s illegal to take a pic of France’s most iconic structure at night.
Daytime pics are fine but the light show on display after the sun goes down is considered an artwork in its own right, making it technically covered by France’s copyright law. That said, the law has never actually been enforced.
Zone Rouge
France’s Zone Rouge has been uninhabitable and off-limits since the end of WWI with good reason. The 460 square-mile area contains so much unexploded ordnance, including possible chemical weapons, as well as human and animal remains, that it’s simply too dangerous to traverse.
There is an official undertaking to clear Zone Rouge and make it habitable again, but historians estimate it will take at least another 300 years of work.
U.S. Nuclear Missile Silo
There can be no more sobering spot than a nuclear missile silo, where the future of civilization is literally at your fingertips, and so it’s not the sort of place that the military generally wants to show off.
But as missile silos age out and are decommissioned , we’re getting more views inside the secretive locations. This one clearly housed some members of the military who wanted to keep things light and decorated one of the blast doors with this amusing logo.
The U.S. Supreme Court
Cameras have always been discouraged inside the U.S. Supreme Court during proceedings, and the ban was made official in 1946.
Of course, for some folks, that only makes them want to take a pic inside the Supreme Court that much more. In 1932, before cameras were officially prohibited, Erich Salomon pretended he had a broken arm and hid a camera in a fake cast to snap this pic of the Supreme Court in session.
