Silence is said to be golden, but there is a room in Minnesota
in the USA, which is so quiet that after a while you will be there
just unbearable. The room blocks 99.99 percent of external sounds, and
no one has yet been able to endure more than 45 minutes while in it.
The quietest place in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records is located in the South
Minneapolis at Orfield Laboratories. To attain
exceptional silence, fiberglass acoustic
meter-thick platforms, double walls made of insulated steel and concrete
30 cm thick.
Company founder and president Steven Orfield said,
that when it gets so quiet, your hearing begins to adapt.
“The quieter the room, the more things you hear. You start to hear
how your heart beats, sometimes how your lungs move or how it grumbles
your stomach. In an anechoic chamber, you yourself become sound, ”he explained.
Orfield explained that it is very confusing and makes you sit
at one place. We are guided by the sounds we hear when we walk.
In an anechoic chamber, you have no signals that allow you to
balance and maneuver. If you find yourself here for half an hour,
it is best to stay in the chair.
This camera is used by many manufacturers for loudness testing
their products such as heart valves, mobile phone display sound,
the sound of a switch on a car dashboard. It is also used for
definition of sound quality.
But for a person, such a room can be a severe test. In a few
minutes of staying in it, you get used to the absence of sounds, starting to catch
increasingly faint sounds. In severe cases, such a shutdown of the senses
can drain you. NASA astronauts who are trained by placing in a tank,
filled with water, in the room, after a while begin to experience
hallucinations, as our body tries to create sounds from nothing.
Lights off, longest time I could handle
the person in this room was 45 minutes. The founder himself could only endure
half an hour. According to him, the most distracting person is not noise, but silence.
Imagine: you are sitting in a room all alone. Your household is asleep, the TV and computer are turned off, and there is not a single car on the deserted streets. There seems to be 100% silence around. But this is not so: the crackling and noise are emitted by electrical appliances connected to power sources (first of all, the refrigerator), the fish in the aquarium and the building itself. And even your breathing is about 10 dB (in case someone has forgotten, noise is measured in decibels). Now imagine: there is a special room in the USA with a noise level of -20 dB. We are talking about it and about the other quietest places on our planet.
Anechoic chamber, Minnesota (USA)
The first object listed in the Guinness Book of Records as "the quietest place on Earth" was a unique anechoic room developed in the laboratory of Orfield, Minnesota. According to the company, tests showed a background noise level of -9.4 dB - a development about 16 times quieter than a bedroom. This miracle was built the scientific world from drywall, laid in 5 layers, and other materials with an absorbent capacity of 99.5%. The anechoic chamber is literally suspended in an armored safe room that blocks electromagnetic radiation in both directions. But spending time in the room is also a pleasure: the silence reigns in your ears, and you can hear your joints creak.
Washington (USA)
New record holder Is an anechoic chamber located in Washington state. The noise level in the room is -20.3 dB - the movement of air particles is heard here. Like the Minnesota cell, the room is built of soundproofing materials with oddly shaped walls and floors. Microsoft is using it to test new technologies where sound quality is paramount.
The North American Mojave Desert does not differ in size, but in its heart are the Kelso Dunes, whose height in places reaches 200 meters. It is forbidden to drive up to them in cars, planes do not fly over them, and the cries of birds rarely break the silence - in this place, which inspired fear in the Indian tribes, you can hear the singing of the sands. The dunes move non-stop under the influence of the wind, changing their shape and emitting a low-frequency rumble, which is sometimes compared to the crackling of wires, then to drumming. Particles of sand rubbing against each other create a unique acoustic effect, but scientists have not been able to establish why some deserts remain "dumb", while others are endowed with voices.
Negev Desert (Israel)
In describing their impressions of their journey through the Promised Land, tourists and pilgrims note that the Negev is perfect place for meditation: as soon as you move away from the road, you will plunge into the world of ringing silence, interrupted only by the rare voices of pilgrims. And this despite the fact that on the territory of the dry desert, which occupies more than half, there are Bedouin settlements (the government only 7 years ago was concerned about their status), as well as Ben-Gurion University, which was opened specifically for the development of the Negev.
Haleakala Crater (USA)
On the Hawaiian island of Maui is National park Haleakala, main star which is the eponymous inactive volcano, rising to 3055 meters. The crater of the shield volcano, which the locals call the "House of the Sun", is popular among tourists. From here they like to watch the sunrise (which is very symbolic), and at the same time the flora and fauna, which have no analogues in the whole world. The main thing is that all this can be done in absolute silence: according to the Service national parks USA, noise level inside the crateris only 10 dB (that is, about the same as with even breathing).
Hoh Rain Forest (USA)
Hoh Rainforest, recognizedone of the wonders of Washington state , - part National park Olympic, incorporated back in 1981. According to the US National Park Service, lush coniferous and deciduous trees, as well asnumerous ferns and mosses, which play the role of sound insulators ... But things could have been different without human intervention: 11 years ago, acoustic ecologist Gordon Hampton launched the One Square Inch of Silence project to keep the rain forest... He placed a small red stone among the trees and persuaded the three airlines to change their routes, bypassing the "inch of silence" - all so that people could listen to nature, not the noise of engines.
Grand Canyon National Park (USA)
The American Grand Canyon is packed with tourists and is visited annually
They say that "silence is golden", but there is a room in Minnesota, USA, which is so quiet that after a while you will become simply unbearable there. The room blocks 99.99 percent of external sounds, and no one has yet been able to endure more than 45 minutes while in it.
The quietest place in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records is located in South Minneapolis at Orfield Laboratories. To achieve exceptional silence, the room used meter thick fiberglass acoustic platforms, insulated steel double walls and 30 cm thick concrete.
The founder and president of the company, Steven Orfield, said that when it gets so quiet, your hearing begins to adapt.
“The quieter the room, the more things you hear. You start to hear your heart beating, sometimes your lungs move or your stomach grumbles. In an anechoic chamber, you yourself become sound, ”he explained.
Orfield explained that it is very confusing and makes you sit in one place. We are guided by the sounds we hear when we walk. In an anechoic chamber, you have no cues that allow you to balance and maneuver. If you find yourself here for half an hour, it is best to stay in your chair.
This chamber is used by many manufacturers to test the volume of their products such as heart valves, mobile phone display sound, car dashboard switch sound. It is also used to determine the quality of sound.
But for a person, such a room can be a severe test. After a few minutes of being in it, you get used to the absence of sounds, starting to pick up more and more faint sounds. In severe cases, this shutdown of the senses can drain you. NASA astronauts who are trained by placing them in a tank filled with water in a room, after a while begin to experience hallucinations, as our body tries to create sounds from nothing. 
With the lights off, the longest time a person could withstand in this room was 45 minutes. The founder himself could only endure half an hour. According to him, the most distracting person is not noise, but silence.
If you like silence and solitude, you are unlikely to choose a metropolis when going on vacation. Moreover, when there are such calm places in the world where nature and people's life seem to be a continuation of each other, where the city itself seems to be imprinted in a majestic landscape and is perceived as a part of it. They are so harmonious that one would like to exchange our frantic rhythm of life for the calmness of one of them right now.
1. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany
Quiet place
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a charming town on the highest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze. Located at an altitude of 3000 meters, it once represented two settlements, one of which was founded by the Romans and the other by the Teutons. They were united only in 1936 on the eve of the Winter Olympic Games.
2. Settlement in the Himalayas, Tibet
Quiet place
The mysterious Faroe chain north of Scotland is hardly known to a wide range of tourists. Over the years, the islands with their sheer cliffs remained inaccessible. For example, only one staircase leads to the village of Gasadalur, built during the British occupation of the islands during the Second World War. The 18 lucky ones who live there now are reliably sheltered from all adversity by two mountains 2300 feet high.
5. Colmar, France
Quiet place
Colmar is one of the most beautiful towns Alsace. Old streets and pavements, half-timbered houses, ancient stone buildings - all this creates an indelible impression. In addition, Colmar is the capital of Alsatian wines, and it is not without reason that the Route du Vin - Wine Route - originates from here.
6. Camden, Maine, USA
Quiet place
Formerly inhabited by Indians, Camden was colonized by the British in the 1870s. In times civil war it served as a kind of "negotiating point" for the Americans. Now this clean and cozy town is home to 5,000 inhabitants, and in summer the ratio of tourists to the native population of the city is 2 to 1.
7. Bled, Slovenia
Quiet place
Nestled in picturesque mountains, Bled was first mentioned in 1004. He appeared so handsome to the Holy Roman Emperor that he was presented as the greatest reward to the Bishop of Brixen. The church in Bled is located on an island in the middle of the lake of the same name. The city itself, with a population of 5,000, is now one of the most beautiful Slovenian resorts.
8. Manarola, Italy
Quiet place
Manarola is a small fishing town in Liguria, in northern Italy. A rainbow of colorful houses sits on a cliff overhanging the wild coastline Ligurian Sea. The city church dates back to 1338, making Manarola one of the oldest cities in the region.
9. Bibury, UK
Quiet place
Bibury is often called the most beautiful city in England, and not in vain. It was first mentioned in the Last Judgment Book of 1086, and since then the town seems to have frozen in time. Most of the houses look the same as hundreds of years ago, and the river still carries its gray waters along the shady streets of Bibury.
10. Annecy, France
Quiet place
Annecy is probably even more picturesque than the French Alps that surround it. Built around a 14th century castle, the city is divided by small canals and streams that flow into the beautiful blue Lake Annecy.
11. Goreme, Turkey (Underground city)
Quiet place
Nowadays Gureme is an open-air museum. until the end of the IX century. Goreme was one of the largest Christian centers with over 400 churches in its vicinity. Saint Paul found Goreme the most suitable place to educate the righteous.
12. Tenby, Wales
Quiet place
From Welsh, the name of the city is roughly translated as "Small fortress of fish". This naturally sheltered town with access to the Irish Sea and Atlantic Ocean was founded back in 900 AD. After the Norman conquest of England, the city was fortified with a massive wall to prevent Welsh uprisings. Today it is better known for its beauty than for its defenses.
13. Leavenworth, Washington, USA
quiet calm place
Vestmannaeyjar is a small archipelago south of Iceland with a population of about 4,000. The exact date of the discovery of the islands is unknown, but it is assumed that the archipelago was discovered by Irish sailors and Vikings at the same time as Iceland. The islands are also famous for being captured by the Ottoman fleet and Barbary pirates in 1627, who took people into slavery.
15. Queenstown, New Zealand
quiet calm place
Queenstown is located in the southwestern part of New Zealand's South Island. Located on the shores of Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a small lake glacial origin... The city is surrounded by picturesque mountains. In the 60s of the XIX century, gold was found here, and the city experienced a real Gold Rush.
16. Hidden Mountain Village - Jiuzhaigou, China
quiet calm place
Not much is known about these villages, scattered throughout China and once strongholds for the military. Now you can only get there by horse and get a unique insight into the culture of classical China there.
17. Shirakawa-go, Japan
quiet calm place
Shirakawa-go is a small traditional settlement known for its peaked roofs, adapted to withstand heavy snowfalls. The dense, mysterious forests and hills surrounding the village made the area difficult to live in - except for the small plain where Shirakawa-go is located.
18. Pucon, Chile
quiet calm place
Far beyond the borders of his country, Pucon has become known as the "capital of active tourism in Chile". This small town has gained its popularity in the world of travel thanks to a lake, a volcano and a wide variety of species. active rest that you can imagine.
19. Morro de Sao Paulo, Brazil
quiet calm place
Morro de São Paulo is one of the quietest island towns in the world. The only way to the island is by boat or small-engine airplanes that regularly depart from El Salvador. Vehicles are prohibited on the island. The only way to travel long distances there is with a tractor, which takes passengers to the beach, hotels or to the airport.
20. Amediya, Kurdistan
quiet calm place
Amediya is a small colorful village located at the top of a hill in the Iraqi province of Dahuk. Amedia is 1000 meters long and 500 meters wide, while being 1400 meters above sea level. According to legend, in the vicinity of the village lived Persian Magi and priests who were famous in the art of sorcery. It was from here, according to some researchers, that the biblical three wise men went to Bethlehem to worship and present gifts to the baby Jesus.
The proverb says that silence is golden. However, it depends on how you use it. There is a place on our planet that, with its silence, can drive anyone crazy. This is an anechoic chamber at the Orfield Laboratory in Minneapolis (USA).
Orfield's anechoic chamber is the quietest place in the world. Find out all the details about this state-of-the-art torture and sound research instrument here.
The word "anechoic" comes from the phrase "no echo." That is, this is such a room that does not create an echo, the walls of which do not reflect sound. In addition, the walls of such a chamber are designed in such a way that they do not allow sounds from the outside to pass through. Complete isolation.
Thus, the anechoic chamber is acoustically isolated from appearance space. And the quietest anechoic chamber is the one in Orfield's Laboratory. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this is the quietest place in the world.
Orfield Anechoic Chamber Facts
- Orfil's anechoic chamber is the quietest place in the world. United States, Minneapolis.
- The camera absorbs 99.9% of sounds.
- A person can stay in an anechoic chamber for about 20 minutes. Stephen Orfield was able to stay there for half an hour. The record is 45 minutes.
- Prolonged exposure to such a quiet room causes discomfort, disorientation, and auditory hallucinations.
- The Orfield camera is used to test the noise emissions of computer, medical and other equipment, as well as to assess the quality of sound.
The quietest place in the world
Orfield Laboratories, which houses the quietest anechoic chamber, is located in Minneapolis, USA. According to developer Stephen Orfield, the camera absorbs 99.9% of all sounds.
Ideal silence in the room is achieved through the use of sound-absorbing panels, as well as 30 cm walls made of steel and concrete. Thanks to this, not a single sound can be heard outside. There are no objects inside that could make sounds. Orfield's anechoic chamber is hidden behind two sturdy soundproofed doors.
The quietest place in the world is crazy. The crash of a closing door is the last sound that a person visiting the cell will hear. After a few minutes, hearing begins to adapt to ideal silence, and the brain picks up the beating of its own heart, the sound of blood flow, rumbling of the stomach and other body sounds that are normally inaudible.
A person who is accustomed to navigate in space for the most part by the ambient sound begins to feel uncomfortable. After about 20 minutes, the brain begins to make up sounds and auditory hallucinations appear. Imagine, because there is still no light in the room, since the lighting fixtures inside can become an additional source of sound. Over time, it becomes impossible to move around in such a room and navigate in it.
The camera's creator, Stephen Orfield, was able to stay in his super quiet room for half an hour and still hasn't broken his own record. The absolute record is 45 minutes of being in total silence.
