The United States Bullion Department is a fortified vault built near the ancient Fort Knox in Kentucky.
The vault is used to store most part of the United States gold reserves and sometimes other precious items for the federal government.
Fort Knox is the second U.
S vault, the first vault is the underground vault of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.
Fort Knox holds about 4.
603 tons of gold bullion.
It was built because of a shortage of depository space for the gold that was no longer into circulation due to the laws of the New Deal in 1933.
At that point of time, in the US it became illegal to own other forms of gold except wedding rings of coin collections.
Everybody that owned gold was forced by the law to sell their gold to the government at the fixed rate of 20.
67 dollars per ounce.
The U.
S Treasury Department started to build the Unites States Bullion Depository in 1936.
The first shipments of gold were made in 1937 when 500 rail cars were used.
Old bullion, new bars made from the melted coins and some intact coins were stored here.
During the course of history, the Fort has held some important documentation and jewelry from both America and Europe.
During the World War II, the U.
S Declaration of Independence, the U.
S Constitution, the Crown of St.
Stephen and four copies of the Magna Carta were held here.
The vault is like a fortress and under its structure there are the granite walls and the 22 tons, blast-proof door.
Ten people have parts of the combination code to the vault.
They have to dial the combinations separately.
The United States holds more gold bullion than any other country in world.
The vault has become a symbol of security and it has lead to phrases like "safer than Fort Knox".