Visited with @Bertrina Bollockbrains and Brats of Bertie Bollockbrains
Stretching to a length of 2500km, the Odessa Catacombs are prehaps the largest network of tunnels in the world. They are much larger than the catacombs of Paris (500km) and Rome (300km).
Whilst in Odessa, it is possible to visit the Museum of Partisan Glory dedicated to the catacombs and walk about a kilometre of well-lit tunnels filled with stragetically placed period-dress dummies and artifacts. However, through the powers of the interweb, it is easy to find an unofficial guide and be led through the more exciting parts of the catacombs. There are literally of hundreds of ways into the catacombs and many are simple walk-ins. Whilst it is easy to get in, the catacombs are a complex labyrith of passages that make Box Mine resemble a straight tunnel in comparison. A guide is thus essential. It is said that 5-10 people get lost in the catacombs each year, of which only about half are rescued.
On the eve of 2005, a group of local teens decided to spend the New Year getting drunk in the tunnels… One girl, named Masha, had wandered off at some point in the night. Her body wasn’t found until 2007, when coroners estimated that she had spent three days alone lost in the cold dark tunnels before finally dying of dehydration. A photo of her body in the catacombs can easily be found on the internet but I have decided not to link the photo into here.
Anyways our guide was Egor and highly recommended, and is more than willing to offer overnight or multiday trips to those interested. If anyone is visiting then please PM me and I was pass on his address.
This report is taken from 2 separate trips, each of about 3 hours – the first to some new workings that were dug out only about 20 years ago and used as a mushroom farm until the last few months and only explored for the first time a week before our trip, and the second trip to the oldest parts of the catacombs (the exact same area that @drhowser reported on a few weeks back).
We did attempt to visit the Soviet Bunkers in the centre of the city as reported on these forums last year by @Limerick_Student, but unfortunately a key had been put onto the entrance and the keyholder could not be found in time even though we knew who he was.
HISTORY
The first underground stone mines started to appear in the 19th century, while vigorous construction took place in Odessa. They were used as a source of cheap construction materials. Limestone was cut using saws, and mining became so intensive that by the second half of the 19th century, the extensive network of catacombs created many inconveniences to the city.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, stone mining was banned within the central part of Odessa (inside the Porto-Franko zone, bounded by Old Port Franko and Panteleymonovskaya streets).
During World War II the catacombs served as a hiding places for Soviet partisans, in particular the squad of V.A. Molodtsev. In his work The Waves of The Black Sea, Valentin Kataev described the battle between Soviet partisans against fascist invaders, underneath Odessa and its nearby suburb Usatovo. In her book Life from Stone, Sofiya de Havilland describes the catacombs and the part it played during WW2 with the partisans' use of it in their guerrilla warfare.
In 1961 the "Search" (Poisk) club was created in order to explore the history of partisan movement among the catacombs. Since its creation, it has expanded understanding of the catacombs, and provided information to expand mapping of the tunnels.
Since the beginning of the 21st century limestone mining has continued in the mines located in Dofinovka, Byldynka, and "Fomina balka" near Odessa. As the result of contemporary mining, the catacombs continue to expand.
REPORT
Both trips started from the village of Nerubayskoye, some 30km out of Odessa. With a taxi that drove at 170km per hour and ignored all sense of the highway code, it didn’t take long at all to get there! The first trip was to some new workings, used as a mushroom farm until very recently. We entered in one village and reappeared in another village, allegedly having covered 8km underground.
Room used for mushroom farming
Russian army ration pack (2 years out of date). It was at this point that our guide explained that munitions had been found nearby
No matter where you are in the world, you always find an old pair of boots on an explore
Just like the Paris Catacombs, "bases" complete with hooks for hammocks can be found
Memo to self: Do not shine a torch directly in eldest son's face - it causes discomfort
As we proceeded, the workings got older and smaller
Finally the way out, having covered 8km
Now to the oldest workings, some 200 years old
And again occasional bases
Partial skeleton remains, said to be 100 years old and of a young lady aged about 30-35
Horse stables
Finally, some graffiti shots: first a miner pulling a cart
Thanks for reading
Stretching to a length of 2500km, the Odessa Catacombs are prehaps the largest network of tunnels in the world. They are much larger than the catacombs of Paris (500km) and Rome (300km).
Whilst in Odessa, it is possible to visit the Museum of Partisan Glory dedicated to the catacombs and walk about a kilometre of well-lit tunnels filled with stragetically placed period-dress dummies and artifacts. However, through the powers of the interweb, it is easy to find an unofficial guide and be led through the more exciting parts of the catacombs. There are literally of hundreds of ways into the catacombs and many are simple walk-ins. Whilst it is easy to get in, the catacombs are a complex labyrith of passages that make Box Mine resemble a straight tunnel in comparison. A guide is thus essential. It is said that 5-10 people get lost in the catacombs each year, of which only about half are rescued.
On the eve of 2005, a group of local teens decided to spend the New Year getting drunk in the tunnels… One girl, named Masha, had wandered off at some point in the night. Her body wasn’t found until 2007, when coroners estimated that she had spent three days alone lost in the cold dark tunnels before finally dying of dehydration. A photo of her body in the catacombs can easily be found on the internet but I have decided not to link the photo into here.
Anyways our guide was Egor and highly recommended, and is more than willing to offer overnight or multiday trips to those interested. If anyone is visiting then please PM me and I was pass on his address.
This report is taken from 2 separate trips, each of about 3 hours – the first to some new workings that were dug out only about 20 years ago and used as a mushroom farm until the last few months and only explored for the first time a week before our trip, and the second trip to the oldest parts of the catacombs (the exact same area that @drhowser reported on a few weeks back).
We did attempt to visit the Soviet Bunkers in the centre of the city as reported on these forums last year by @Limerick_Student, but unfortunately a key had been put onto the entrance and the keyholder could not be found in time even though we knew who he was.
HISTORY
The first underground stone mines started to appear in the 19th century, while vigorous construction took place in Odessa. They were used as a source of cheap construction materials. Limestone was cut using saws, and mining became so intensive that by the second half of the 19th century, the extensive network of catacombs created many inconveniences to the city.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, stone mining was banned within the central part of Odessa (inside the Porto-Franko zone, bounded by Old Port Franko and Panteleymonovskaya streets).
During World War II the catacombs served as a hiding places for Soviet partisans, in particular the squad of V.A. Molodtsev. In his work The Waves of The Black Sea, Valentin Kataev described the battle between Soviet partisans against fascist invaders, underneath Odessa and its nearby suburb Usatovo. In her book Life from Stone, Sofiya de Havilland describes the catacombs and the part it played during WW2 with the partisans' use of it in their guerrilla warfare.
In 1961 the "Search" (Poisk) club was created in order to explore the history of partisan movement among the catacombs. Since its creation, it has expanded understanding of the catacombs, and provided information to expand mapping of the tunnels.
Since the beginning of the 21st century limestone mining has continued in the mines located in Dofinovka, Byldynka, and "Fomina balka" near Odessa. As the result of contemporary mining, the catacombs continue to expand.
REPORT
Both trips started from the village of Nerubayskoye, some 30km out of Odessa. With a taxi that drove at 170km per hour and ignored all sense of the highway code, it didn’t take long at all to get there! The first trip was to some new workings, used as a mushroom farm until very recently. We entered in one village and reappeared in another village, allegedly having covered 8km underground.
Room used for mushroom farming
Russian army ration pack (2 years out of date). It was at this point that our guide explained that munitions had been found nearby
No matter where you are in the world, you always find an old pair of boots on an explore
Just like the Paris Catacombs, "bases" complete with hooks for hammocks can be found
Memo to self: Do not shine a torch directly in eldest son's face - it causes discomfort
As we proceeded, the workings got older and smaller
Finally the way out, having covered 8km
Now to the oldest workings, some 200 years old
And again occasional bases
Partial skeleton remains, said to be 100 years old and of a young lady aged about 30-35
Horse stables
Finally, some graffiti shots: first a miner pulling a cart
Thanks for reading
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