The passion for caves has remained with man since ancient times. Throughout the history of the development of civilization, we have buried ourselves underground in search of a safe place: primitive dugouts of the past, medieval underground cities, modern bunkers - and mysterious, two hundred meters deep into the megalopolises, where today only ghosts walk.
Derinkuyu
There are several small underground villages scattered across the territory of Cappadocia, but Derinkuyu stands out significantly from all the rest. Archaeologists date this labyrinthine complex to the 8th century BC. Derinkuyu goes down as much as 18 levels underground. In such a refuge, the fugitives had nothing to fear from a long siege - a completely self-sufficient metropolis could exist even without supplies from the surface. Surprisingly, the huge structure was found only in 1960, and quite by accident.
Naur
Another underground city is located in the north of France. About five kilometers of tunnels and about 400 individual dwellings are hidden 50 meters under a wooded plateau. In the third century AD, the Romans made a quarry here. During the Middle Ages, the abandoned quarry was expanded by the local people: with constant wars and mercenaries staggering across Europe, such a cache was simply necessary. The caves of Naur could accommodate up to three thousand inhabitants who could lead a normal life - the city had its own chapels, stables, wells and bakeries.
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Wieliczka Salt Mine
For seven centuries, from XIII to XX, people developed this gigantic salt deposit, digging deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth. The cleared levels were settled and settled, so that as a result, the mine turned into a real underground palace in as many as 7 tiers. The maximum depth reaches 200 meters, and the Wieliczka tunnels stretch for as much as 300 kilometers.
Lalibela
In the XII-XIII centuries, Ethiopia was ruled by the Zagwe dynasty, well known to Europeans thanks to one single king. Gebre Meskel Lalibela was popularly nicknamed the Saint for restraint in food and truly royal ambition. The trip to Jerusalem struck the African ruler to the core - after returning to his homeland, he began to build an exact copy of the Eternal City. Of course, the Holy Sepulcher was not here, but under Lalibela vast catacombs went into the depths of the earth.
Orvieto
Perched on a hilltop, Orvieto is known for its white wines and fine architecture. However, the main attractions are hidden underground. The ancient Etruscans began digging the first labyrinths in this area. Over the centuries, people expanded and improved the underground shelter until they turned it into a real city.
Petra
Perhaps this is the most famous underground city in the world. Strictly speaking, formally, Petra cannot be called underground, since its famous temples were carved out by skilled architects right in the rock. The city was built at the intersection of caravan routes and flourished until the cunning Romans showed local tribes more convenient and safer trade routes by water.
Burlington
Fast forward from the dusty past to relatively recent times. The Cold War (which threatened to become the hottest at any moment) led to the emergence of a mass of underground runaways - bunkers were even built in Australia. Burlington Special Center was located directly under Corsh: underground it was planned to save the most important parliamentarians. Britain did not skimp on this matter. At the end of 1950, the complex for 4,000 people (office space, cafes, telephone exchange, medical facilities and even its own BBC studio) was ready. Burlington was dismantled only in 2004.
Underground Beijing
In the 1960s and 1970s, the threat of a nuclear war for China was quite real. They decided to build a gigantic shelter under the capital. In fact, defining it as gigantic would rather be an understatement: a million Chinese could live here for six months without experiencing any particular problems with food and cramped conditions. There was even a cinema with a skating rink!