Sometimes the most impressive structures and cities aren’t what we see above ground, with beautiful skyscrapers and expansive parks. Sometimes the coolest feats of nature and architecture are hidden underground and have been for centuries.
While some are simple cave homes, others are full on complexes with malls, galleries, churches and infrastructure. A lot of them are built to withstand nuclear attacks, while others were made for more basic reasons. In any case, all of these are incredibly fascinating and undeniably awesome.
Check them out.
The Barry Troglodyte Village, France
There’s a village of caves and stone buildings built into the side of a forested hill, overlooking the Rhone valley in Vaucluse area of France. Originally, the caves were an ancient troglodyte village from the Neolithic era, and stretched deep into the hill. From that time onwards, it’s been inhabited continuously and built up, until the recent 20th century when it was abandoned.
The Edinburgh Vaults, Scotland
Also called the South Bridge Vaults, these are a series of chambers that have been formed by the 19 arches of the South Bridge in Edinburgh. Completed in 1788, the vaults houses taverns, cobblers and other trades, as well as served as a hiding place for some bodies. By the time the mid-1800’s rolled around, the quality of air and the damp forced businesses to leave and poor people moved in. By the end of the century, they’d moved on too and the entrance to the vaults was buried and the records of its existence lost.
Now, they run ghost tours and host the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every August.
The Paris Catacombs, France
This gorgeous city sits above over 200 miles of mining tunnels dating back to the 13th century. While most of the tunnels beneath the city are just that; tunnels, a lot of them are also ossuaries, lined to the ceiling with bones. Back in the late 1700’s, when the cemeteries were getting too crowded and tunnels were collapsing, they decided to kill two birds with one stone and move the bones from the cemetery to reinforce the tunnel walls, and bury the fresh dead in the cemeteries. Over 7 million bodies were moved into the catacombs, some as old as 1,200 years.
As well, since there are so many tunnels beneath the city, you can also find old war bunkers, guerrilla bars, cinemas and the occasional person who’s made their home.
Burlington Bunker/Wiltshire’s Cold War City, England
This was built as an emergency relocation site for the British government incase there was a nuclear strike during the Cold War. Capable of housing over 4,000 people, with a railway station, pub, cafeterias, water treatment facility and over 95 km of roads, it was a secret underground city. Abandoned since the late 80’s/early 90’s, it’s been one of the Ministry of Defence’s best kept secrets. So far, no member of the public has ever been inside.
Moose Jaw Tunnels, Canada
When the winter winds hit Saskatchewan, you definitely don’t want to head outdoors, so in the early part of the century, they started building as series of underground tunnels. Starting in 1908, whole complexes were built and families started moving underground. As time passed, the underground city became a prime place for gambling, prostitution and other illegal activities. During the prohibition, there was a railway line that connected Moose Jaw with Al Capone’s Chicago and made the small Canadian city a hotspot for brothels and casinos, as well as illegal hootch.
Now it’s a tourist attraction.
Cappadocia, Turkey
Built in the 7th century, Cappadocia is an ancient Turkish city, and one of the most famous of the underground ones. There are seven underground layers that have been dug into the soft rock, consisting of places to live, shop, go to church and go to school. The entire complex is able to host up to 20,000 people and goes 200 feet underground.
Today, some of the nooks and crannies have been turned into hotels and airbnbs, so you can experience the lifestyle
Beijing’s Underground City, China
The tunnels, which sit 26 feet underground, were built as a public safety measure to give locals a place to hide if the Russian army decided to invade China during the Cold War, and a place for the military to regroup. Spanning over 53 miles, it’s got malls, hospitals, schools, factories, farms and warehouses so that life could continue uninterrupted.
Seattle Underground, Washington
It’s not as well known as the other places on this list, but there’s a lot to see under the Pioneer Square neighbourhood. In fact, this used to the main street level until a fire levelled the wood-built neighbourhood in 1889. Instead of rebuilding the city, the city council decided to make sure all new builds were made of stone, and also moved the grade of the street one to two stories higher, effectively burying the old structures underground. There are a total of 31 blocks of shops, bars, banks and hotels buried down there.
Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado
This is a nuclear bunker built beneath the Cheyenne Mountain during the Cold War, as a self-contained town/bunker and as a way to monitor incoming missiles and aircraft. In fact, this complex is strong enough to be able to withstand a direct hit from a nuclear bomb. Taking up 2 hectares and living under 2,000 feet of granite, it was in use for NORAD until 2006, when it was moved to a nearby air force base. Recently, a lot of the tech has been moved back to Cheyenne after a renovation, due to fears from EMPs.
SubTropolis, Missouri
Located in Kansas City, this is the largest underground storage facility and retail complex. Carved out of the limestone, there are 7 miles of illuminated, paved roads and railroad track, with 5 million square feet of occupied space. There are over 50 businesses and organizations renting down there including current tenants, the US Postal Service and Hallmark Cards.
Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland
This was one of the oldest and major producers of table salt in Poland until 2007. The mine has been in operation since the 13th century, and an entire underground city spanning over 178 miles exists in the excavated veins of rock salt. Within, there are dozens of rooms, statues, four chapels and even an underground lake with an artificial island.
Matmata, Tunisia
This is a small town, where large pits were dug into the ground and artificial caves were dug to be used a rooms. Some homes were actually multiple pits with tunnels connecting them to make rooms. Up until 1967, these underground homes weren’t known to the rest of the world until an intensive rain fell for 22 days. This caused some of the troglodyte homes to collapse and the town needed help. While above-ground settlements were built to replace the destroyed homes, some were salvaged.
You might recognize the Hotel Sidi Driss as a familiar location in one of the greatest movies of all time: Star Wars. Tunisia stood in for Tatooine and the Skywalker home was one of these underground structures.
Sentinel de las Bodegas, Spain
This is pretty much one of the most unique places in the world. Over 3,000 residents currently live under a rock. The dwellings have been carved out of the rock, deep under a bluff, and outside, external walls have been built to close it off. A lot of places have rock walls and some even have vegetation that grows within their homes, such as olives and fruits.
Kish, Iran
This is a mysterious underground city, just under the coast of Iran. Built over 2,500 years ago, covering an area of 6 square miles, it was once a water management system complex. Now, it’s a tourist destination with restaurants, malls, an art gallery and shopping.
Coober Pedy, Australia
This mining town is listed as one of the hottest places on Earth, with an average summer temperature of 120 degrees. The entire town is pretty much underground as it’s too hot to stay above. Home to around 1,700 people, the underground complex has homes, hotels, pubs, a casino, a church and several museums.
