Surely in your town or city there is a story or legend about a tunnel or secret passage that connects two places or served as an escape route in case of danger. In Supercurioso we talk about the secret passage of the Vatican and this time we wanted to get closer to others Secret Tunnels and discover 10 Mysterious passages from around the world. Join us!
Some of the secret tunnels what we will present to you really exist and others, of which stories are explained, could not be found; perhaps because the secret of their entry was lost in time or because in reality they were only the result of fantasy. What do you think? Many of these passages are related to religious buildings, convents, monasteries or castles and the escape of their inhabitants by them constitute common or very similar stories in many regions of Europe .
10 Secret Tunnels. Mysterious passages from around the world
1. The first of these secret tunnels of those who want to speak to you, they think they were built by the Picts or the Romans. Its origin is in the Iron Age and are found in many places of Cornwall (Britain). They are known as fogou or fougou and nobody knows what their exact purpose was. One of the most important is that of Halliggye Fogou, in Trelowarren, Cornwall.
It is formed by stone walls buried in ditches with corbels supporting a roof made of stone slabs. They were very important since they used to be in the center of the settlements and most historians believe that they could be used as shelters. These secret tunnels usually measure about two meters and their entrance was hidden, being practically invisible if you did not know where you were.
two. The Erdstall they are a type of secret tunnels that are found throughout Europe. They were built in the Middle Ages although it is unknown, as in the case of the fogou, what was their use, although it is believed that they could be escape routes or hiding places. One of the best known is the Erdstall Ratgöbluckn in Perg, Austria.
The erdstall are narrow since they do not measure more than 60 cm. wide, have bottlenecks and sometimes communicate with other lower tunnels. The longest usually measure around 50 meters.
3. The third of these secret tunnels is Cleeves Cove or Blair Cove and is located in Scotland near the town of Dalry. It is a system of limestone caves that has a distance of 150 meters. There is evidence that for centuries they were used as temporary shelter by human beings. It is known that the Scottish Presbyterians used these tunnels during the persecution of Charles II.
The local legends make these secret passages of the place where the Elves lived.
4. Some castles did have tunnels or secret passages. At the Loudoun Castle in Scotland there is a small passage that leads from the old kitchens to a narrow passage over the fireplace. However, no remains of another secret tunnel have been found, which according to tradition communicated this castle with that of Cessnock, passing under the Irvine River and measuring more than 2 km.
5. The castle of Nottingham is in Nottingham in England and is located on top of a promontory called "Castle Rock". It is known that this castle had a secret passage since King Edward III, in his youth, was locked in it by Roger de Mortimer. A group of royal supporters, in 1330, used the secret tunnel to get inside to free Eduardo and capture Mortimer.
6. You can also see a secret tunnel in the Brand Castle in Romania. It is a medieval fortress located in Transylvania and is famous for the belief that in it Vlad lived the impaler, although he did not really spend more than two days in his dungeons.
It is one of the main tourist destinations in the area.
7. In Welbeck Abbey, To the north of Nottinghamshire, a monastery existed until during the dissolution it was the country house of the Dukes of Portland. The fifth Duke of Portland built a secret passageway of more than 1,000 meters that led from the house to the stables. He built other tunnels and several underground rooms in areas near the main residence. In total there are more than 24 km. of secret passages. Apparently the fifth Duke of Portland was an introverted and eccentric character.
8. At Pevensey Castle in East Sussex there is a secret tunnel that leads from the building to the market square, however it is not open to the public and some historians believe that it may actually be a drain from the Tudor era . During the Second World War the Castle was used again.
9. A case of secret tunnels modern are those that were found in 1980 during the remodeling in Chicago of the Hotel Regal Knickerbocker. The workers found a secret door in one of the ballrooms of the upper floors and behind it a staircase that descended to the street. This secret passage was used during the 1920s to facilitate the escape of police raids on illegal gamblers and drinkers.
10. The last secret tunnels that we will mention were excavated underground during the Vietnam War by the Vietcong army. These are known as Củ Chi tunnels and were used especially during the Tết Offensive. In the tunnels there were bedrooms, kitchens, wells and infirmaries. Oxygen came from hidden air vents outside.
The secret tunnels They were used by many people and for various reasons throughout history. Do you know any? Share it with us and we can expand this list. If you want to know other curious places in the world, we invite you to read the post: The Mystery of the Twisted Forest of Poland | What caused it? .
Images: , Pfeifferfranz , Rosser1954