Who does not know Odessa with its inimitable humor, the famous Privoz market, the illustrious Moldavian woman and unusually beautiful nature? But besides these attractions and colorful characters, the catacombs, the world's largest underground labyrinths, are of great interest to tourists.
Hero City - Odessa
This is the administrative center of Odessa region, the largest port city on the Black Sea, a major cultural, industrial scientific and resort center. In Odessa, there is a junction of railways and highways. In terms of population, it is fourth in Ukraine.
The city got its name in the 18th century. It was named after the colony of Odessos, located in the northern Black Sea region. It existed not far from the Odessa Gulf.
This bright and sunny city is located on the shores of the Odessa Gulf. Most of it, including the historical center, is located on a plain that rises 50 m above the sea.
On the territory of Odessa and its immediate vicinity there are no sources of drinking water, so the city is supplied with water from the Dniester. The water supply system stretched forty kilometers through the water intake, which is located in the Belyaevka area. Near the city there are three large estuaries - Sukhoi, Kuyalnitsky, Hadzhibey.
During the Second World War heroically defenders defended the city for 73 days (since the beginning of August 1941). From land, Odessa was defended by the Primorsky Army, from the sea they covered the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, supported by coastal artillery. The enemy, whose forces exceeded ours five times, on August 3 broke through to the city from land. After the withdrawal of the troops of the Southern Front, Odessa remained behind enemy lines.
On August 20, an enemy army of 7 brigades and 17 divisions launched a massive assault on the city. For a month, Soviet troops and the urban population stubbornly repelled powerful enemy attacks. The army managed to stop him at the main line, 10 kilometers from Odessa. 38 thousand citizens moved to the catacombs. They were determined to defend the beautiful Odessa.
Their forces delivered 45 kilometers of wire fences and grooves, dug 250 km of ditches, installed more than 40 thousand mines. These difficult works were carried out daily by 10-12 thousand exhausted and hungry women and adolescents. They built 250 barricades.
At Odessa plants, caterpillar tractors were rebuilt into tanks, manufactured five armored trains, more than two thousand flamethrowers and mortars, 300 thousand grenades.
On April 10, 1944, Soviet troops liberated the city. 30 thousand inhabitants of Odessa received medals "For the Defense of Odessa".
May 8, 1965 received the title "Hero City" Odessa.
What are catacombs
These are former quarries that appeared after the extraction of limestone (shell rock). In Odessa, they have a huge length - more than 2500 kilometers. Considering that about 1700 km are studied from them, it can be assumed that the map of Odessa catacombs is not very accurate.
They stretch under the entire city, as well as under the villages of Usatovo, Krivaya Balka, Kuyalnik, Nerubayskoye. There are a lot of entrances to the underground labyrinth, some are in the courtyards of the houses, however, most of them are closed today.
Shell rock has always been used in the southern steppes of Ukraine for the construction of residential buildings, as this is an affordable and durable material. The first mines appeared in these parts at the beginning of the 19th century, when the mass development of the city began. Shell rock was mined using scrap and special saws. At first, horizontal adits were laid, and then deep wells were dug (up to 40 meters). It was very hard work - the stone had to be carried upstairs manually, using a stretcher or using wooden cars. Horses began to be used only in 1874.
The origin of the catacombs
These giant underground labyrinths are mostly (up to 97%) abandoned quarries. In addition, the vault system includes voids of natural origin - dilatation and karst caves, construction and exploration pits, bunkers, cellars, storm collectors and other technical structures.
Odessa catacombs: history
The extraction of stone was carried out so intensively that already at the end of the 19th century the network of underground labyrinths began to cause inconvenience to the city. After the revolution of 1917 , in connection with the collapse of many buildings, it was forbidden to extract shell rock in the city.
During the war
During the Second World War, Odessa catacombs became a shelter for partisans. Unfortunately, they were a trap for them. The history of some partisan detachments that were sent to the dungeons is tragic.
Odessa catacombs during the war were more convenient than traditional trenches, as they were already ready places for rest between battles. It is hard to imagine what our warriors experienced in the dark labyrinths located under the city, which suffered from the onslaught of the enemy. Undoubtedly, the catacombs helped the defenders of Odessa defend the city.
According to veterans, these unique underground labyrinths are witnesses of military events, about which we know today, probably, very little else. If these walls could talk, they would talk about the fortitude and courage of the defenders of the city. Almost all tourists visit Odessa catacombs. Tours are conducted by experienced and knowledgeable specialists who can tell a lot of interesting things.
Secrets of the Catacombs
The history of these structures has not yet been fully disclosed. It is known for certain that some of the workings of a shell rock are much older than the city itself.
There are military bunkers and drainage tunnels underground. All of them form Odessa catacombs. In the labyrinths, service dogs do not trace . Only the dog that grew up in it can leave the dungeon, and the rest are completely helpless.
Without knowing the plan of the labyrinths, it is almost impossible to get out of them. A man who came here without food and light is doomed to terrible death.
Many secrets of Odessa catacombs are connected with the presence of smugglers, homeless people and bandits who used them as a shelter. Special operations conducted by the police, the Cheka, and then the police, usually ended to no avail - for the criminal world, this place has become a home. Here they found only traces of the life of these people: clothes, human remains and numerous graffiti, from which there is a desperate hopelessness and fear.
According to statistics, a major rescue expedition is conducted every six months in Odessa. But there was not a single case when the search was unsuccessful, with the exception of history, when in 1975 student Alexei was lost in a local mine. He was searched for about a month, more than a hundred people were involved. People went around every corner, but no one was found.
A typical rescue operation lasts approximately 36 hours. In complete darkness, with strong humidity and a temperature of +14 degrees, a person loses the sense of time. Interestingly, many who were saved in a day or two claimed that they had not spent more than two hours in the maze. Usually they are found at the faces, at dead ends, in which they fall in the dark, following hallucinations: female voices, the sound of water, a feeling of fresh air.
Nowadays
In peacetime, Odessa catacombs play a role in the life of the city. In some galleries, which are separated from the main labyrinth, there are warehouses, cellars for aging and storing cognac, contact points.
Tourists who visited the gallery located on the street. Korolenko, were able to see the secret passage connecting the palace of Grand Duchess Potocka with the sea coast. In sec. Nerubai is a unique museum of guerrilla fame.
Scientific value
Catacombs of Odessa are of great scientific importance. For several decades, scientists have been collecting environmental, geological, historical and other information in the dungeon. For example, it became known that the longest gallery (14.6 km) is located under Victory Park. The oldest, which dates back to 1812, is located under Bunin Street. In Nerubaysky, the oldest cave of Nordman was discovered, in which the bones of hundreds of bears that lived here tens of thousands of years ago were found.