Murderer never found, the body ever identified. Everyone at Odessas School Number 56 had talked about there being a working entrance to the mine, just outside of school property. Above ground, the Fasciest Germans and Romanians would identify random catacomb exits and seal them off, hoping to trap them inside. Fake? There's also evidence that they were used for the summary executions of Nazi soldiers. Adventures in Ukraine: Odessa Catacombs. The Soviets suffered malnutrition, and even malaria. Creepy stories about the Odessa catacombs range fromdead bodies found in catacombs, topeople who have gotten lost in catacombs and were never seen again. We believe it is just a practical joke and the corpse is fake." What followed for Masha was a three day trek from hell. . Inside the mine, the catacombs turned, forked, and led Masha further from the entrance. There also would have been nowhere to stay warm, since that area is also not deep enough for it to have been much warmer than the chilly surface weather that night. The approximate topography of the Odesa underground labyrinth is unknown as the catacombs have not been fully mapped. In fact, these labyrinthine tunnels are so enormous, that they easily dwarf both the catacombs of Rome and those of Paris . vegan options at biltmore estate. [3] Many of the tunnels have been filled up with earth, concrete or sand by construction companies, and are no longer accessible. The 2005 New Years eve party was great. Parents in the area warned their children to stay away. There you will find the legend of Masha. Two years passed, and no one retrieved the body, Lata claims. We don't know for sure what Masha was looking for when she went into the catacombs with her friends. And as one treads these tunnels which were never graced by the light of day, one can easily see that the horrors from the pages of novels such as Metro 2033, or from some iconic Lovecraftian horror, are firmly and terrifyingly rooted in reality. Her body had been partially mummified by the cold cool air. All rights reserved. They became a hiding place for Soviet partisans. There was no light in the catacombs besides whatever she might have had on her, and it is believed she wandered in pitch blackness. The group of friends, he wrote, had all stayed there overnight, then left the next morning, but abandoned Masha, either accidentally or on purpose, and she was unable to find her way out. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. A man named KostyaPugovkinclaims he was one of the people that carried the body out, but it was never originally thought to be someone named Masha. [citation needed], After the Russian Revolution of 1917, stone mining was banned within the central part of Odesa (inside the Porto-Franko zone, bounded by Old Port Franko and Panteleymonovskaya streets). ( Volodymyr Khodaryev /Adobe Stock). ( CC BY SA 4.0 ). When I was a teenager I was a tour guide at a local cave and at the end of the day someone had to walk to the back of the cave (45 minutes one way!) Eventually the majority of the group managed to find their way back out but Masha never did. aeries parent portal madera. 2023 Atlas Obscura. But even with a light and a map of the catacombs, it would have been hard for someone ill-prepared to make it out, because the maps that exist are a maddening, brain-like scrawl. The eerie burnt-out remains of a prominent building where 30 protestors lost their lives. One of these stories inevitably brings us to Masha, a student who should have known better than to venture inside the tunnels. Eventually, a journalist wrote about the body, and within 24 hours, the police came and had it removed. These catacombs are the result of stone mining, particularly coquina (a soft limestone of broken shells), and consist of a network of basements, bunkers, drainage tunnels and storm drains. [Online] Available at: https://thinkofthetriangle.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/adventures-in-ukraine-odessa-catacombs/, McKendry, I. D. 2017. Unfortunately for Masha, this was not the case. Post author: Post published: 22/06/2022 Post category: brenda payne hendersonville, tn Post comments: criminal fraternities 18th century criminal fraternities 18th century Everywhere, hidden in the niches and the stone nooks, lie scribbled and faded poems, warnings and pleas. One of the reasons the catacombs of Odessa stand out is because they are by far the worlds longest catacombs. Instead, he claims they were looking for the body of Janis Stendzenieks, the son of a local newspaper magnate. Even with all that, humans are resilient, and can survive several days without food and water. Masha and a group of friends thought it would be fun to go out, party, and celebrate at the Stone Mines. In the photo, Masha is unidentifiable beyond simply being a human. Excursions to Odesa catacombs", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Odesa_catacombs&oldid=1142761690, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 06:27. It's not unlikely that she drunkenly forgot to leave a trail of breadcrumbs. The Bohemian Blog. After the communists came to power, this man hid both himself and the golden Titanic in the catacombs below, never to be discovered. These men and women remained hidden, living in the catacombs. ( eliosdnepr /Adobe Stock). https://irishurbanexplorations.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/odessa-catacombs-day-1-odessa-ukraine/, https://thinkofthetriangle.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/adventures-in-ukraine-odessa-catacombs/, http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2017/04/11/183661/, http://odesskiy.com/chisto-fakti-iz-zhizni-i-istorii/istorija-vozniknovenija-odesskih-katakomb.html, http://www.thebohemianblog.com/2013/10/urban-exploration-odessa-catacombs_20.html, https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mind-boggling-catacomb-maps, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/odessa-catacombs, https://greentourua.com/the-lost-world-of-odessa-catacombs/, The Tiara of Saitaphernes: Wow Antique? The longest single expedition to date was just 40km, completed over a 27-hour period in 1995. Lets unravel the story of these vast catacombs that lie untouched beneath one of Ukraines largest towns. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. | Maybe her path forked a few times, and she lost track of the pattern. It was wearing jeans and modern shoes, and did appear to be the result of a fairly recent death. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. The trek lasted 27-hours, and covered about 25 miles (40 kilometers). What you may not know, is that the largest catacomb system in the world is the Odessa Catacombs in Ukraine. Stretching to a length of 2500km, the Odessa Catacombs are prehaps the largest network of tunnels in the world. View all photos. Fine Art? Parts of the mines are still active, but the majority of the tunnels remain closed to the public. Based on what was later found, it is believed that Masha stumbled around in the catacombs for at least three days, starving, thirsty, alone, and in the dark. One of them decided to give it a try, they turned the handle and the door swung open. Shortly after this the mapping of a huge unexplored area of the catacombs known as K-29 was begun. In 2011, a male murder victim was found by chance in the catacombs after he had been dead for three to six months. Belief in malevolent spirits inhabiting the human body has persisted across cultures for millennia. She didn't make it out alive, it's said. The very old skeleton of a partisan or smuggler. She made the decision to venture down into the mine for privacy sake. But some places just arent meant to be explored. And some are full-fledged poems, written in the delicate Cyrillic cursive script, their authors lost to time. Her story has that odd mix of too much detail and yet nothing verifiable that just screams urban legend. Jules Suzdaltsev contributed reporting to this piece. Amid yellow limestone walls and floors, young explorers found a body that was partially mummified by the cold dry air. The Odessa catacombs, even though slightly taboo and extremely eerie, are not illegal to visit . Kostya Pugovkin, who identified himself as a veteran of Ukraine's Antiterrorist Operation based in Odessa, claims to be the one who personally hefted the body in that photograph out of the depths. Her body was found only after 2 years. One story stands out among the rest, and that is the story of Masha. However, when the body was removed, it was in terrible condition, with no good identifying factors. dinnington high school alumni. They go on multi-day underground treks, known as expeditions, to document and map the system. The catacombs are on three levels, and reach a depth of 200ft (60 meters) below sea level. After the war, the tunnels remained active with smugglers and criminal groups who went so far as to widen or even create their own tunnels. Just one look at the maps will show you exactly why the Odessa catacombs were never fully explored the sheer size prevents it. Although the tale has long been reported as fact, even in newspapers, there is still a great lack of evidence, and few people are stepping forward to corroborate the sparse claims that to exist. Pacific coastline of the continuous United States. There is, however, a portion of the catacombs that is open to the public within the Museum of Partisan Glory in Nerubayskoye, north of Odessa. On January 1st, 2005, some Odessa teens decided to spend New Year's night partying in the catacombs. The Catacombs are on three levels and reach a depth of 60 metres (200ft) below sea level. On January 1st 2005, a young Ukranian teenage girl named Masha put on her make-up, packed up some champagne, and headed out for her New Years Eve nights party. Ukraine. Nov 7, 2017 Kate Bulo. 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( Valentin Balan /Adobe Stock). Believing this to be the best explanation for her absence, the group agreed and they left. So it's a photo of a body that willit seemsnever be positively identified, and it immortalizes the last moment of someone's life. A large portion of these tunnels due to the sheer extent and the number of corridors remains completely unexplored. However, professionals can be hired at the cost of 250 hryvnia per person, depending on the time spent underground, the complexity and length of the route, the number of tourists, and options for delivery to the site entrance to the underground area. Katakomby. I saw this video and did some research on it, ultimately deeming it to be a hoax. Odessas catacombs quickly became the preferred hideout of rebels, criminals, and eccentrics. All of these items are housed in a section of the tunnels which were used by the partisans. It's not known if they were former students of Odessa's School Number 56, but according to references to the story in Russian news, that's where they found the entrance to the mines. Down in the mine, for unknown reasons, Masha didnt turn around and leave once she had finished. It's not clear what the journalist wrote, but Lata claims the government got moving and removed the body less than 24 hours later. It was meant as a sort of warning for others to stay away, but it also lured urban explorers to the site with growing regularity. [4] In his work The Waves of The Black Sea, Valentin Kataev described the battle between Soviet partisans against Axis forces, underneath Odesa and its nearby suburb Usatove. Either way, the main portion of these catacombs was begun in earnest in the 19th century and onwards, with stone being quarried to be used in the building of the houses of the city above. [Online] Available at: http://www.thebohemianblog.com/2013/10/urban-exploration-odessa-catacombs_20.html, Thuras, D. 2010. But he claims that when Armand Stendzenieks ordered a DNA test, it wasn't a match. She was headed into the Odessa catacombs, the 2,500 kilometers of dark rocky tunnels which run underneath the city. The closest thing in real life to the deadly labyrinth of King Minosor, if you prefer, the one from the movie Labyrinthis a network of tunnels under the city of Odessa, Ukraine. In a post from 2010, he claimed that he used to take trips that lasted over a week, and that he'd fill his "catacombs bag" with food, camping equipment, diving gear, and mapmaking tools to prepare for long trips. Nefer Say Nefer - Was Nefertiti Buried in the Valley of the Queens? What started as an ancient Greek colony, in time turned into a metropolis a crucial seaport and an economic hub. Assuming Masha brought a battery-powered flashlight or lantern down into the depths, it would have died after a few hours, making it harder to continue the search for warmth and water. Despite very extensive searches neither his body, nor any clues about his fate were found. [4]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. A 2009 forum post on the Urban Explorer's Resource (UER) site, by someone named Eugene Lata, put the tale into English, detailing everything from Masha's backstory to the grim discovery the group had made. See. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. It would be a strange, unfunnny practical joke. As the result of contemporary mining, the catacombs continue to expand. But some like to say that the earliest form of the catacombs dates to centuries before that, to 1600's or possibly before - and that's plausible. . So, is it really true? Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. [citation needed], In 1961 the "Search" (Poisk) club was created in order to explore the history of partisan movement among the catacombs. There is little to no record of a girl named Masha ever disappearing into the catacombs, and there are those that refute Lata'saccounts. They would throw in poison gas canisters, hoping to smoke them out and finish them off. The mining operations would soon spiral almost out of control, causing some issues for the town itself, until they would be temporarily banned after 1917. By 2012, he had begun to sound less like the internet's ambassador to the catacombs. The post featured a graphic photo of what appeared to be a decaying corpse in the catacombs, which Lata claimed was Masha's body. Some time later, when the group was ready to call it a night and head home, they noticed Masha was missing. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Many regions (such as the notorious 'K-29' network) remain largely unexplored to this day. It would be extremely dangerous to try and explore the catacombs on ones own. The story quickly became a famous Internet legend. Go to the left, go to the right, Youll only meet the darkness of the night, Another poem tells of the loneliness inside the tunnels: Sing not, oh nightingale, against my cell, and dont interrupt my prayer, oh, nightingale.. We dare you. [citation needed], There have been various reports of people walking into the catacombs, getting lost and then eventually dying of dehydration. But despite being passed around the internet as fact, there is little documentation to support the legend of Masha. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. Rifles, machine guns, equipment and personal items all were discovered lost or abandoned in virtually pristine condition. It was cold, near freezing, and foggy on New Years Eve 2005. Rebuilt remains of a temple to Roman god Mithras. The mystery person was of no value at all, Pugovkin says. Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. Odessa Catacombs: Day 1 Odessa, Ukraine. Local here (finally, after years of reading, something got me to register). But even though the city fell, its citizens didnt give up the fight. The post featured a graphic photo of what appeared to be a decaying corpse in the catacombs, which Lata claimed was Masha's body. Perhaps they will never be. I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds, about The Tiara of Saitaphernes: Wow Antique? [citation needed], The group of friends, he wrote, had all stayed there overnight, then left the next morning, but abandoned Masha, either accidentally or on purpose, and she was unable to find her way out. Shortly after this, the mapping of a large unexplored area known as K-29 began. She would have gotten delirious, convulsed, and slipped irreversibly into a coma around the third day, not that she would have noticed the days passing. It took a full two years before the police were able to locate her body and retrieve it from the catacombs. . But catacombs can be more than religious passageways or burial grounds. 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