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. Even if they managed to find an entrance that was accessible, they were not to venture inside. In September 1995, in honor of the 200th anniversary of Odessa, the record for the longest underground journey in the catacombs was broken by a 27-hour continuos journey of over 40 kilometers. We don't know for sure what Masha was looking for when she went into the catacombs with her friends. Atlas Obscura. They look like my hiking boots, and I'm a woman. The most famous photoone that Lata told VICE in an email that he was involved in takingshows three blank-faced boys who look like they're in their early teens, posing like they've just stumbled upon the body in a narrow, curved section of the cavern. [7], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}463248N 303750E / 46.54667N 30.63056E / 46.54667; 30.63056, "People Believe a Girl Died in the Endless Odessa Catacombs, but the Mystery Goes Much Deeper", "Dark secrets of Odessa's vast catacomb labyrinth", "Subterranea of Ukraine: Odessa Catacombs", "The Enduring Legend of the Girl Who Died in Odessa's Catacombs", "The Odesa catacombs. However, that hasn't stopped many people from making the same trip Masha apparently made. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. Besides Masha and the missing boy, there have been other stories of people who have died in the catacombs, and not just from getting lost. [3] Many of the tunnels have been filled up with earth, concrete or sand by construction companies, and are no longer accessible. Strange and Creepy, Urban Legends and Folklore. If she'd wandered into isolation, maybe to find a secluded spot to relieve herself, it's easy to imagine she was beyond screaming distance. Drinking and debauchery went on that night, and for reasons unknown a young woman named Masha got separated from her friends and disappeared into the abyss. In 1961, a "Search" ("Poisk") club formed in an effort to explore and document the catacombs. The tunnels have been cited as the reason why such a subway system has never been built in Odesa. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. The mystery person was of no value at all, Pugovkin says. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. Everyone was having a good time, drinking and having fun. Masha story is an urban legend. About four months after New Years in April of 2005, word spread among cave explorers that there was a fresh body down there, Lata wrote in a his UER post in 2009. Stories say that an ancient Roman glassmaker had the technology to create a flexible glass, vitrium flexile, but a certain emperor decided the invention should not be. It can be really dangerous," he wrote, adding "here are some new pictures of our catacombs. [Online] Available at: http://www.thebohemianblog.com/2013/10/urban-exploration-odessa-catacombs_20.html, Thuras, D. 2010. "Besides the original photographer," a post says, "there isn't one person, civilian or law enforcement, that can confirm the story. 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. masha odessa catacombs photolet us break bread together meaning peaky blinderslet us break bread together meaning peaky blinders Amid yellow limestone walls and floors, young explorers found a body that was partially mummified by the cold dry air. Today, there are dozens of semi-professional catacomb explorer groups that venture into the Odessa catacombs. The longest single expedition to date was just 40km, completed over a 27-hour period in 1995. The photo proves that Hell is a real place, and it's about nine stories beneath Odessa. Offer subject to change without notice. Actually, the walls of the Odessa catacombs are inscribed with thousands of writings, ranging from names to slogans to caricatures and even poems. Such tours are not officially sanctioned[4] because the catacombs have not been fully mapped and the tunnels themselves are unsafe. 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.. But according to the official Odessa Catacombs website, the whole story of Masha is a lie. Always pursuing my passions for writing, history and literature, I strive to deliver a thrilling and captivating read that touches upon history's most Read More. Most of the diggers I talked to believed that he actually faked the whole thing and started a new life somewhere, but still look out for anything related to him below. The Museum of Partisan Glory is located in a part of the catacombs north of Odessa, and it is the only underground museum in Ukraine. What started as an ancient Greek colony, in time turned into a metropolis a crucial seaport and an economic hub. However, in the drunken revelry a member of the group, a girl named Masha, became separated and lost in the catacombs. It doesn't seem too unbelievable to me that a group of kids exploring where they're not supposed be might not report a long -dead body. It would be a strange, unfunnny practical joke. - BACKSTORY - The story goes like thisMasha or Mashenka, depending on t. The sheer size of the catacombs meant a refuge for all walks of life that sought to hide. The Odessa Catacombs underwent further construction through the vagrants' illegal widening and creation of even more tunnel systems. Masha had traveled several miles into the catacombs. Parents in the area warned their children to stay away. By some estimates, they span 1,550 miles, making the network a little longer than the whole Pacific coastline of the continuous United States. [6] Other caves attract extreme tourists, who explore the tunnels despite the dangers involved. 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. Pacific coastline of the continuous United States. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. The complete length of these catacombs is more than half of the width of the North American continent. Still left for anyone to roam freely, these tunnels are used just as several decades before by anyone who needs or wants to descend into its depths. A large portion of these tunnels due to the sheer extent and the number of corridors remains completely unexplored. I hope it's fake - but, unless that picture was fake, someone died the nightmarish way attributed to Masha. But centuries ago, the land that is now the United States was a very different place As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. Irish Urban Explorations. More photos surfaced, including additional shots of the tunnels and even bones. In the case of the Odessa Catacombs, they are a labyrinth-like network of tunnels under the city of Odessa. 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. Imagine a glass you can bend and then watch it return to its original form. The remaining catacombs (3-5%) are either natural cavities or were excavated for other purposes such as sewerage. Beneath its streets, under the slowly unraveling everyday lives of its citizens, lies a sprawling network of tunnels and catacombs, an enigmatic web of dark corridors that built up a reputation of macabre proportions. She quickly became separated from her party, and unable to find her way back. The eerie burnt-out remains of a prominent building where 30 protestors lost their lives. In WWII, Soviet partisans hid in the Odessa Catacombs, which stretch for thousands of miles below the city. But in their foggy states, they absentmindedlyor maliciouslyleft Masha in the catacombs. One story stands out among the rest, and that is the story of Masha. The complete length of the Odessa catacombs comes up to around astonishing 2500 km (1553.43 miles)! There are still hundreds of kilometers of tunnels that no one has been able to see all of we can only speculate about what kind of gruesome secrets still dwell deep within. Mauritius Square, Ukraine: What is this Giant Crab-like Earthworks? She was headed . In 2005, after a couple of drinks, a group of enthusiastic Odessa teens decided to continue their party down in the catacombs. 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. Masha and a group of friends thought it would be fun to go out, party, and celebrate at the Stone Mines. Masha had died, still trying to escape. Try not to get lost. I know you said he was never identified, but was there an investigation you can share with us? [Online] Available at: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mind-boggling-catacomb-maps, Thuras, D. Odessa Catacombs. Of course parents saying not to do something usually encourages kids to do that very thing. Mind boggling isnt it? All of these items are housed in a section of the tunnels which were used by the partisans. This led to a lot of attempt at secrecy by the officials. Belief in malevolent spirits inhabiting the human body has persisted across cultures for millennia. Initially, police believed that he had simply gotten lost and died, as Mashahad supposedly done. [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. The 2005 New Years eve party was great. Maybe her path forked a few times, and she lost track of the pattern. The Odessa catacombs are a very complicated system of natural tunnels, mines, bunkers, and caves that are predominantly a result of mining with the earliest excavations beginning in the 19th century. Thanks. We'll make more! Proudly powered by WordPress Down in the mine, for unknown reasons, Masha didnt turn around and leave once she had finished. Beneath the city of Odessa, and also its outskirts, lie a labyrinth-like network of tunnels, known as the Odessa Catacombs. She went to do a little exploring with the others and quickly became separated from the group among the maze-like corridors. The teens are said to have stayed down there all night. Pugovkin told us the elder Stendzenieks was offering a reward to anyone who could find his son, and some people he called "diggers"manual laborershad tipped off the authorities about a body two to three miles from an entrance to the catacombs. Masha always struck me as an urban legend. They cooked, played games, and listened to the radio With the Nazis above ground, they looked for any opportunity relay intelligence, or strike their enemy. Adventures in Ukraine: Odessa Catacombs. Those daring few that decide to explore the endless depths below Odessa are often surprised by a gruesome find. It was cold, near freezing, and foggy on New Years Eve 2005. She had no food and no water, and the catacombs were freezing cold and dry. Nov 7, 2017 Kate Bulo. Some time later, when the group was ready to call it a night and head home, they noticed Masha was missing. [5], Only one small portion of the catacombs is open to the public, within the "Museum of Partisan Glory" in Nerubayskoye, north of Odesa. You'd think they'd have them boarded or locked up pretty tight to avoid homeless people getting lost down there. Megalithic Sites Are More than Just Stone, Library in Stone: The Ica Stones of Professor Cabrera Part I, Two Sides to Every Story: The North American Martyrs Shrines and Indigenous/ Roman Catholic Relations, The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures Part I, Curse of the Buried Pearl: The Hunt for Ancient Treasures Part I, The Enigma of the Shugborough Inscription, The Znojmo Catacombs: A Maze of Tunnels Where No Enemies Escaped Alive. According to the 2009 forum post on Urban Explorer's Resource (UER) by a catacombs explorer named Eugene Lata, who brought Masha's story to the English-speaking world, the tale begins late on New Year's Day (or possibly New Year's Eve) in 2005. Like us on Facebook 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. But despite being passed around the internet as fact, there is little documentation to support the legend of Masha. Clearly, this was a bad idea. . The Catacombs are on three levels and reach a depth of 60 metres (200ft) below sea level. [citation needed], The first underground stone mines started to appear in the 19th century, while vigorous construction took place in Odesa. His descriptions of his journeys into the dark were tantalizing tales of adventure. The most famous photoone that Lata told VICE in an email that he was involved in takingshows three blank-faced boys who look like they're in their early teens, posing like they've just stumbled upon the body in a narrow, curved section of the cavern. Stop by the blog every day this month for true tales of the unquiet dead. [1] The system of Odesa Catacombs consists of a network of basements, bunkers, drainage tunnels and storm drains as well as natural caves.[1]. Which Animated Disney Movie Should Get A Horror Adaptation Next? | 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. The group ventured deep inside and soon enough they got lost. Padlocks cover this rickety footbridge with love. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. No purchase necessary. There you will find the skeletal remains of more than 6 million people. And some are full-fledged poems, written in the delicate Cyrillic cursive script, their authors lost to time. Atlas Obscura. Maybe her path forked a few times, and she lost track of the pattern. As the Vice article states, other bodies have been found within the catacombs, including one found during the search for a man who went missing in 2004. The citizens believe that he still haunts these labyrinthine tunnels. It is one of the world's largest urban labyrinths, running up to 2,500 kilometres (1,600mi). Fine Art? aeries parent portal madera. They go on multi-day underground treks, known as expeditions, to document and map the system. Approximately 32 members were sent to the catacombs in 1941 to sabotage the Romanian allies of German Nazis who occupied Odessa during World War II, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Odessas catacombs quickly became the preferred hideout of rebels, criminals, and eccentrics. She was headed into the Odessa catacombs, the 2,500 kilometers of dark rocky tunnels which run underneath the city. But one such find could not remain a secret. The biggest and most serious efforts were made by a club specifically created for the purpose Poisk ( ). In the photo, Masha is unidentifiable beyond simply being a human. Stop by the blog every day this month for true tales of the unquiet dead. Even with all that, humans are resilient, and can survive several days without food and water. ", He told us he then dragged the body to the police medical examiner's office, about five miles from the entrance Masha would have used. Over the years there have been numerous reports of people venturing into the catacombs, getting lost, and eventually dying of dehydration never to be seen again. A glass that you drop but it doesnt break. They admitted that they had gone to the Stone Mines, and maybe, just maybe Masha had gone inside. I mean it's Vice. [6], Since the beginning of the 21st century limestone mining has continued in the mines located in Dofinovka, Byldynka, and "Fomina balka" near Odesa. TheOdessa catacomb death legend has been supported by witnesses, as well as photos and even a few news articles, but there's not much as far as hard facts go. Pearl did interview another man, Kostya Pugovkin, who claimed to have dragged the corpse in the photograph up and to a police station in the hope of getting a reward; Pugovkin stated that he was told by others that the dead person was "a Satanist who got lost". However, it's not te only creepy story - in 2012 group of students went below and one was lost. 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. As the result of contemporary mining, the catacombs continue to expand. Various message boards shared the tale, and websites began to present the details as fact. 2023 Atlas Obscura. So, is it really true? In doing so, they were able to provide valuable information for the mapping of the tunnels. However, in the drunken revelry a member of the group, a girl named Masha, became. [1] They began to drink, and occasionally worked up the courage to go inside the mine, taking a few steps in before turning around and running back out. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. This was a mistake. [citation needed], There have been various reports of people walking into the catacombs, getting lost and then eventually dying of dehydration. Above ground, the Fasciest Germans and Romanians would identify random catacomb exits and seal them off, hoping to trap them inside. In 2011, a body was found in the catacombs that had been dead for several months. She lies on her left side, legs curled like she's sleeping, while the upper half of her decomposing body has lost its form. Investigating the mysterious death of a young woman who wandered into an underground tunnel and never came outbut lives on as an internet rumor. But that has not stopped outsiders, or even local, daring, teenagers who are curious about, or even set on finding, the legendary treasures they contain.

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