From forgotten storefronts to subterranean storage facilities and holy cave shrines,
today we look at the Most Amazing Underground Places On Earth.
Number 11. Portland Underground Portland, Oregon is known as a haven for hipsters,
environmentalists, and esoteric private businesses in modern times, but long before it gained
this left-leaning reputation, this city was more associated with its namesake as a well-known
shipping port. To help with the transport of goods throughout town, a series of tunnels
were built beneath a number of taverns and hotels, allowing easy access from the nearby
Willamette River. Over time, though, these "Shanghai Tunnels" (as they were known for
their association to Portland's Chinatown) were at the center of many tall tales and
rumors claiming they were used for organized crime. Today, they are mostly left untouched
aside from guided tours open to the public.
Number 10. Edinburgh Vaults Under the South Bridge of Edinburgh , Scotland
resides a number of secret chambers built into the bridges 19 arches during its completion
in 1788. Called the Edinburgh Vaults, these relatively small rooms served as store fronts
and storage spaces for everything from taverns to workshops, and remained in use for nearly
30 years continuously. Due to their proximity to water, though, the vaults fell into disrepair
rather quickly as the moist atmosphere and poor air quality took its toll on the chambers.
As merchants and tavern owners took their leave, Edinburgh's poverty-stricken population
would move in. The vaults became a hotbed for criminal activity moving into the mid
1800s, with occupants setting up illegal gambling and distillery taverns. Some rumors even claimed
these vaults were used as a storage space for the deceased by bodysnatchers! Today,
the vaults can be accessed via ghost tour as many believe them to be haunted, but some
can even be rented out for private events, weddings, and even concerts.
Number 9. Batu Caves Naturally carved into the side of a limestone
hill in Gombak , Malaysia , the Batu Caves are one of the most popular and sacred Hindu
shrines outside of India. The limestone of this great series of coves is believed to
be 400 million years old, and the history of these grottos runs deep. The Temuan people,
a native Malay tribe dating back thousands of years, used the caves as shelter historically.
But by the 19th century, Chinese settlers began using the Batu Caves to harvest guano,
or bat excrement, for the fertilization of vegetables and other crops. Near the end of
the 1870s, though, colonialists in the region took note of the caves' natural limestone
deposits. But before it could be mined of its resources, an Indian trader designated
the caves as a place of worship and in 1890 chose to dedicate a temple to Lord Murugan
, the Hindu god of combat. By 1892, the religious holiday known as the Thaipusam festival in
the Tamil month of Thai was celebrated in the Batu Caves, and has been ever since. Over
the next century, more installments were made to the cave-centered temple, including 272
colorful concrete steps leading visitors to the holy place of worship within.
Number 8. Chapel of the Milk Grotto In the sacred town of Bethlehem lie many monuments
that remain important to many religions and their various sects. One of the most important
structures in the town, as a center of Christian pilgrimage, is the Chapel of the Milk Grotto.
It is protected by an agreement called the Status Quo, which reaches back 250 years and
protects a number of religious sites in the region as agreed upon by the religious communities
of the time. The current chapel was erected in 1872 but incorporates parts of the 5th
century Byzantine church that stood before it. Along with the structure, the chapel also
connects to three caves. This location holds significance as it once acted as a place of
refuge for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph before they could migrate to Egypt. It earned its
name from the story that the Virgin Mary spilled a drop of her milk on to the floor of the
cave in which they were staying and the color of the rocky cove turned to white! In addition
to its historical significance, the chapel's supposed healing properties attract the devout
from all corners of the planet. The shrine is said to be a place where prayers for children
specifically are inexplicably answered!
Number 7. Waitomo Glow-Worm Caves One of the most unique underground experiences
on Earth is characterized by an organism no bigger than 40 millimeters in length. The
Waitomo Glowworm Caves of New Zealand's North Island are renowned for these miniature, luminescent
creatures. In the summer, this national attraction draws an average of 2,000 visitors daily and
annually attracts 4 times the amount of any other cave in the region. And while the caves
geological formations, such as its impressive limestone pillars, stalactites, and stalagmites,
may be jaw-dropping, the true draw comes from the glowworms. Adults of the "Arachnocampa
luminosa" species are similar to mosquitoes in size and shape, while the larva appears
reminiscent of an earthworm, with both stages exhibiting bioluminescence. Tourists can witness
these bright bugs in person through guided tours that will take you through the multiple
levels of the cave, including the final floor referred to as "the Cathedral" for its astounding
acoustics.
Number 6. Wieliczka Salt Mine Deep within the Polish town of Wieliczka extends
one of the largest and oldest operating salt mines in the world. From the 13th century
up until 2007, this 2,400 acre phenomenon served the public as a source of table salt.
This royal salt mine was run by the Krakow Salt Mines company for ages, until falling
salt prices and flooding in the mine caused a sudden stop to commercial salt mining in
1996. Now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Wieliczka Salt Mine is a historical
monument that draws 1.2 million tourists to the region annually. With twisting passages,
shafts, and chambers reaching over a thousand feet below the surface and for an astounding
178 miles horizontally, visitors can explore parts of this labyrinthine salt mine first
hand. Statues carved from rock salt, subterranean chapels, historic mining tech, and even an
underground lake are among the most intriguing features to find when touring the Wieliczka
Salt Mine.
Number 5. SubTropolis Kansas City, Missouri is home to the world's
largest underground storage facility and self-proclaimed largest underground business complex, a structure
simply known as SubTropolis. First developed by the late owner of the Kansas City Chiefs,
Lamar Hunt, this massive storage facility serves an impressive list of businesses and
organizations, including the U.S. Postal Service, Hallmark Cards, Verizon Wireless, and the
EPA. The complex was built into the Bethany Falls limestone mine and stretches as deep
as 160 feet below the surface in some parts. Using a grid of tunnels measuring 16 feet
high, and 40 feet wide, along with nearly 7 miles of roads and railroad tracks, the
entirety of SubTropolis covers an area of 55 million square feet. Above ground, though,
this sunken storage facility is masked by two of Hunt's amusement parks: Worlds of Fun
and Oceans of Fun. Those visiting these parks may not even know of the enormous business
running steadily deep below their feet.
Number 4. Coober Pedy Known as the "opal capital of the world",
the Australian town of Coober Pedy has been yielding these mineraloids, the national gemstone
of Australia, since 1915. But these precious rocks aren't the only thing special about
this small South Australian settlement. Along with the 70-plus opal fields surrounding Coober
Pedy , tourists come from all over to visit for the various structures hidden below the
Australian desert. Because of the intense heat of the surface during the daytime, the
residents of Coober Pedy often opt to live within "dugouts", or homes built within the
hillsides and below ground throughout the region. Along with private residences, many
of the towns buildings and amenities have been built into the ground as well. Underground
churches serve as local places of worship as well as tourist attractions, while multiple
motels offer partially and fully submerged accommodations for visitors looking to live
like the locals!
Number 3. Radon Health Mine South of Helena, Montana, within the states
Boulder-Basin region, are a series of mines over a century old, all fuming with great
danger...or mystical healing powers, depending on the visitor's perspective. Originally utilized
for its gold and silver deposits, this region was first mined in the 1880s, but as America
entered the Atomic Age they were instead tapped for uranium. Over time, though, uranium decays
and the gas it produces as a result is called radon . Today, these mines are filled with
the dangerous element, which has been branded as a toxic carcinogen by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency. According to the World Health Organization, inhaling
radon is "the second largest cause of lung cancer in the world", and the EPA has estimated
that exposure to this gas has resulted in 21 thousand fatalities annually! Still, there
are many that turn to these mines, which have names like Merry Widow, Earth Angel, Sunshine,
and Free Enterprise, for alternative healing methods. Those that claim to have had successful
treatment from the radon Health Mines have supposedly been granted relief from ailments
like arthritis, asthma, allergies, diabetes, eczema, psoriasis , sinusitis and even migraines.
Number 2. Derinkuyu Turkey's Nevsehir Province is centrally located
in the Mediterranean nation, and 200 feet beneath its Derinkuyu district sits one of
the most awe-inspiring historical locations in the country. Referred to as the Derinkuyu
underground city, this series of carved passages and rooms were designed to shelter up to 20
thousand people during potential invasions, along with livestock and food supplies. This
subterranean sanctuary was built sometime during the Byzantine Era, with a total of
five floors, with each one capable of being sealed off from the others in an emergency
situation. The entire underground city featured an entrance to the surface equipped with large
stone doors to protect its inhabitants from the outside. Of this city's five floors, many
seem to serve religious and educational purposes, including a cruciform church on the lowest
level. But this location wasn't the only underground structure in Turkey. Throughout all of the
Cappadocian region are many other buried shelters, many of which were accessible from the Derinkuyu
underground city thanks to miles of tunnels interlocking them. These other safe havens
featured wine and oil presses, cellars, stables, and more!
Number 1. Catacombs of Paris In the late 18th century, the French capital
of Paris experienced an overflow throughout the city's cemeteries. It was so badly overwhelmed
by the bodies of the deceased that the basement walls of the Saint Innocents cemetery quarter
collapsed under the compounding weight. To fix this grim predicament, the city converted
a portion of its underlying limestone mines to a grand ossuary. Fitted with macabre decor,
the Catacombs now lie as a dreary attraction of Paris, where visitors can witness the skull-and-bone-laden
quarries that hold the remains of over six million people.