Extreme Tourism - Exploring
the Maze of Odessa Catacombs by Marina Zitser
When your daughter stops wearing
ponytails in her hair and isn't taking her favorite doll to 'bath time',
you have to admit: she grew up. What does it mean to you? It means that
you should expect a few changes, and not all of them for the best. One
of these changes being your annual family vacation. If you have seen bored
teenagers watching TV in the hotel and listening to their iPods without
leaving their rooms for hours in some of the best all-inclusive resorts
in the world with beautiful pools, food to die for, ocean that intoxicate
you more than any wine, you probably know what I am talking about. These
strange individuals, who begged you for attention several years ago, now
need something else, something different, something that would make their
hearts beat a little faster and body temperatures take a sharp turn upward.
 Let's
leave these teens glued to their TVs and think for a moment. Do you have
any ideas on how to make your family vacation a bit more interesting and
surprising than soaking in the pool, watching baskets being weaved, one
strand at a time, and learning how to Hula dance in a Polynesian Cultural
Center? I have something for you, but before that let's journey back in
time to Odessa, one of the most beautiful cities in Ukraine.
Most of the city's 19th century
houses were built of sandstone mined nearby. This created a very complicated
labyrinth of underground tunnels beneath Odessa, known as "catacombs".
These catacombs are an estimated 2,500 kilometers of labyrinths stretching
out under the city and surrounding area of Odessa. Odessa's catacombs are
much younger than the catacombs in Paris or Rome, but exceed either in
length quite extensively. In the present only 1700 km of Odessa's catacombs
are studied. The average height of a tunnel is 1.5 - 3.5 m, and a width
of 2 - 4.5 m. The depth can reach 50 m below sea level. Because of these
catacombs that span underneath the entire city and beyond, Odessa does
not have a subway system. Catacombs were used and broadened by local criminals.
They were also used as a refuge for slave traders, who smuggled stolen
women out of the Odessa port to the slave markets of Constantinople. Later
during World War II catacombs became a home for thousands of partisan rebels.
There are no forests or hills around Odessa, so during the war the only
place where Ukrainian partisan rebels could hide was in these catacombs.
The partisans used the tunnels as a base for attacking the occupying Nazi
troops. There were five partisan groups and 45 other groups, a total of
6,000 people that operated in these tunnels.
The manned opening to these
tunnels is located on the outskirts of the city. The entrance is beautiful,
with giant stairs cascading down from ground level. Soon the tunnels become
very narrow. The small yellow light bulbs every 50 ft are now lighting
the way for those who want to experience the life of the Odessa underground.
It is hard to imagine that 60 years ago hundreds of people, including women
and children, lived there for two and half years, hiding, barricading the
entrances, sneaking food and water from the surface. Even now, once in
a while, people find something that belongs to history: weapons, hollow
places inside tunnels that have been used as bedrooms or rooms to store
stolen goods.
As any mysterious place,
catacombs have their own legends. One of them is about an extremely rich
man who was traveling on the Titanic. He was saved by one of the ships
and taken to Odessa. In honor of his rescuers he made a model of the Titanic
out of pure gold. This little golden treasure has been hidden in Odessa's
catacombs. Hundreds of people have tried to find this treasure using secret
maps, but up to this day nothing has been found. Many people still believe
in the story and who knows, maybe some of us will find this golden ship
one day in the dark tunnels of Odessa catacombs.
 Another
story tells us about a God that lives in these catacombs. He protects the
treasures. If somebody decides to carry the findings outside, he or she
will be punished by the ravenous God, and will never be able to return
from the coldness and darkness of the catacombs.
The darkness and mysteries
surround this place. It inspires people, cures them from boredom and loneliness,
and gives them a way of reevaluating their own problems that now look so
small and insignificant when you are underground so far away from other
human beings and the sunlight. However, today the catacombs have a more
cheerful impression. The inventive residents of Odessa have adapted them
for paintball games and rock festivals. Underground Gods do not mind if
you try new things. After all, they do need some company.
Ok, now our travel back in
time is over. Let's go back to our bored teenagers that we left in our
hotel rooms. Tell them about the catacombs, and who knows, maybe a trip
to Odessa will inspire them to try something new. And after you are
back from the underground the idea of hitting Odessa's night clubs or spending
couple of lazy days on the Odessa beaches will sound quite attractive!
top
resources : Marina
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Keywords : Odessa,
Ukraine, extreme tourism, catacombs, underground, teenagers,travel
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