The Underground Cities of the World’s Most Fascinating
August 16, 2010
Did you know that there are cities which have another life under the asphalt? There are underground cities, with long tunnel filled with cafes, art galleries and shops, connecting buildings underground. The modern tunnels often operate as an extension of the subway line, expanding to reach surprising proportions. In Toronto there is an underground shopping mall that occupies 371.6 thousand meters square. Amazing isn’t it? Many times, these cities also function by external weather conditions. In Montreal, the underground city is exploited in the cold winter, where very few dare to walk in subzero temperatures.
Unearthing history
In a tour of the most amazing underground cities you could find real gems. There are thousands of underground tunnels that hide an ancient past. Since the Middle Ages, it was necessary to build tunnels in order to survive, even to practice pagan rituals without being seen, plan a revolution, attack without warning or connect two villages. Some of these cities came to be declared a World Heritage Site.
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a stone building dating back over a thousand years old. This complex is located in the Central Anatolia region in Turkey. This is a series of buildings excavated on the strange formations of stone. These excavations include tunnels connecting some of the most important buildings of the place, especially churches and temples.
However, between the VII and XII century, the geographical location as a hub between East and West, brought many invasions of the city. To guard against Arabs and other groups attacking the inhabitants of Cappadocia built underground cities, such as Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, which became the largest in the region. Cappadocia has been declared a World Heritage Site and can be visited daily.
Roman Catacombs
There is another walk where the tunnels are up to hundreds of kilometers long. It is not a city … On the outskirts of Rome there is a real monument to the Christian faith. They are the remnants of the early Christian cemeteries, dug in the ground with labyrinthine plot galleries. These cemeteries called catacombs contained a number of rows with niches which housed the bodies. There were also various relics which were arranged along the passages, which centuries later had to be taken to church to be spared. Today you can visit the catacombs of history as testimony Cristano in Europe.
The Cave of Hercules
In the Spanish city of Toledo, the underground tunnels measure up to several tens of kilometers, but some of them are under the former church of San Ginés, or on private property. Many parts of the tunnel face collapse, so it is impossible to completely cover the trails. It is said that the Cave of Hercules was the refuge Ibero-Romance. It is also said that the caves were used as a pagan temple long after Christianity was installed in Toledo.
Dover Castle
In England, under the great castle of Dover there is an impressive network of underground tunnels that were built in the Middle Ages. These roads secrets were used in the Napoleonic Wars as barracks by a large number of soldiers who were summoned to Dover in preparation for the French invasion. This huge underground complex was also very important in the Second World War. Today you can walk, enjoying a guided tour through the history of England.
DiXiaCheng
It is surprising that some people in Beijing do not know that beneath your feet there an underground city. Fortunately, many travelers do know and have the opportunity to visit this complex of tunnels of 85 square kilometers. DiXiaCheng was built in 1970 by 70 000 workers, just after the Sino-Soviet conflict. It’s in Zhenbao Island in the Amur River and served as a refuge for 40 percent of the population, who hid in the underground city before migrating out of Beijing. In the giant anti-radiation-structure just below the Wangfujing shopping street, about everything from hostels, to theaters, silk stores and carpet … It has even become a major commercial and business center. Although I warn you: you must endure a constant 27 degrees Celsius heat. Currently, new underground cities no longer serve as a hedge against attackers … At best, many of which were designed to protect us from the bitter cold. It is mostly large shopping complexes that were built around the metro network.
La Ville Souterraine
The Village Underground Montreal is the largest underground network in the world. The 32 miles of tunnels over 41 sub blocks (about 12 square kilometers), connecting small shops, buildings, hotels, offices, banks and universities, as well as cinemas, concert halls, museums and even eight underground stations and terminal bus. Connect 80% of office space and 35% of commercial space downtown, gathering more than 2000 businesses and 40 cinemas. La Ville Souterraine was renamed as NMR, a homonym of the French word réseau, meaning “red.” The resort is a stunning work of architecture that also serves as a relief for people in Montreal on cold winter days.
PATH
In Toronto, the large complex underground PATH (“path”, “path” in English) became the largest underground mall in the world. It has 371.6 thousand meters square, 27 km of passages and 1,200 stores. In addition, binds the buildings and attractions of downtown, with six underground stations … A curious fact: there walk 100 000 people every day. It’s really an underground city.
Japan Chikigais
The five cities underground “or” Chikigais “- is Japan’s largest malls. The oldest is 81,765 meters square and is located in Osaka. They still Yaesu Chikagai in Tokyo, Kawasaki Azalea in Kawasaki, Central Park Chikagai in Nagoya and Osaka in Osaka Diamore. The cities of Osaka and Tokyo are the ones with the largest underground network, with restaurants, metro stations, shops and entertainment centers.
Forum des Halles
This shopping center partially built underground was opened in 1979 in Paris. The building is connected to the metro station Chatelet-Les-Halles, the hub of the subway system in the city (RER). The Forum des Halles also has the peculiarity of being connected to a network of ancient catacombs of 300 km were also used as secret passages at the time of the revolution.
Town Hall
Sydney is renowned for its network of underground shopping centers, which are located around the Town Hall subway station. The tunnels go south on the George Street cinema district to the west below the City Hall and north along the Pitt Street Mall, heading towards the Queen Victoria Building. The northern branch of this fascinating network of tunnels is linking to the Queen Victoria Building in the Galleries Victoria and the Sydney Central Plaza. These malls together add 3 miles of road underground. In 2005, the Westfield Corporation added 500 meters underground tour.
These underground cities give the visitor a different perspective of the social and cultural life of a destination. It is also a great chance for the days where the weather does not permit outdoor walking … There are many underground cities in the world, are mysterious, hidden, small, large, commercial, historical … But they all have one thing in common: the unique feeling of being in a cave, without notion of outside and seeing the sunlight.
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