AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. Someone died. Unfortunately for Masha, this was not the case. One of them decided to give it a try, they turned the handle and the door swung open. As it turns out, many people still venture into the darkness seeking adventure. Actually, the walls of the Odessa catacombs are inscribed with thousands of writings, ranging from names to slogans to caricatures and even poems. Apr 11, 2022 - The Odessa Catacombs are the largest catacomb system in the world. Odessa, just outside of Ukraine's capital, Kiev, is home to one of the largest catacombs in the entire world. Parts of the mines are still active, but the majority of the tunnels remain closed to the public. 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. They were a popular location for murderers to hide bodies, and on at least three occasions, were a location where area kids had ventured inside, never to be seen again. 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. They were even known to blow up German facilities. Above ground, the Fasciest Germans and Romanians would identify random catacomb exits and seal them off, hoping to trap them inside. I used to go caving for fun and turning off your lights for a minute when you're with friends is kind of neat but walking out of a cave alone with that absolute blackness behind you nope nope nope. There's also evidence that they were used for the summary executions of Nazi soldiers. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. [citation needed], There have been various reports of people walking into the catacombs, getting lost and then eventually dying of dehydration. One of these stories inevitably brings us to Masha, a student who should have known better than to venture inside the tunnels. For those interested in exploring the catacombs, with less risk, you can hire a professional to take you down. The mystery person was of no value at all, Pugovkin says. Odessas Mindbending Catacomb Maps. There is little to no record of a girl named Masha ever disappearing into the catacombs, and there are those that refute Lata'saccounts. Masha and a group of friends thought it would be fun to go out, party, and celebrate at the Stone Mines. But some places just arent meant to be explored. Stop by the blog every day this month for true tales of the unquiet dead. This myth has led many treasure hunters to enter the darkness of the catacombs in search of wealth. We believe it is just a practical joke and the corpse is fake. Some objects are especially prized because the story about them is so precious. The Iliad can provide new insights on the role of motherhood among the ancient Greek gods, and by extension, amongst ancient mortal Greek women themselves. Padlocks cover this rickety footbridge with love. They have rescued a number of children who have wandered into the catacombs. They present thousands of crisscrossed tunnels, intersections, corridors, galleries, and caverns, all entwined and endlessly sprawling like some chaotic maze of ant tunnels. 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. Inside, they saw a flight of stairs leading down into the catacombs. . Fake? So, is it really true? Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. With over 1,500 miles of subterranean tunnels, Odessa's catacombs even beat out the well-known Paris Catacombs in terms of length. Masha went out with a large group of friends to celebrate and probably get drunk. But he [Pugovkin] claims that when Armand Stendzenieks ordered a DNA test, it wasn't a match. As I said earlier, a lot of people lost and even . [1] Parts were used as air-raid shelters during World War II. The teens are said to have stayed down there all night. Perhaps they will never be. It can be really dangerous," he wrote, adding "here are some new pictures of our catacombs. Despite this, they were once used by the Soviets who took Nazi soldiers down to be executed. They're also a pretty good place to stage a murder. Detachment of Molodtsov near Odessa Catacombs. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. The officials really dont care who goes down there, nor would they be able to monitor the catacombs since they are mind-bendingly enormous. Everywhere, hidden in the niches and the stone nooks, lie scribbled and faded poems, warnings and pleas. She had no food and no water, and the catacombs were freezing cold and dry. In the photo, Masha is unidentifiable beyond simply being a human. 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. The image, it's said, is of a girl who went missing in the catacombs of Odessa, Ukraine a girl, it's said, named Masha or Mashenka, who went down into the twisting tunnels beneath the city in which she lived for a party, but got lost while she was down there. They look like my hiking boots, and I'm a woman. 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. View all photos. 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. His recollection is different from Lata's. This goes to show that the Odessa catacombs can be very grim. Disturbing Tales of the Mysterious Catacombs Beneath Odessa. Our story begins sometime early in 2005, when a party (possibly for New Years) was allegedly held within the catacombs by a group of young adults. No purchase necessary. They could have been looking for treasures that night, considering there are rumors that somewhere below School 56 there's a solid gold replica of the Titanic a few inches long. But without knowing the mind boggling extent of these catacombs, their efforts proved largely fruitless. 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? But when cause of death was found, they identified him as someone who had been murdered. Come for the severed heads, stay for the book bound in human skin. A Tour of the Worlds Largest Labyrinth: The Odessa Catacombs. Down in the mine, for unknown reasons, Masha didnt turn around and leave once she had finished. She went deeper into the catacombs, walking alone in pitch black, with no food or water, and has never been heard since. The Dark Underworld of the Paris Catacombs. [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). An underground paleo-Christian burial site composed of the remains of several cemeteries and Basilicas. Investigating the mysterious death of a young woman who wandered into an underground tunnel and never came outbut lives on as an internet rumor. There are even tales of Nazi executionsand cultists, not to mention a ghost story or two; however, the most famous of thecatacomb legends is probably that of agirl named Masha, who went into the maze of passagesand wasn't found until years later. But one such find could not remain a secret. 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. These men and women remained hidden, living in the catacombs. A wrong turn can mean death in these tunnels and every step might reveal some unseen horror. After a while, the group was quite intoxicated, Masha included. Maybe her path forked a few times, and she lost track of the pattern. It's not unlikely that she drunkenly forgot to leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. One of the teens was a girl named Masha, and she was simply going with the rest of her crew to have a good time. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Imagine a glass you can bend and then watch it return to its original form. It took two years before the police were able to locate her body and retrieve it from the catacombs. After the Soviets were forced out of the city, dozens of soviet-organized Ukrainian rebel groups remained, hiding below the city. Since the organization is in charge of fielding inquiries about the Catacombs it "probably prefers to stay out of this business, just as I do," Lata theorized. Her partially mummified body was discovered two years later by amateur explorers. They tried to ignore the malnutrition and malaria which afflicted many of them. Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure, Sacred Granaries, Kasbahs and Feasts in Morocco, Monster of the Month: The Hopkinsville Goblins, Writing the Food Memoir: A Workshop With Gina Rae La Cerva, Reading the Urban Landscape With Annie Novak, How to Grow a Dye Garden With Aaron Sanders Head, Making Scents: Experimental Perfumery With Saskia Wilson-Brown, Indigenous Desserts of Turtle Island With Mariah Gladstone, University of Massachusetts Entomology Collection, The Frozen Banana Stands of Balboa Island, The Paratethys Sea Was the Largest Lake in Earths History, How Communities Are Uncovering Untold Black Histories, The Medieval Thieves Who Used Cats, Apes, and Turtles as Accomplices, 10 of the World's Most Disorienting Places, http://odessitclub.org/en/archives/dallin/chapter_6.html#Catacombs. The body is real though, it belonged to a man 40 to 60 years, who was killed in the catacombs. [6], Since the beginning of the 21st century limestone mining has continued in the mines located in Dofinovka, Byldynka, and "Fomina balka" near Odesa. No doubt, many bodies remain hidden in the mines. Even after the "Masha," episode, Lata continued to explore the catacombs. 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Even if it's just a myth, there's no denying that the other tales of the catacombs are creepy enough to keep anyone out Or so one would think. So it's a photo of a body that willit seemsnever be positively identified, and it immortalizes the last moment of someone's life. Try not to get lost. Lists of true accounts of real people who survived unfathomable situations and depictions of fights for survival in film, TV, video games, and other media. [Online] Available at: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mind-boggling-catacomb-maps, Thuras, D. Odessa Catacombs. The largest catacomb system in the world. Masha had traveled several miles into the catacombs. She lies on her left side, legs curled like she's sleeping, while the upper half of her decomposing body has lost its form altogether, and has begun to turn indistinguishable from the cavern's yellow limestone floor. 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. According to rumors, a wealthy aristocrat from Odessa that survived the sinking of the Titanic decided to commemorate this event by ordering the creation of a solid gold model of the ship. An entrance into the catacombs. "Besides the original photographer," a post says, "there isn't one person, civilian or law enforcement, that can confirm the story. No one is exactly sure how she died, but it could have been dehydration or hypothermia. Worse, she didnt know where she was, or how to get out. She lies on her left side, legs curled like she's sleeping, while the upper half of her decomposing body has lost its form. [Online] Available at: http://www.katakomby.odessa.ua, I am a published author of over ten historical fiction novels, and I specialize in Slavic linguistics. In 2005, a group of urban explorers discovered the body of a dead woman named Masha who had disappeared . The remains of more than 1,000 people lie deep under the modern town of Rabat. The catacombs once served as the preferred hideout for rebels, criminals, and during World War II, air-raid shelters. The tunnels would become a safe haven for a plethora of different characters, most of them shady . Find Out. Instead, it belonged to a girl who was never identified. When we think of catacombs, we think of underground tunnels and chambers, locations where bodies were stored in lieu of a cemetery. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. Pinterest - BACKSTORY - The story goes like thisMasha or Mashenka, depending on t. Green Tour. Even with all that, humans are resilient, and can survive several days without food and water. The post featured a graphic photo of what appeared to be a decaying corpse in the catacombs, which Lata claimed was Masha's body. richard guichelaar update. It is in these catacombs that we get the legend of Masha, who ventured inside and got lost. [citation needed], In 1961 the "Search" (Poisk) club was created in order to explore the history of partisan movement among the catacombs. Old Catacombs Odessa, Ukraine (XVIII-XX century) . Her friends never were able to find her, and the police saw neither hide nor hair of her, as they didn't want to venture into the mysterious catacombs. Even if they managed to find an entrance that was accessible, they were not to venture inside. Every culture has an explanation about how we got here. In World War II, Odessa was besieged in August of 1941 by the Axis forces. After the incident, Lata said that the group had continued to explore the catacombs, and that they would sometimes go down there for days at a time. Top Image: Old Odessa Catacombs Source: onyx124 / Adobe Stock, Author Unknown. Several attempts at thorough exploration were made over the years. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. He quarreled with the teen, then led her into the catacombs where they could continue their argument. masha who died in the catacombs; employee experience software market size; June 21, 2022; by . [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. Rifles, machine guns, equipment and personal items all were discovered lost or abandoned in virtually pristine condition. is Halloween. The biggest and most serious efforts were made by a club specifically created for the purpose Poisk ( ). By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. Some sources claim that roughly five amateurs that descend into the tunnels never come out again and this really gives us an incentive to truly grasp the size of these tunnels. It was a foggy night with temperatures hovering around freezing. With over 1,500 miles of subterranean tunnels, Odessa's catacombs even beat out the well-known Paris Catacombs in terms of length. The rumors said it was deep underground, but from what they had seen, the body appeared to be fresh. Instead, he claims they were looking for the body of Janis Stendzenieks, the son of a local newspaper magnate. 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. ( Volodymyr Khodaryev /Adobe Stock). Think of the Triangle. 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. Maybe this photo will shock you. Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure, Sacred Granaries, Kasbahs and Feasts in Morocco, Monster of the Month: The Hopkinsville Goblins, Writing the Food Memoir: A Workshop With Gina Rae La Cerva, Reading the Urban Landscape With Annie Novak, How to Grow a Dye Garden With Aaron Sanders Head, Making Scents: Experimental Perfumery With Saskia Wilson-Brown, Indigenous Desserts of Turtle Island With Mariah Gladstone, University of Massachusetts Entomology Collection, The Frozen Banana Stands of Balboa Island, The Paratethys Sea Was the Largest Lake in Earths History, How Communities Are Uncovering Untold Black Histories, The Medieval Thieves Who Used Cats, Apes, and Turtles as Accomplices. And some are full-fledged poems, written in the delicate Cyrillic cursive script, their authors lost to time. I tend to never believe Vice.. 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. Thanks. It does seem to be a urban legend but it's still creepy as hell! I'm not sure I believe the photo is fake. The eerie burnt-out remains of a prominent building where 30 protestors lost their lives. 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. He had gotten lost, and there was a reward offered to anyone who could find the young man. A large portion of these tunnels due to the sheer extent and the number of corridors remains completely unexplored. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). 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. 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.. It took a full two years before the police were able to locate her body and retrieve it from the catacombs. They decided to do this inthe Odessa catacombs, where they could have some privacy, drink, and have fun with a little added creep factor. You'd think they'd have them boarded or locked up pretty tight to avoid homeless people getting lost down there. But he claims that when Armand Stendzenieks ordered a DNA test, it wasn't a match. The longest single expedition to date was just 40km, completed over a 27-hour period in 1995. Odessa Catacombs: Day 1 Odessa, Ukraine. Her body was found only after 2 years. Despite very extensive searches neither his body, nor any clues about his fate were found. Situated in the very south of Ukraine, nestled at the shores of the Black Sea , Odessa is the sprawling and third most populous town in the country. In the case of the Odessa Catacombs, they are a labyrinth-like network of tunnels under the city of Odessa. 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. Fine Art? As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Partisan weapon caches such as rifles and grenades are occasionally still found within the tunnels, and about once every five years a body is found. ( Artem Merzlenko /Adobe Stock). Her parents called the authorities who went to the site and began to search. [7], A 2015 investigation by Vice writer Mike Pearl similarly found no evidence that Masha had existed. Makeshift rooms, quarters, tables, and all manner of carvings and writings are all preserved and the entire museum serves as a strikingly unaltered glimpse into the urban warfare of the second world war. This was a mistake. The date of the earliest catacombs in Odessa is difficult to determine (as they were all widened at a later date), but they likely date back to the 1600s, if not farther. A nation whose foundations stand on centuries of struggle and fighting for independence. The Tiara of Saitaphernes is certainly one of these priceless objects and its story is long and surprising. Murderer never found, the body ever identified. ( eliosdnepr /Adobe Stock). There you will find the skeletal remains of more than 6 million people. The Stone Mines, part of the Odessa Catacombs, were closed and sealed off in 1917. After 73 days of vicious fighting, the town fell and was annexed to become a part of newly formed Transnistria Governorate under Romanian administration. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Built in the Soviet era, this cableway system still runs gondolas from Odessa down to Otrada Beach. During New Year's Eve celebrations in 2005, she and her friends had one drink too . Hiding in the catacombs for as much as 13 months, literally below the noses and feet of the Nazis above, the rebels waited for a chance to strike or relay information. He claimed that his best friend had led the expedition, and that he had been there when the infamous photo was taken. We dare you. [Online] Available at: https://irishurbanexplorations.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/odessa-catacombs-day-1-odessa-ukraine/, Author Unknown. Thegoal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe.