CATACOMBS (КАТАКОМБЫ)

Odessa is built in "catacombs", so we call the underground quarry network dug 200 years ago, to extract the materials necessary for the construction of the city. This labyrinth of several hundred kilometres (estimated at 2 500 km!) has always been of great importance in the history of the city. After the founding of Odessa, the catacombs served as a refuge for the robbers and smugglers who stockaient the stolen merchandise and hid women destined for sale as slaves to the Arab countries. During the Second World War, the arms for the Odessa defence were stored here and the members of the Soviet Resistance hid there. To date, one can only visit a small part of the catacombs, mainly the one linked to the history of the Second World War. The entrance is located in the village of Nerubayske, 15 km from Odessa. You can go down by buying a ticket for the Partisane Gloire Museum (Музей партизанской славы) or use the services of a speleologist guide offering tours in Russian of 45 min (✆ +380 48 725 28 74).

To go to Nerubayske, take Marchroutka n ° 84 from Privoz station and get off at Katakomby stop (30 min drive). Attention: In the catacombs the temperature is about 14 ^° C, so predict a hot sweater. In some places, the depth can reach 100 m, so the visit is discouraged for those who suffer from claustrophobia.