After the Soviets were forced out of the city, dozens of soviet-organized Ukrainian rebel groups remained, hiding below the city. She went deeper into the catacombs, walking alone in pitch black, with no food or water, and has never been heard since. Odessa Catacombs: Nazi allies, secret police and other dark - CNN But the most important inhabitants of these labyrinths were the Soviet partisans. Catacombs below Odessa, Ukraine. Were heading underground to find out whether the tunnels are truly empty. Did A Girl Really Die In The Endless Odessa Catacombs After - Ranker The Fascist Germans and Romanians meanwhile chose random catacomb exits and sealed them, hoping to trap the men below the city forever, and occasionally tossed poison gas canisters into the catacombs hoping to smoke the soviet rebels out. In a post from 2010, he claimed that he used to take trips that lasted over a week, and that he'd fill his "catacombs bag" with food, camping equipment, diving gear, and mapmaking tools to prepare for long trips. Once the war was over, the catacombs became home to numerous smuggling and criminal groups, who widened and created new tunnel systems of their own. Underrated Cinematic Survival Competitions, Great Movies About Missions Doomed from the Start, Survival Myths to Unlearn Before It's Too Late, Must-See Newer Survival Movies and TV Series, Great Movies About Kids Trying to Stay Alive, People Believe A Girl Died In The Endless Odessa Catacombs, But The Mystery Goes Much Deeper, the group had continued to explore the catacombs, a man was sentenced to 13 years in prison for killing a girl in the catacombs. The catacombs were once the preferred hideout of rebels, criminals, and eccentrics. 2019. masha odessa catacombs photo 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. Three Days of Hell - Lost Underground in the Odessa Catacombs masha who died in the catacombs. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. In the photo, Masha is unidentifiable beyond simply being a human. He recalls that a piece of writing by a friend he says is a "famous journalist" was delivered to government officials. It is dedicated to the partisan effort of the World War II and it is filled with relics of the period, almost all of which were found within the catacombs over the years. [Online] Available at: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mind-boggling-catacomb-maps, Thuras, D. Odessa Catacombs. Skeletons and mummified animal corpses , World War II weapon caches, archaic items and human corpses. But despite being passed around the internet as fact, there is little documentation to support the legend of Masha. She quickly became separated from her party, and unable to find her way back. Top Image: Old Odessa Catacombs Source: onyx124 / Adobe Stock, Author Unknown. Everyone was having a good time, drinking and having fun. No doubt, many bodies remain hidden in the mines. [1] [citation needed], In 1961 the "Search" (Poisk) club was created in order to explore the history of partisan movement among the catacombs. The legend goes a little something like this: In 2005, a group of teenagers headed out on New Year's Eve (or New Year's Day, depending on the source) to have a little party. The approximate topography of the Odesa underground labyrinth is unknown as the catacombs have not been fully mapped. As is the nature of people, and urban explorers, tunnels and caves outside of the trusted zone serve as an exhilarating adventure. They admitted that they had gone to the Stone Mines, and maybe, just maybe Masha had gone inside. Odessas catacombs quickly became the preferred hideout of rebels, criminals, and eccentrics. There's an image that you may been seen that's been going around for several years. After a while, the group was quite intoxicated, Masha included. One story stands out among the rest, and that is the story of Masha. [citation needed], The city has a large population of over 1 million people, which some believe would benefit from the introduction of a subway system. Places such as Aokigahara Forest. Odesa catacombs - Wikipedia Especially when you consider the fact that the distance between Odessa and Paris is roughly 2138 km (1328.49 miles). But even with a light and a map of the catacombs, it would have been hard for someone ill-prepared to make it out, because the maps that exist are a maddening, brain-like scrawl. There is a rumor that the catacombs contain the stacked corpses of murdered Jews from World War II. Over the decades that follow, after the gradual abandonment of the mining operations, the Odessa catacombs would become somewhat obscure and forgotten. When I was a teenager I was a tour guide at a local cave and at the end of the day someone had to walk to the back of the cave (45 minutes one way!) What you may not know, is that the largest catacomb system in the world is the Odessa Catacombs in Ukraine. Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. In 1961, the Search (Poisk) club was created, led by Constantine Pronin of the Paleontological Museum of OSU, and became the first official catacomb exploration unit. But one Ukrainian town stands out Odessa. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Masha went out with a large group of friends to celebrate and probably get drunk. Version of this photo sourced directly from Eugene Lata. Masha and a group of friends thought it would be fun to go out, party, and celebrate at the Stone Mines. The Bohemian Blog. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Like most information about these catacombs, only Ukrainian cave explorers even claim to know the details. ( onyx124 /Adobe Stock). 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. Fake? Should someone get lost in the catacombs (as happens every couple of years), these groups put aside their differences and mount large search expeditions. Her story has that odd mix of too much detail and yet nothing verifiable that just screams urban legend. He claimed that his best friend had led the expedition, and that he had been there when the infamous photo was taken. Padlocks cover this rickety footbridge with love. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. 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. The group had to come clean. If she was lucky, she died quickly from the cold. Some time later, when the group was ready to call it a night and head home, they noticed Masha was missing. Learn how your comment data is processed. Creepy stories about the Odessa catacombs range fromdead bodies found in catacombs, topeople who have gotten lost in catacombs and were never seen again. Offer subject to change without notice. They go on multi-day underground treks, known as expeditions, to document and map the system. [Online] Available at: https://irishurbanexplorations.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/odessa-catacombs-day-1-odessa-ukraine/, Author Unknown. The Dark Underworld of the Paris Catacombs. In 2011, a body was found in the catacombs that had been dead for several months. Even though they never managed to explore the tunnels fully, the maps that these urban explorers managed to create are simply on the verge of being impossible. Beneath the city of Odessa, and also its outskirts, lie a labyrinth-like network of tunnels, known as the Odessa Catacombs. This myth has led many treasure hunters to enter the darkness of the catacombs in search of wealth. All rights reserved. I mean it's Vice. The ancient Greeks were no different. Before long, the other teens gave up looking for her and left, figuring she'd already gotten out, or would get out on her own soon. - BACKSTORY - The story goes like thisMasha or Mashenka, depending on t. Nefer Say Nefer - Was Nefertiti Buried in the Valley of the Queens? All photos by Wikimedia Commons user . The next day, Mashas friends went to her house to see how she was doing. On January 1st, 2005, some Odessa teens decided to spend New Years night partying in the catacombs. Odesskiy. With tunnels that run up to 2,500 kilometers, the Odessa Catacombs are considered the world's largest urban labyrinth, significantly larger than the one in Paris, among others. As it turns out, many people still venture into the darkness seeking adventure. [2] According to urban legend, these mines were abandoned and later used and widened by local smugglers who created a labyrinth of tunnels and hid treasure beneath Odesa. In the end, we cannot be entirely sure if the story of Masha'sill-fated party, nor her sad demise, is accurate, and that may never change. Find Out. Green Tour. But Masha had not gone home. Besides Masha and the missing boy, there have been other stories of people who have died in the catacombs, and not just from getting lost. Offer subject to change without notice. After a short time, they called off the search, saying that Masha would have to find her own way out, it wasnt safe for them to look for her any longer. If it was too warm to freeze, and she was exerting herself trying to survive, dehydration would have become severe in perhaps only two days before the symptoms became debilitating. Imagine a glass you can bend and then watch it return to its original form. Irish Urban Explorations. Her body was found only after 2 years. It can be really dangerous," he wrote, adding "here are some new pictures of our catacombs. An entrance into the catacombs. In another instance, a little more information was brought to light: in 2015, a man was sentenced to 13 years in prison for killing a girl in the catacombs. One of them recalled hearing her say she had to use the bathroom, and assumed, since she wasnt there, that she had gone home. A little less than six months after the incident is said to have occurred, news began to spread among local cave explorers near Odessa that someone had spotted a body. [7], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}463248N 303750E / 46.54667N 30.63056E / 46.54667; 30.63056, "People Believe a Girl Died in the Endless Odessa Catacombs, but the Mystery Goes Much Deeper", "Dark secrets of Odessa's vast catacomb labyrinth", "Subterranea of Ukraine: Odessa Catacombs", "The Enduring Legend of the Girl Who Died in Odessa's Catacombs", "The Odesa catacombs. Authorities have also suggested that the photo is a prank, and that the corpse is a fake.