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A hidden compartment or secret compartment is a compartment whose existence or access is not obvious at first glance, and can be used as a hiding place for objects or sometimes even for people.
A hidden compartment where people can stay is usually referred to as a hidden room or secret room, and can range from parts of small
A hidden compartment or secret compartment is a compartment whose existence or access is not obvious at first glance, and can be used as a hiding place for objects or sometimes even for people.
A hidden compartment where people can stay is usually referred to as a hidden room or secret room, and can range from parts of small wardrobe
A wardrobe, also called armoire or almirah, is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that sep ...
s or closets under staircase
A stairwell or stair room is a room in a building where a stair is located, and is used to connect walkways between floors so that one can move in height. Collectively, a set of stairs and a stairwell is referred to as a staircase or stairway ...
s to entire basement
A basement is any Storey, floor of a building that is not above the grade plane. Especially in residential buildings, it often is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the Furnace (house heating), furnace, water heating, ...
s or even large mountain complexes. Hidden rooms are often accessed via a hidden door, which for example can be camouflaged as a bookshelf or a trapdoor
A trapdoor or hatch is a sliding or hinged door that is flush with the surface of a floor, ceiling, or roof. It is traditionally small in size. It was invented to facilitate the hoisting of grain up through mills, however, its list of uses has ...
in the floor. Hidden rooms can for example be used as a refuge, media room, larder
A larder is a cool area for storing food prior to use. Originally, it was where raw meat was larded—covered in fat—to be preserved. This method slowed spoilage by sealing out air, bacteria, and moisture. In colder larders (4°C/40°F or lower) ...
or wine cellar
A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control s ...
.
The term hidden compartment can also refer to smaller storage places for valuables and personal belongings in furniture (such as cabinet compartments), trap compartments in vehicles, false bottoms in containers, and various other concealment device
Concealment devices or diversion safes are used to hide things for the purpose of secrecy or security. They are made from an ordinary household object such as a book, a soda can, a candle, a can, or something as small as a coin. The idea is tha ...
s.
History
In the 1500s and 1600s, hidden rooms were created in British castles to hide Catholic priests; these were referred to as priest holes. During theprohibition era
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...
, there were several examples of hidden rooms being used for storing alcohol or as entrances to secret bars.
In 1978, in connection with the police investigation of Hans Otto Meyer, a secret room was found where Meyer kept weapons for what he claimed was a secret emergency preparedness organization under the Norwegian Armed Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces () are the armed forces responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Norwegian Coast Guard, Coast Guard, the Royal Norwegian Air ...
' intelligence services associated with NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
s Stay Behind.
In recent years, there have been examples of several companies specializing in making hidden rooms, as well as private individuals who have made improvised solutions, either for fun or for security in case of burglary.
See also
*Concealment device
Concealment devices or diversion safes are used to hide things for the purpose of secrecy or security. They are made from an ordinary household object such as a book, a soda can, a candle, a can, or something as small as a coin. The idea is tha ...
* False bottom
* Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
, an intermediate floor in a building
* Multifunctional furniture
* Panic room
''Panic Room'' is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher. The film stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded by burglars, played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight ...
* Priest hole, a hiding place for Catholic priests, built in many Catholic houses during the 1500s and 1600s in England
* Secret passage
Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods. They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms.
Others allow pe ...
, a hidden route for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods
* Tunnels in popular culture
References