The Chełm Chalk Tunnels (in
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
''Chełmskie podziemia kredowe'') are a system of tunnels dug into the
chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Cha ...
under the city of
Chełm
Chełm (; uk, Холм, Kholm; german: Cholm; yi, כעלם, Khelm) is a city in southeastern Poland with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some ...
in eastern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
. The tunnelling began in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
for
chalk mining
Chalk mining is the extraction of chalk from underground and above ground deposits by mining. Mined chalk is used mostly to make cement and bricks.
Chalk mining was widespread in Britain in the 19th century because of the large amount of constr ...
and was discontinued in the 19th century.
[ZAPRASZAMY DO CHEŁMA - serwis prowadzony przez Chełmski Ośrodek Informacji Turystycznej]
The tunnels also served Chełm's inhabitants as
shelter
Shelter is a small building giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger.
Shelter may also refer to:
Places
* Port Shelter, Hong Kong
* Shelter Bay (disambiguation), various locations
* Shelter Cove (disambiguation), various locat ...
s during raids, wars and pillage.
[ The system is now open solely for tourists. In total, the network of tunnels stretches for around .
]
History
The Chełm Chalk Tunnels are unique in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
and even the world. Chełm is a small town, one of the oldest in the Lublin
Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...
region of Poland, in the east of the country. The chalk tunnels came into being as a result of the exploitation of rich chalk deposits which lie under the surface.
Starting in the Middle Ages, for hundreds of years, under Chełm's old city buildings enormous pits were dug from residents' cellars. The chalk was dug out by the inhabitants of Chełm, who took it straight from their cellars, and then sold it. After some time the corridors linked up, creating an underground system of corridors. Large chambers, called 'halls', came into being as a result of the unplanned connecting of many pits, which existed on several levels — even 20 metres below street level.[
In the 19th century it was decided to terminate chalk extraction because the tunnels began to endanger inhabitant safety.][ After many years, during which the galleries were penetrated only by treasure hunters, it was resolved to use the tunnels for tourism. The first attempts were made in the interwar period when the tunnels were rediscovered while the municipal water supply system was being built. Unfortunately, plans to make the chalk galleries a tourist attraction were not implemented. The planned route (300 metres long) was destroyed during the ]Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
occupation of the city, during which Chełm's tunnels also served as a shelter for the persecuted Jewish population.
After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, increased road traffic through the city centre in the 1960s led to many construction disasters. The renovation of the tunnels began after an accident, which took place on one of Chełm's streets in the '70s. One of the corridors collapsed under the pressure of a truck driving through the street. Nobody was hurt, but this accident became a reason for excavation, which led to many corridors being discovered. Many tunnels are undiscovered because of the lack of money and high risk. To this day there is no entry to the square under which there are tunnels, because of the risk of collapse.
After selected sections of the corridors were adapted for tourism in the 1970s, the undergrounds were opened to visitors. The present-day tourist route was given its final form only in 1985. It runs through three underground complexes of corridors in the Church of Holy Apostles The Messengers, under the Old City Market Square.
Visiting
While visiting the nearly two km route, which tourists cover in about 50 minutes, one can observe exhibitions of geological, archeological and historical interest. Even today there are pits being discovered, which make the chalk undergrounds full of riddles, surprises and mysteries.
The underground tourist route is safe for visitors, complete with electric lighting and constant temperature. In 1994 it was entered into the register of historical monuments as a unique heritage of chalk quarrying.
The chalk undergrounds are thought to measure up to in length — they even reach outside the city border. Even now it is not certain where the chalk tunnels end. The ambient temperature, independent from the weather outside, is 9 Celsius and the humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present.
Humidity dep ...
is about 80%.
Tales and legends
Tales and legends about the chalk tunnels have been circulating from time immemorial. The most widely known is the legend of the white bear
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the N ...
:
In the pre-Christian times on Chełm Hill under three huge oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
trees, in a chalk cave, lived a powerful white bear. It was the terror of the neighbourhood. One day when it went hunting, people built a temple at the entrance to his cavern and lit an everlasting fire. The bear came back and was so transfixed by the brightness of the holy fire that it sank into the undergrounds. From then on, a huge white bear saw to the safety of the fire and the priestesses taking care of it. Only when the disaster loomed over the Chełm land did it leave the caverns. On one occasion savage invaders burned down the settlement and wanted to capture the holy fire. When the defenders, being heavily outnumbered, had yielded to the enemy, the white bear appeared and routed the invaders. Then, tired from fighting he paused for a moment among three oak trees and the setting sun thankfully painted gold the trees, the animal and surroundings. Since then the white bear among three oak trees has been the emblem of Chełm.[A legend as recorded by Longin Jan Okoń, the author of ''The Legends of Chełm'' and ''The Tales of the Bear Town'']
See also
* Bochnia Salt Mine, southern Poland, central Europe
* Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Wieliczka Salt Mine ( pl, Kopalnia soli Wieliczka) is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, near Kraków in southern Poland.
From Neolithic times, sodium chloride ( table salt) was produced there from the upwelling brine. The Wieliczka s ...
, near Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...
in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
, central Europe
* Khewra Salt Mine
The Khewra Salt Mine (or Mayo Salt Mine) is in Khewra, north of Pind Dadan Khan, an administrative subdivision of Jhelum District, Punjab Region, Pakistan. The mine is in the Salt Range, Potohar plateau, which rises from the Indo-Gangetic Pla ...
, in Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
* Kartchner Caverns State Park
Kartchner Caverns State Park is a state park of Arizona, United States, featuring a show cave with of passages. The park is located south of the town of Benson and west of the north-flowing San Pedro River. Long hidden from view, the cavern ...
in Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...
, the United States
* Grand Roc
Grand Roc is a mountain of Savoie, France. It lies in the Massif de la Vanoise range. It has an elevation of above sea level.
See also
* Bochnia Salt Mine, southern Poland, central Europe
* Wieliczka Salt Mine, near Kraków in Poland, central E ...
in Savoie, France, southern Europe
* Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, in Zipaquirá
Zipaquirá () is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Cogua and Nemocón to the north; Tocancipá to the east; Tabio, Cajicá and Sopó to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho ...
, Cundinamarca, Colombia, South America
* Frasassi Caves
The Frasassi Caves ( Italian: ''Grotte di Frasassi'') are a karst cave system in the municipality of Genga, Italy, in the province of Ancona, Marche. They are among the most famous show caves in Italy.
History
The caves, discovered by a group ...
, Ancona
Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...
in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, southern Europe
References
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080210190352/http://www.itchelm.pl/indexgb.html
External links
Chełm Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelm Chalk Tunnels
Chalk mines in Poland
Buildings and structures in Lublin Voivodeship
Chełm
Underground mines in Poland
Tourist attractions in Lublin Voivodeship