Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Skeletons and mummified animal corpses , World War II weapon caches, archaic items and human corpses. But centuries ago, the land that is now the United States was a very different place As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. A partial map of the Odessa 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. [citation needed] Perhaps the most famous story dates back to claims made in 2009 by Ukrainian catacombs explorer Eugene Lata. Relics of the past in the Odessa catacombs, Ukraine. She was headed into the Odessa catacombs, the 2,500 kilometers of dark rocky tunnels which run underneath the city. Masha went out with a large group of friends to celebrate and probably get drunk. Some objects are especially prized because the story about them is so precious. In the photo, Masha is unidentifiable beyond simply being a human. 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. Did Masha really exist and meet her fate in the catacombs, or is the whole story just someone's idea of a morbid practical joke? The official Odesa Catacombs website, however, calls the story a hoax. He then threw the axe into the sea. Beneath the city of Odessa in the Ukraine lies a 2,500KM (approx 1,550mi) labyrinthine maze of tunnels, a little longer than the entire Pacific coastline of the continuous United States (map of the catacombs). (Had they walked in a straight line the journey would only have been 9.5 kilometers.) It's not unlikely that she drunkenly forgot to leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Drinking and debauchery went on that night, and for reasons unknown a young woman named Masha got separated from her friends and disappeared into the abyss. [citation needed], During World War II the catacombs served as a hiding place for Soviet partisans, in particular the squad of Vladimir Molodtsov. Strange and Creepy, Urban Legends and Folklore. The story quickly became a famous Internet legend. The Odesa Catacombs are a labyrinth-like network of tunnels located under the city of Odesa and its outskirts in Ukraine, that are mostly the result of stone mining, particularly coquina. - BACKSTORY - The story goes like thisMasha or Mashenka, depending on t. . masha odessa catacombs photolet us break bread together meaning peaky blinderslet us break bread together meaning peaky blinders It`s a dead body of the 19-years old girl, who has lost the right way in the maze. Those daring few that decide to explore the endless depths below Odessa are often surprised by a gruesome find. Disturbing Tales of the Mysterious Catacombs Beneath Odessa. [6], Since the beginning of the 21st century limestone mining has continued in the mines located in Dofinovka, Byldynka, and "Fomina balka" near Odesa. [1] The system of Odesa Catacombs consists of a network of basements, bunkers, drainage tunnels and storm drains as well as natural caves. The partial mummification made for a successful identification of the victim and the autopsy revealed that she died from dehydration three days after getting lost. They cooked, played games, and listened to the radio With the Nazis above ground, they looked for any opportunity relay intelligence, or strike their enemy. 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. Try not to get lost. After the Soviets were forced out of the city, dozens of soviet-organized Ukrainian rebel groups remained, hiding below the city. 2017. But he claims that when Armand Stendzenieks ordered a DNA test, it wasn't a match. Of course parents saying not to do something usually encourages kids to do that very thing. Just one look at the maps will show you exactly why the Odessa catacombs were never fully explored the sheer size prevents it. The remains of more than 1,000 people lie deep under the modern town of Rabat. The sticking point of this famous story is that no one is sure if it really happened. Explorers are rewarded with finds such as weapons caches, and at least once every five years, the discovery of a body. Lata says he was there when that photo was taken, but he can't retrace the photo to its origin. She didn't make it out alive, it's said. Try not to get lost. It is in these catacombs that we get the legend of Masha, who ventured inside and got lost. masha who died in the catacombs; employee experience software market size; June 21, 2022; by . Hundreds of partisans, or rebels, took to hiding in the catacombs. Based on where she was found it is believed Masha spent at least three days wandering in the freezing cold and pitch black before dying of dehydration. Some proof for the long existence of this myth are the countless graffiti ships that can be spotted in the tunnels. I mean it's Vice. Someone died. Places such as Aokigahara Forest. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). The body is real though, it belonged to a man 40 to 60 years, who was killed in the catacombs. The sheer size of the catacombs meant a refuge for all walks of life that sought to hide. [Online] Available at: http://odesskiy.com/chisto-fakti-iz-zhizni-i-istorii/istorija-vozniknovenija-odesskih-katakomb.html, Richter, D. 2013. However, the catacombs began to truly grow into their astonishing, labyrinthine form in the early 1800s, when the limestone quarried from them was used to build much of the city. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. Maybe her path forked a few times, and she lost track of the pattern. Still left for anyone to roam freely, these tunnels are used just as several decades before by anyone who needs or wants to descend into its depths. Inside, they saw a flight of stairs leading down into the catacombs. These men and women would play chess, checkers, cook, and listen to Soviet Radio, generally trying to make a normal life below the surface of the city. Part of the catacomb network, Odessa, Ukraine . It was brought to a police medical examiner's office, and everyone found that, shockingly, the DNA didn't match the missing boy. The final resting place for the remains of 143 Habsburg royalty. The 2005 New Years eve party was great. One of these stories inevitably brings us to Masha, a student who should have known better than to venture inside the tunnels. One of the reasons the catacombs of Odessa stand out is because they are by far the worlds longest catacombs. 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. masha odessa catacombs photokershaw oso sweet pocket clip replacementkershaw oso sweet pocket clip replacement The Catacombs are on three levels and reach a depth of 60 metres (200ft) below sea level. [Online] Available at: http://www.thebohemianblog.com/2013/10/urban-exploration-odessa-catacombs_20.html, Thuras, D. 2010. The very old skeleton of a partisan or smuggler. However, it's not te only creepy story - in 2012 group of students went below and one was lost. According to Pugovkin, someone else had vanished in 2004: Janis Stendzenieks, the son of a newspaper magnate named Armand Stendzenieks. 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. Instead, he claims they were looking for the body of Janis Stendzenieks, the son of a local newspaper magnate. By some estimates, they span 1,550 miles, making the network a little longer than the whole Pacific coastline of the continuous United States. We'll make more! Initially, police believed that he had simply gotten lost and died, as Mashahad supposedly done. Nov 7, 2017 Kate Bulo. Was this, then, the origin of the stories of Masha? So it's a photo of a body that willit seemsnever be positively identified, and it immortalizes the last moment of someone's life. His descriptions of his journeys into the dark were tantalizing tales of adventure. About four months after New Years in April of 2005, word spread among cave explorers that there was a fresh body down there, Lata wrote in a his UER post in 2009. Some say this was even done maliciously. Offer subject to change without notice. "The diggers determined it was a Satanist who got lost.". "Besides the original photographer," a post says, "there isn't one person, civilian or law enforcement, that can confirm the story. The complete length of these catacombs is more than half of the width of the North American continent. Oddly, Lata told us the person responsible for the official Catacombs websiteand the one calling him a liaris "one of the most experienced Odessa catacombs explorers and my best friend." And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. The catacombs also contain natural caves and span over 1,500 miles. 31 Days of Halloween: On Atlas Obscura this month, every day is Halloween. 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. In 2005, a group of urban explorers discovered the body of a dead woman named Masha who had disappeared . She had no food and no water, and the catacombs were freezing cold and dry. The catacombs were once the preferred hideout of rebels, criminals, and eccentrics. Part of the tunnels, only under the city, were turned into bomb shelters in the Cold War. The Bohemian Blog. [citation needed], There have been various reports of people walking into the catacombs, getting lost and then eventually dying of dehydration. Everyone wanted to see where poor Masha had met her end. ", He told us he then dragged the body to the police medical examiner's office, about five miles from the entrance Masha would have used. It does seem to be a urban legend but it's still creepy as hell! Rifles, machine guns, equipment and personal items all were discovered lost or abandoned in virtually pristine condition. The most famous photoone that Lata told VICE in an email that he was involved in takingshows three blank-faced boys who look like they're in their early teens, posing like they've just stumbled upon the body in a narrow, curved section of the cavern. vegan options at biltmore estate. The tunnels would become a safe haven for a plethora of different characters, most of them shady . It took a full two years before the police were able to locate her body and retrieve it from the catacombs. She quickly became separated from her party, and unable to find her way back. Another urban legend, far more popular, is the story of the lost treasure. This myth has led many treasure hunters to enter the darkness of the catacombs in search of wealth. 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