Tag: subterranean sites

Stephansdom Crypt – Vienna

Leo S

In Vienna city center, the dark and imposing St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom in German) draws thousands of tourists to gaze at its imposing architecture. It is arguably Vienna’s No. 1 attraction all round, certainly a marvel of gothic architecture, and it’s truly ancient: work began in the 12th century and the present structure was completed in 1511 (even though the north tower was never finished) and, in addition, It is Austria’s largest and most significant religious building. However, there is something to be seen below as well: just beneath the…

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Kola Superdeep Borehole: 12 Km towards the Earth’s core

Adam

Someone said that the human beings knows more about certain distant galaxies than it does about the ground that lies beneath its very feet. In fact, while it took the popular Voyager 1 satellite 26 years to exit our Solar System, relaying measurements to Earth from 16.5 billion km away, it took about the same amount of time for humanity to penetrate a just 12 km into the Earth’s surface! Since the dawn of literature, the mystery that hides beneath the earth’s crust has been examined by illustrious poets, writers…

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The old City Hall subway Station, New York.

Nathan

The first New York City subway was built and operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and opened on October 27, 1904, to the joy of its inhabitants. City Hall was the ceremonial terminal, the place where the mayor could show off the subway built with the people’s money to benefit the greatest city in the country. The City Hall station on the IRT local track was embellished with fine architectural details, including a sharply curved platform, a Guastavino tile arched ceiling, brass chandeliers (blackened in World War II),…

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Ossuary underneath the Church of St. James in Brno: Europe’s second largest ossuary

Anya016

One of the most popular destinations for tourists in Czech Republic who venture outside Prague is the town of Kutna Hora, famous for its ossuary, in which thousands of human bones are arranged into various shapes, including a chandelier and a coat of arms. However, also in the Moravian capital Brno is possible enjoy a similar macabre place that is worth visiting. This is Europe’s second largest ossuary, it wasn’t discovered until 2001 and opened to the public for the first time in June of 2012. Before doing renovation or…

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