Znojmo Catacombs – Huge Underground Labyrinth Under A Medieval City

AncientPages.com - Unlike other catacombs discovered in various parts of the world, the Znojmo catacombs served different purposes and not only for  the storage of human corpses. Located under the historic city of Znojmo, in the Czech Republic, the catacombs were created to offer shelter and protection for the city’s inhabitants during very long time.

The grottos of Znojno date back to the 14th century, and were gradually expanded in the 15th century by connecting several individual cellars below the houses and palaces in the city into an elaborate and huge labyrinth.

Znojmo catacombs had several traps and emergency exits

In some places the passageways led under the fortifications and out of the city, allowing the hidden inhabitants to escape from the town to search for food in times of siege. Fireplaces in the cellars were connected to house chimneys.

Smoke could be seen by enemies, emanating from seemingly empty houses, making the town resemble a ghost town. Znojmo inhabitants could survive for a long time in refuge due to the presence of wells and a drainage system in the catacombs. Tunnels were created so people could escape in case of emergency.

To make life even harder for invading forces, traps such as slippery slides, trapdoors, and narrow choke points, were also installed.

Znojmo catacombs. Image credit: Visit Znojmo

All tunnels and cave systems have not been mapped

The catacombs are more than 30 kilometers long and extend below the majority of houses, streets and squares in the historic town center.

See also:

Paris Catacombs: Huge Underground Labyrinth Full Of Secrets

Mysterious Underground Labyrinth With Secret Passages In Dobrogea

The underground labyrinth could possibly be even larger, as all tunnels and cave systems have not been mapped and measured. Water from the catacombs supplied the city until the 1960’s when Znojmo’s Dam was built.

Znojmo is a city rich in history. The catacombs are today open to public, but in the city there are also other old monuments worth seeing. These include the Romanesque Rotunda of Our Lady and St. Catherine, dating from the mid-11th century and located in the grounds of Znojmo Castle.

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