1. The Edinburgh Vaults, Scotland
Also known as the South Bridge Vaults, these are a series of chambers that were formed using the 19 arches of the South Bridge in Edinburgh. Completed back in 1788, the vaults housed cobblers, taverns, and other trades. However, by the time that the mid-1800s rolled around, the quality of the air and the damp conditions forced businesses to leave, and poor people moved in instead. By the end of the century, they too had moved on, and the entrance to the vaults was buried. The records of its existence were also lost. Nowadays, you can go on a ghost tour in the vaults, and they host the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every August.
2. The Paris Catacombs, France
Paris sits above over 200 miles of mining tunnels that date back to the 13th Century. While most of these tunnels are nothing spectacular, some of them are ossuaries, lined to the ceiling with bones. Back in the late 1700s, when the cemeteries were overcrowded and tunnels were collapsing, they decided to kill two birds with one stone by reinforcing the tunnel walls with old bones from the cemeteries. Over 7 million bodies were moved into the catacombs, with some being up to 1,200 years old. As well as these tunnels beneath the city, you can also find old war bunkers, guerrilla bars, cinemas, and the occasional person who has decided to live there.
3. Burlington Bunker, Wiltshire, England
This bunker was built as an emergency relocation site for the British government in the event of a nuclear strike during the Cold War. With a capacity of 4,000 people, a railway station, a pub, cafeterias, a water treatment facility, and over 59 miles of roads, this was basically a secret underground city. Abandoned since the early 90s, this was one of the Ministry of Defense’s best kept secrets. To this day, no member of the public has ever been inside.
4. Moose Jaw Tunnels, Canada
When the winters hit Saskatchewan, the last place you wanted to be was outdoors, so during the early part of the 20th Century, the locals decided to build a series of underground tunnels. After a period of time, whole complexes were built and families started moving underground. As more time passed, the underground city became a prime place for prostitution, gambling, and other illegal activities. During the prohibition, there was also a railway line that connected Moose Jaw with Al Capone’s Chicago and made this small Canadian city a hot-spot for brothels and casinos. Nowadays it’s a tourist attraction.
5. Cappadocia, Turkey
Built during the 7th century, Cappadocia is one of the world’s most famous underground cities. There are seven underground layers that have been cut into the soft rock, consisting of places to live, shop, go to school, and go to church. The entire complex is able to host around 20,000 people, and goes as deep as 200 feet underground. Nowadays, some of the caves have been transformed into hotels.
6. Beijing’s Underground City, China
These tunnels, which are 26 feet underground, were built as a public safety measure to provide locals with a place to hide if the Russian army decided to invade China during the Cold War. Spanning over 53 miles, it has malls, hospitals, farms, factories, schools, and warehouses so that life could continue uninterrupted.
7. SubTropolis, Missouri, USA
Located in Kansas City, this is the world’s largest underground storage facility and retail complex. Carved out of limestone, there are 7 miles of illuminated, paved roads and railroad tracks, with 5 million square feet of occupied space. There are over 50 businesses and organizations that rent down there including Hallmark Cards and the US Postal Service.
8. Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland
Until 2007, this was one of the oldest and largest producers of table salt in Poland. The mine was in operation for over 800 years, and an entire underground city spanning 178 miles exists within the excavated veins of rock salt. There are dozens of rooms, four chapels and even an underground lake with an artificial island.
9. Sentinel de Bodegas, Spain
This is one of the world’s most unique places. Over 3,000 residents live in dwellings that are built into a rock face underneath giant overhangs. The dwellings are carved out of the rock, deep under a bluff, and outside, external walls have been built in order to close it off. A lot of places have rock walls, and some even have vegetation that grows within their homes, such as olives and fruits.
10. Coober Pedy, Australia
This mining town is one of the hottest places on Earth, with an average summer temperature of 120 degrees. As a result of this extreme heat, the town was built underground. Home to around 1,700 people, this underground complex has hotels, pubs, a casino, a church and several museums.
