The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Odessa, just outside of Ukraines capital, Kiev, is home to one of the largest catacombs in the entire world. Assuming Masha brought a battery-powered flashlight or lantern down into the depths, it would have died after a few hours, making it harder to continue the search for warmth and water. They did seem to have belonged to a girl but the identity of the person was never confirmed. Everyone wanted to see where poor Masha had met her end. Edit #3: Now for some history. No one is exactly sure how she died, but it could have been dehydration or hypothermia. A massive search effort was launched but they werent able to find her among the 2,500 kilometers of often unmapped tunnels. And its proof that it could happen to any one of us, if were not careful. They admitted that they had gone to the Stone Mines, and maybe, just maybe Masha had gone inside. Such tours are not officially sanctioned[4] because the catacombs have not been fully mapped and the tunnels themselves are unsafe. Girl Lost in Odessa Catacombs - YouTube Get drunk and wander through a pitch black labrynth bruhs. After three days in total darkness without food or water, Masha collapsed and died from dehydration. Part of the tunnels, only under the city, were turned into bomb shelters in the Cold War. Or here. Some time later, when the group was ready to call it a night and head home, they noticed Masha was missing. Odessa, just outside of Ukraine's capital, Kiev, is home to one of the largest catacombs in the entire world. The body is real though, it belonged to a man 40 to 60 years, who was killed in the catacombs. The 2005 New Years eve party was great. Lata maintained to Pearl that his story was true. Photo shows bomb-shelters in catacombs - system of underground tunnels, organized by citizens of Odessa, on March 23, 2022 in Odessa, Ukraine. The Odessa Catacombs and the Legend of Masha, The Fiery Darvaza Gas Crater The Scare Chamber, David Parker Ray and his Toy Box of Torture, Alexandra Wiwcharuk: The Girl in Saskatoon, Bridget Maggie Sullivan The Lizzie Borden Papers, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. [citation needed], The first underground stone mines started to appear in the 19th century, while vigorous construction took place in Odesa. [citation needed], In 1961 the "Search" (Poisk) club was created in order to explore the history of partisan movement among the catacombs. In the end, we cannot be entirely sure if the story of Masha'sill-fated party, nor her sad demise, is accurate, and that may never change. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of all the cookies. On Wikipedia, catacombs are described as man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Indeed, the story has become less and less connected to the UER posts as the years have rolled by, instead repeated as if it had been reported on in the news (which, as far as I know, it was not, despite Latas claim), or simply told and retold as it passed into legend. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. When we think of catacombs, we think of underground tunnels and chambers, locations where bodies were stored in lieu of a cemetery. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? By 2012, he had begun to sound less like the internet's ambassador to the catacombs. Over the years, urban explorers have traveled to Odessa to explore the catacombs, despite only a small portion of them being open to the public. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Enter your email to receive blog posts and updates by email. He recalls that a piece of writing by a friend he says is a "famous journalist" was delivered to government officials. Its unclear to me where this name came from, though, as Lata didnt include it in his UER posts. Since the catacombs are so vast and dark she was probably away from her friends for like a minute, took a wrong turn and ended up lost in the catacombs. Learn how your comment data is processed. Let the sad story be a warning to all would-be urban explorers if you decide to crawl into the Earths hidden places, make sure you go with a friend, tell others where you are, and dont stray from the path. When the group arrived, they found it easy enough, with two large metal doors. They were used as a source of cheap construction materials. is Halloween. The only Ukrainians who have any official business down there are workers in active mines who still dig for limestone. And theres this, too: The story has never been independently confirmed. A girl got lost in the Catacombs below Odessa after a drunken - Reddit Its a very sad story. But when cause of death was found, they identified him as someone who had been murdered. 31 Days of Halloween: On Atlas Obscura this month, every day is Halloween. Some sections regularly flood with groundwater, others have ceilings precariously propped up with ad-hoc support beams, or they've had their ventilation systems completely dismantled. For those interested in exploring the catacombs, with less risk, you can hire a professional to take you down. During WWII, although the Soviets had been forced out of the city, they left behind dozens of. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. With his heart set on a possible reward, Pugovkin says he crawled into the depths and eventually stumbled upon what he called "bone soup." Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. But should invasion come, it is Odesa's vast and ancient catacombs deep below the city that could prove particularly vexing for Russian invaders. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The coquina (yellow stone with shell fragments) was extracted from these underground caves and used to build the cityscape we can see nowadays. See. Beneath the city of Odessa, and also its outskirts, lie a labyrinth-like network of tunnels, known as the Odessa Catacombs. She was headed into the Odessa . This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Authorities have also suggested that the photo is a prank, and that the corpse is a fake. Thats when they learned that she had never returned home her parents had assumed she was with them. He quarreled with the teen, then led her into the catacombs where they could continue their argument. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. As is often the case with unverifiable stories with legends in general whether or not the story of the missing girl in the Odessa catacombs is really true may not be the point. They werent constructed intentionally or according to any sort of plan, so they come across as slapdash and labyrinthine easy to stumble into, and equally easy to become lost within. Previously: The I-17 Mystery Christmas Tree. Her friends never were able to find her, and the police saw neither hide nor hair of her, as they didn't want to venture into the mysterious catacombs. However, its been reproduced endlessly across the internet in the years since its 2009 debut, so its easily found. [2] According to urban legend, these mines were abandoned and later used and widened by local smugglers who created a labyrinth of tunnels and hid treasure beneath Odesa. The Enduring Legend of the Girl Who Died in Odessa's Catacombs Investigating the mysterious death of a young woman who wandered into an underground tunnel and never came outbut lives on as an. [4] In his work The Waves of The Black Sea, Valentin Kataev described the battle between Soviet partisans against Axis forces, underneath Odesa and its nearby suburb Usatove. Odessas catacombs quickly became the preferred hideout of rebels, criminals, and eccentrics. [5], Only one small portion of the catacombs is open to the public, within the "Museum of Partisan Glory" in Nerubayskoye, north of Odesa. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. This story is truly some worst way to die stuff. Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark Is Now Available From Chronicle Books! Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. A group of urban explorers were pushing deeper into the mines, into one of the most unexplored areas, when they came across the body of a woman. Every story is true, and each one is a real place you can visit. Our people value honesty, integrity and other family values that are often missing in newer or larger companies. The miners used saws to cut through the limestone, a task that half a century later created a whole complex of tunnels. 2023 Atlas Obscura. They began to drink, and occasionally worked up the courage to go inside the mine, taking a few steps in before turning around and running back out. But the photograph is not without context, of course; theres a story thats passed around alongside it. The point, I think, is what it tells us about ourselves or, more precisely, what our preoccupation with it tells us about ourselves. Lata says he was there when that photo was taken, but he can't retrace the photo to its origin. She was headed into the Odessa catacombs, the 2,500 kilometers of dark rocky tunnels which run underneath the city. However, when the body was removed, it was in terrible condition, with no good identifying factors. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Masha and a group of friends thought it would be fun to go out, party, and celebrate at the Stone Mines. masha odessa catacombs photo It was wearing jeans and modern shoes, and did appear to be the result of a fairly recent death. Just Masha; no surname is given. A 2009 forum post on the Urban Explorer's Resource (UER) site, by someone named Eugene Lata, put the tale into English, detailing everything from Masha's backstory to the grim discovery the group had made. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Tharma Ratnam - Fine Arts 8kfollowers More information odessa-catacomb-10 Odessa Catacombs The Catacombs Odessa Ukraine Paris Images Lich Stone Wall Underground Abandoned System Previous Video: http://bit.ly/1ZhkLEhIn 2005, the body of a girl named Masha was found in the Odessa Catacombs. However, one thing agreed upon is that there was a fresh body found in the catacombs, and that it was removed at some point around 2004 or 2005. ", Personally, I find this story absolutely terrifying; the thought of stumbling around lost in 2,500KM of tunnels with no lights and eventually dying alone is a kind of terror I hope to never experience. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. The rumors said it was deep underground, but from what they had seen, the body appeared to be fresh. The catacombs are not easy to navigate, especially when you're drunk like Masha might have been that night. They go on multi-day underground treks, known as expeditions, to document and map the system. "The diggers determined it was a Satanist who got lost.". He was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the crime in 2015, per Global Investigative Journalism Network affiliate NikCenter. It's not known if they were former students of Odessa's School Number 56, but according to references to the story in Russian news, that's where they found the entrance to the mines. They have rescued a number of children who have wandered into the catacombs. Before he left, he wrote a note to his girlfriend letting her know that he was going into the catacombs, and that he was unsure if would come back. TheOdessa catacomb death legend has been supported by witnesses, as well as photos and even a few news articles, but there's not much as far as hard facts go. masha odessa catacombs picturemarc d'amelio house address. There are even tales of Nazi executionsand cultists, not to mention a ghost story or two; however, the most famous of thecatacomb legends is probably that of agirl named Masha, who went into the maze of passagesand wasn't found until years later. In January of 2012, for example, a 22-year-old student who trekked into the Odessa catacombs to explore subsequently went missing; a search was mounted, but a few days later, officials announced that they had decided to stop the search, reported the Ukrainian News Agency at the time. In the case of the Odessa Catacombs, they are a labyrinth-like network of tunnels under the city of Odessa. Unfortunately, this area was unmapped, and quite dangerous. Knowing this, its not hard to see why a story about someone going missing down there would capture the publics imagination and why such a story might come across as so believable, even in the absence of any verifiable proof. Horror Fans Rank Rotten Tomatoes's Best Horror Movies Of Each Year Since 1998. (Remember, Lata claimed that the remains stayed where they were until 2007, while Pugovkin says he removed them in 2005.) Despite this, they were once used by the Soviets who took Nazi soldiers down to be executed. We know all of this, because in June of 2009, an urban explorer either named or going by the name Eugene Lata publisheda series of posts at the Urban Exploration Resource forums detailing all of it. Over time, the alleged missing girl has come to be called Masha. The legend goes a little something like this: In 2005, a group of teenagers headed out on New Year's Eve (or New Year's Day, depending on the source) to have a little party. During WWII, although the Soviets had been forced out of the city, they left behind dozens of soviet-organized Ukrainian rebel groups hidden below the city in the expansive catacombs. Winner will be selected at random on 06/01/2023. But even with a light and a map of the catacombs, it would have been hard for someone ill-prepared to make it out, because the maps that exist are a maddening, brain-like scrawl. [3] Many of the tunnels have been filled up with earth, concrete or sand by construction companies, and are no longer accessible. Explorers make gruesome discovery inside Odessa Catacombs - Week In Weird Every story is true, and each one is a real place you can visit. She ventured farther down the tunnels and quickly got turned around. In 2011, a body was found in the catacombs that had been dead for several months. But even if Mashas story is simply a legend, though, theres no denying that its had significant staying power. Underrated Cinematic Survival Competitions, Great Movies About Missions Doomed from the Start, Survival Myths to Unlearn Before It's Too Late, Must-See Newer Survival Movies and TV Series, Great Movies About Kids Trying to Stay Alive, People Believe A Girl Died In The Endless Odessa Catacombs, But The Mystery Goes Much Deeper, the group had continued to explore the catacombs, a man was sentenced to 13 years in prison for killing a girl in the catacombs. They became a hiding place for Soviet partisans. Believing this to be the best explanation for her absence, the group agreed and they left. But at some point in the night Masha decided to explore the catacombs. However, professionals can be hired at the cost of 250 hryvnia per person, depending on the time spent underground, the complexity and length of the route, the number of tourists, and options for delivery to the site entrance to the underground area. Amid yellow limestone walls and floors, young explorers found a body that was partially mummified by the cold dry air. You must be logged in to post a comment Longest catacombs network in the world,Odessa, Ukraine,19-20 century Most of the catacombs are the result of persistent stone mining that started in the 19th century. However, it's not te only creepy story - in 2012 group of students went below and one was lost. Masha had traveled several miles into the catacombs. And heres the thing: These fears arent unfounded either generally, or with regards to the catacombs more specifically. The Enduring Legend of the Girl Who Died in Odessa's Catacombs - Vice Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Today, there are dozens of semi-professional catacomb explorer groups that venture into the Odessa catacombs. The catacombs were once the preferred hideout of rebels, criminals . These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. ", "That's why I really beg you not to try to walk underground in Odessa itself. 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. The tunnels have been cited as the reason why such a subway system has never been built in Odesa. Various message boards shared the tale, and websites began to present the details as fact. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. While you may have never heard of the Odessa catacombs, they are filled with legends and dark tales that you'll never forget. Odessa Catacombs, Ukraine : submechanophobia - Reddit I made this photo in pril 2005. But he claims that when Armand Stendzenieks ordered a DNA test, it wasn't a match. When it comes to people getting lost in the Odessa catacombs, meanwhile well, those who have suffered this disaster typically havent been as lucky as those French teenagers. The mystery person was of no value at all, Pugovkin says. | The company is family owned and highly values relationships often going beyond the call of duty to help a customer. After a short time, they called off the search, saying that Masha would have to find her own way out, it wasnt safe for them to look for her any longer. Apparently her friends were drunk/ not paying attention and they left her there. The trek lasted 27-hours, and covered about 25 miles (40 kilometers). While going into the catacombs is not illegal, there is only one small portion of the catacombs that is officially open to the public, which can be seen at the Museum of Partisan Glory in Nerubayskoye, north of Odessa. You are using an out of date browser. One of the reasons the catacombs of Odessa stand out is because they are by far the world's longest catacombs. Pearl did interview another man, Kostya Pugovkin, who claimed to have dragged the corpse in the photograph up and to a police station in the hope of getting a reward; Pugovkin stated that he was told by others that the dead person was "a Satanist who got lost". There you will find the legend of Masha. And true or not why has it endured as long as it has? It`s a dead body of the 19-years old girl, who has lost the right way in the maze. Did A Girl Really Die In The Endless Odessa Catacombs After - Ranker 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. 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). We dare you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The girls remains were removed from the tunnel in which they had been found and given a proper burial. They go on expeditions into the mines that can last several days, and document and map the area. Romania: Castles, Ruins, and Medieval Villages, Iceland in Summer: Journey Through a Fabled Land, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Mokele-Mbembe, Accidental Discoveries: A Celebration of Historical Mistakes, Antiques and Their Afterlives: Stories from the Collection of Ryan and Regina Cohn, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Satanists, Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tale Writing With Anca Szilgyi, Gourds Gone Wild: Growing and Crafting Gourds With Gourdlandia, Playing Ancient Games: History & Mythology With John Bucher, Secrets of Tarot Reading: History & Practice With T. Susan Chang, Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake. ", 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. Offer subject to change without notice. 15 Creepy, Scary Phone Numbers To Call That Actually Work (UPDATED For 2023), The Backrooms, Explained: How To Make Sense Of The Internets Favorite Non-Reality, Bloody Mary & Other Games We Shouldnt Play. Explorers are rewarded with finds such as weapons caches, and at least once every five years, the discovery of a body. By some estimates, they span 1,550 miles, making the network a little longer than the whole Pacific coastline of the continuous United States. odessa-catacomb-10 | Odessa catacombs, Catacombs, The catacombs - Pinterest The teens are said to have stayed down there all night. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Based on what was later found, it is believed that Masha stumbled around in the catacombs for at least three days, starving, thirsty, alone, and in the dark. [Photos via (1, 2, 3), /Wikimedia Commons, available under CC BY 2.5 and CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative Commons licenses; chiefhardy/Pixabay], Filed Under: Places, Tales Tagged With: Catacombs, legend tripping, Masha, Odessa, Odessa catacombs, the internet, Ukraine, Unresolved, unresolved mysteries, urban legends, Your email address will not be published. However, a 2015 Vice Article alleges that Masha's story may be some kind of hoax, claiming that, according to the official Odessa Catacombs website, the whole story of Masha is a lie. It was cold, near freezing, and foggy on New Years Eve 2005. And dont forget to check outDangerous Games To Play In The Dark,available now from Chronicle Books! The kids began to drink, and soon enough Mashabecame drunk. Worst way to die: Girl found dead in odessa catacomb Places such as Aokigahara Forest. [citation needed], During World War II the catacombs served as a hiding place for Soviet partisans, in particular the squad of Vladimir Molodtsov. It would have been utterly black. Odesa Catacombs Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Odessa is built from the catacomb coquina. Instead, he brandished an axe, and hacked the girl to death before leaving her there. Last month, a guy in his 20s was sentenced for reportedly murdering his teenage girlfriend in the catacombs with an ax. Theyve also never been fully mapped, and its common for sections to flood, or collapse, or suffer any number of structural issues. Odessa, just outside of Ukraine's capital, Kiev, is home to one of the largest catacombs in the entire world. It's not clear what the journalist wrote, but Lata claims the government got moving and removed the body less than 24 hours later. March 18, 2023 Uncategorized Leave a Comment Uncategorized Leave a Comment Investigating the mysterious death of a young woman who wandered into an underground tunnel and never came outbut lives on as an internet rumor. 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." Unfortunately, the extreme isolation meant that while you could party in peace, your chances of of dying in peace are also increased exponentially. But unlike, say, the Paris catacombs (which has its own missing person mystery), the Odessa catacombs werent built for use as an ossuary or burial site. Odessa's catacombs quickly became the preferred hideout of rebels, criminals, and eccentrics. No purchase necessary. There's also evidence that they were used for the summary executions of Nazi soldiers. It isn't understood should they had been previous pupils of Odessa's School quantity 56, but relating to recommendations towards the tale in Russian news, this is where they discovered the entry towards the mines. Parents in the area warned their children to stay away. Whether that person is an innocent partygoer, a Satanist, or a Ukrainian drunk who took a few steps too many into the darkness, it sends imaginations soaring because it conjures the exact kind of nightmarish, lonely death everyone fears the most. Before long, the other teens gave up looking for her and left, figuring she'd already gotten out, or would get out on her own soon. The whole story of Masha might actually just be an urban legend. After he piled the bone soup in a bedsheet and dragged it out of the catacombs and to the police medical examiners office, though, a DNA test found that the remains werent a match for the missing Stendzenieks.
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