Suddenly he found himself with one foot in a hole: farmer (30) finds 900-year-old secret passages during renovation

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Florian Schmied (30) from Dobersberg, Austria, certainly did not expect this: during renovation work he came across a centuries-old ‘earth stable’. The farmer tells ‘Today’ the story of his unexpected discovery.

He wanted to dig out concrete during the renovation when he noticed that a crack had appeared under the concrete floor – hidden underneath was a cave almost two meters deep. Suddenly he found himself with one leg in a hole, says Schmied.

However, the surprised farmer managed to free the stuck leg, did some research on the internet and contacted experts. Cave researchers and employees of the Federal Monuments Office eventually make the sensational discovery: beneath the farm lies a branched system of corridors from the Middle Ages. 16 meters long, with 15 lamp niches and a rounded ceiling.

A rarity in the region

Because the underground tunnels were full of water, this had to be pumped out first. The surprising discovery was then investigated: it is said that it was a shelter intended at the time to house the region’s inhabitants during a raid, as Earth stability researcher Josef Weichenberger explains.

Now there should be secure access, because Schmied imagines that the corridor system will be preserved. Only about 50 such secret passages are known in the Lower Austria region. (Unpleasant)

Source: Blick