Catacombs in Odessa are much younger than catacombs in Rome or Paris, though much longer than both together: the size of Odessa 'underground' is more than 2500 km. At present only 1700 km are studied. The average height is 1.5 - 3.5 m, width 2 - 4.5 m. The depth can reach 50 m below sea level.
About 95% of catacombs in Odessa are quarries. Since XIX century more than 100 quarries with more than 1000 entries were used to draw limestones for building Odessa. Besides quarries, under Odessa there are many other caves: old cellars, secret passages, and the most interesting - natural caves that are 2.5 - 3 million years old. All these cavities joined in various ways form an incredible underground network.
In different times catacombs in Odessa were used for different proposes and by different people. In the end of XIX century and beginning of XX century criminals hid there from police and contrabandists hid there their goods from tax police. During the Second World War partisans hid there from fascists. Now it is a magnetic place for speleologists, diggers and tourists.
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