Zwiesel underground passages
The Zwiesel underground passages are a system of passages that arose over centuries under the core area of the city of Zwiesel in Lower Bavaria .
In 2001 the underground corridors working group was set up to research the corridor system. In 2005 the subterranean Zwiesel association replaced the working group . Today you can visit the corridors almost every day with an expert guide.
Emergence
Period
The exact age of the tunnel system is unknown. The first shafts are likely to have been built in the early 14th century.
Usage
There are different theories about the purpose:
- Hide from enemies
The Zwieselers fled underground during raids.
- Escape routes
The residents fled underground from the nearby Burgstall or vice versa to the Burgstall.
- Purification ceremony
The users moved underground to cleanse themselves of diseases and sins in the narrow sleeping tubes, 40 cm in diameter, up to 4 m in length, and thus to come "reborn" through the cervix of the earth to the light of day.
- Places for the cult of the dead
The subterranean passages were laid out as dwelling places for souls in order to wait for the so-called intermediate state - between death and resurrection - for the last day
- Deposits
This theory is supported by the fact that there was a constant temperature of around 8 degrees all year round in the cave system, and this was used for the storage of food. The corridors may have been used later for this purpose.
literature
- Thomas Weber: Zwiesel's underground passages as reflected in the city's history. A local history documentation. Zwiesel [o. J.].