Under Rzeszów – subterranean inspirations

Two weeks ago, I was chatting to my brother about my desire to build a Museum of Entropy in tunnels under my garden. Brick-lined, the tunnels would have enclaves or niches built into the walls in which exhibits would be displayed, illuminated by candle light. Little did I think as I described the place that I'd soon be visiting something that is remarkably similar to that.

Rzeszów is a town I have visited regularly over the years, though I hadn't (until now) been in the extensive warren of underground cellars and tunnels under the old market square. Built in the 14th and 15th centuries to serve as storage areas for the shops above, the subterranean complex has had a thorough renovation and been repurposed as a tourist attraction.

Work on the complex took place in five stages from the 1960s through to 2020, with an initial focus on preserving the structural integrity of the historic buildings around the market square (to stop them from collapsing). Successive stages incorporated more and more chambers and passages into the complex.

Left: the steps go from one level to the next, down to a maximum depth of ten metres below the market square. For those with a taste for mysterious underground passages, this place is hugely atmospheric. The history full of invasions and fires, is told right through to WW2, when Jews sought shelter here from the Holocaust As such, it is a microcosm of Poland's ever-changing fortunes. Display cases, LCD screens and interactive exhibits tell the story. One salient point made is that religious tolerance was insisted upon by the city's 17th century owners (and rulers), the Lubomirski family; if Catholics, Jews, Protestants and Orthodox Christians were to co-exist peacefully, trade would flourish and the city would prosper.

Below: the city's story is told in graphic and textual form as one passes from chamber to chamber. [Apologies for the picture quality – hand-held at two seconds with an ultra-wide lens.]

Below: Rzeszów town hall, the following morning. The entrance to the underground complex is at one end of the market square; you emerge in a different place, which can be a bit disorientating.

I must say. it would be great to have such a complex under my garden – a maze of brick-lined tunnels running hither and thither. A bit like the Mole Man of Hackney!

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