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Erdstall is an archaeological term that is German in origin and is most commonly used to describe an intricate system of tunnels that run underneath most of Central Europe. Erdstall, in German, mean place under the earth. [1]

Common Terms

There are many other names that identify the mysterious underground labyrinths. Most of these common language terms are related to small mystical creatures, such as dwarves, due to the small size of the passages [1]. They include Schrazelloch, which means hole of a schrazel [1] or goblin hole [2], Erdweiblschlupf, which means hideout of an earth woman [1], Zwergloch, which means dwarf hole [1], Seelengänge, which means soul tunnel [1], and Alraunenhöhle, which means mandrake cave[2].

Description

The erdstalls are a sort of underground labyrinth, consisting of small passages and some small chambers and they refer to a certain category of subterranea, which is extremely mysterious [1]. The passages do not allow for standing and they are comprised of several different types of tunnels. The main passages are connected by even smaller passages called Schlupflöcher or Schlupfe, which mean slip [1]. The tiniest of these are extremely narrow, typically only 40cm (16in.) in diameter and can connect passages horizontally or vertically [1]. Some are even so small that explorers have to get down on all fours to advance into the tunnel [2]. These passages generally have only a single entrance and only a single passage, which often change direction erratically and they end in a chamber called Schlusskammer, which means final chamber [1]. These chambers are generally the biggest, most carefully designed rooms and they are big enough that people can walk through in a hunched position [2]. The other chambers throughout the tunnels are small and allow only for sitting [1]. These erdstalls are manmade and are often only 20-50 meters long. They can also go down to a depth of 10 meters (33ft.) in some places [2]. They have often been called underground mazes for the many twists and turns and are also known to have an atmosphere that is dark and oppressive, like an animal den [2]. They are carved out of clay and loess or weathered granite [3].

Archaeology

Many of the facts are restricted and there has not been much academic research to determine the exact purpose of the passages [1]. The tunnels have been known for more than 100 years and they very rarely contain archaeological evidence such as tools or other items that might help date the site [1]. On rare occasions, small pieces of wood or charcoal were found, which allowed for C12 carbon dating and these findings suggest that the last tunnels were built in the 10th century [1]. There have also been charcoal bits (found in Höcherlmühle) that date back to the period between 950 AD and 1050 AD [2]. There have also been some pollen analyses that add to the evidence that the tunnels date back to the 10th- 13th centuries, during the Middle Ages [2]. A few other items found, such as an iron plowshare and heavy millstones in some galleries, rubble that contained ceramics clearly attributed to the Gothic period , traces of building stones and remnants of doors or locks , and a sandstone relief were found, depicting a goblin with a tail attached to its rump, in Bösenteutin [2]. When construction on the tunnels was started is unknown [1]. Archaeologists are able to determine, though, that during the 12th-14th century all the tunnels were either closed, filled-in, or destroyed, but again the reason is unknown [1]. The erdstalls were built by professionals, who most likely dug the tunnels in a kneeling position and used wedge-shaped tools held with both hands [2]. Every few meters they chiseled cavities in the walls for their oil lamps and they would dig the longer passageways in serpentine form to reduce the pressure from the surrounding earth [2]. They did not ever use support planks, which could be why they were so twisted and small. The construction of the tunnels shows that today’s activities could not have taken place inside due to the extremely impracticality [1]. There is no sign they were ever used for burials or tombs [1]. There is no sign of mining and it is determined that they are too small to live in [1]. There is also no written record of the construction dating from the Medieval period , when they were thought to be built, which suggests that the tunnels were kept quiet [2]. The passages are completely empty and appear to be swept clean and 90% of the catacombs are still believed to be intact and undiscovered [2].

Locations

About 2,000 known tunnels are found all over central Europe [1]. They are found in Slovakia, France, Spain, Great Britain, Southern Germany (Bavaria [2]), which has about 700 known tunnels, Austria, which has about 500 known tunnels , Hungary, and parts of Ireland and Scotland [2]. They are generally located close to cemeteries or churches [1] and many galleries are connected to the sites of former settlements [2]. The entrances to the tunnels are typically located in kitchens of old farmhouses, underneath churches or cemeteries, and in the middle of forests [2]. There are none found in Switzerland or in the Black Forest [2].

Explanations

There are no reasonable explanations for the underground passages, but there are many theories that are both practical and esoteric.

Practical

Many of the popular theories interpreted these underground chambers as a hideout [1]. Some, like Josef Weichenberger, believed that the galleries, especially in Austria, were built during the medieval clearing period during the 11th century [2]. He says that at the time settlers from Bavaria traveled down the Danube to cultivate land in the east [2], where they were then threatened by Magyars, in 1042, Hungarian rebels known as Kurucs, in 1700, and robbers. The settlers then fled underground and took their valuables with them [2]. He even gives evidence of this behavior by telling a death account story of a woman who was so terrified of being discovered that she suffocated her screaming baby in an erdstall [2]. But, most people today now understand that these tunnels would make a poor hideout for many reasons. First off, they are incredibly hard to enter and they have no second exit, which would make it very easy to cut off the airflow and kill everyone inside [1]. The oxygen flow inside is already very low, so even being in the passages for a short period of time would cause headaches and make it hard to do anything inside. Some other practical theories includes the use of the tunnels as an escape from the castles nearby, as food or livestock housing, dungeons for both the criminal and the disabled, and places of healing [2]. These are still not very accepted, though, as some of these passages fill up with water in the winter and could ruin anything material inside or make it uninhabitable [2]. It is also unlikely that they kept people in them as there are hardly any large chambers where people could have stayed, there are no emergency exits, which means if there was a fire they would have become deadly traps, the smallest tunnels were too small for pregnant women, and there were no food remains or traces of torches [2].

Esoteric

Because a lot of the practical reasons for these tunnels have been shot down due to lack of evidence, many think that the only remaining explanations are from the esoteric and cultic side [1]. Some of these theories are that they were built as graves for the souls of the dead, were ritual spaces, used as dwellings for helpful goblins, built by elves and gnomes lived inside, they were an abode for the spirits or spaces of non-being, and gateways to the underworld [2]. The prevailing school of thought holds that the tunnels were built during the Migration Period (Vülkerwanderung) in the 5th and 6th centuries, when entire tribes left their homes and abandoned the cemeteries of their ancestors [2]. The assumption was that the tunnels and galleries were created so that the dead could still be venerated [2]. This may stem from the fact that the sites bears parallels to the routes of the Irish-Scottish traveling monks, coming from Celtic north in 6th century, who came across the continent as missionaries. These monks were thought to have bought with them heathen ideas and led to the construction of the tunnels, which were supposed to be prisons for those demons, evil dwarves, and the undead [2]. Another idea is that the tunnels were used for a sacred and ritual function and were called the chamber of souls [2]. Many said that the galleries were waiting rooms in which the souls of the dead were to spend the period until the Second coming of Christ. But, then in the 12th century, the idea of purgatory was introduced, which made it possible for souls to be purified and good people could ascend to heaven right away. This made the caves useless and corresponds to the period when they were filled in [2].

Personal Encounters

Many citizens across Europe have stumbled onto the entrances to erdstalls and have either contacted archaeological investigators or have turned them into a business. Beate Greithanner, a dairy farmer, who lives in Bavaria found a tunnel near the Doblberg Mountain in the Alpines. Her cow was grazing in the meadow and suddenly fell into a collapsed tunnel up to its hips [2]. The day after, Rudi Greithanner, her husband, examined hole and thought it may be a hiding place for some sort of treasure. He climbed inside to investigate and it turned out to be a narrow, damp tunnel that led diagonally into the earth. He couldn’t hear anything from above and it became difficult to breathe, so he panicked and quickly left [2]. The erdstall runs underneath their property and is 25 meters (82 ft.) long and it likely stems from the Middle Ages. They had geologists and land surveyors, which included the Working Group for Erdstall Research and the State Office of Historic Preservation in Munich, come to property to inspect the tunnels. Vinzenz Wösner, an innkeeper, discovered a set of tunnels and now offers tours, or ‘guided crawls’, in Münzkirchen, a town in northern Austria. He has to restrict the tours to keep those with heart conditions from going and he keeps a sling on hand in case anyone faints and needs to be pulled out [2].

Investigations

Many investigations have been conducted throughout the years. One of the most prominent groups in erdstall discovery is the Working Group for Erdstall Research [2]. They wear red protective suits and helmets and go to new sites, such as the Greithanner discovery and try to find new evidence of their use. The leader of this group is Dieter Ahlborn and it also includes cave researchers, geography teachers, and engineers [2]. One of the engineers is Nikolaus Arrndt, who has built subways in India and pipelines in the Libyan deserts [2]. They use many methods to correctly analyze the tunnels, including a reversible vacuum cleaner, to avoid suffocation while they went deeper into the tunnels [2]. Another group getting involved in erdstall research is the State Office of Historic Preservation in Munich [2]. They have been known to use colored tape and ground-penetrating radar to figure out actual size of galleries and tunnel depth [2]. The discovery by the Greithanners marks the first time that an archeological agency in Germany has showed an interest in an extremely unusual ancient phenomenon [2]. The earliest interest in erdstalls comes from Lambert Karner (1841-1909), who is called the pioneer of Erdstall exploration [2]. He was a priest and crawled through 400 vaults by candlelight to try and find evidence.

Public Knowledge

There is not a huge amount of public knowledge on erdstalls, but the interest is growing. There is an exhibition in Passau, a Bavarian city, which has a hands-on exhibit that depicts a tunnel made of plywood [2]. They refer to the tunnels as “Central Europe’s last great mystery” [2]. Road and construction crews often stumble upon galleries while they are working, and not knowing what they are, promptly fill them up with dirt, which hinders academics from mapping these tunnels properly [2]. This investigative undertaking is virtually unknown to academics and the researchers could use the help of physicists, theologists, and specialists in prehistoric mining.

References

1. 2. 3.