Underground refuges in Bavaria and Austria

Bavaria and Austria, more precisely Upper and Lower Austria in the north of the country, are particularly rich in medieval underground refuges. They are locally known as Erdstall, Erdställe in the plural. This specific name dates back to at least the 15th century. German and Austrian researchers have surveyed more than 300 of them, and we visited some of them with our colleagues and friends Dieter Ahlborn and Josef Weichenberger. While some of the cavities in Lower Austria are similar to the underground refuges found in western France, those dug in Bavaria and Upper Austria, particularly around Passau, are characterized by an unimaginable narrowness and the presence of vertical bottleneck passages whose diameter is sometimes barely 40 cm. Crossing such obstacles is often difficult and always impressive, even for experienced explorers.

Extraction shaft

Under the church

Difficult passage

Dug in the sand

Crosses

Under the Gasthof

Seating niches

Bottleneck passage and seating niche

First bottleneck passage

Penultimate room

Last room

Below the bottleneck passage

In the bottleneck passage

Main room

Tiny room

Tiny room

Dug in the loess

16th-century graffiti