BBC’s report on a hidden world beneath Budapest – VIDEO

Did you know that you can scuba dive beneath Budapest? Surprisingly, little do the locals know about it. BBC and Infostart.hu reported about the Kőbánya limestone mine.

The tunnel system

BBC reports that limestone mining started in the 13th century in Kőbánya with great success. The limestone was also used at local constructions, and even the Hungarian Parliament contains it. The more than 30 kilometres long underground tunnel system had various functions throughout the centuries such as mine, a brewery, and even an aeroplane factory during the air attacks of 1944.

A smaller section of the tunnel system belongs to Dreher Brewery today, but the local government owns the biggest part, that is unexploited. On the one hand, this magical place is filled with life occasionally, when a running or bicycle event, maybe a guided tour takes place here. On the other hand, one can also enjoy diving in the tunnels since they were fled in the 1990s.

Diving

Kornél Domján, a local telecommunications technician, has a surprising story about him finding this amazing diving opportunity in Budapest. He fell from a rooftop in 2003 and suffered severe injuries: a ruptured spleen, a cracked hip, and broken ribs as well. It was suggested to dive as part of the recovery process, as BBC reports. First, he travelled to Croatia, Taiwan, and Egypt before realising that he can do the same only a couple of kilometres away from his home in 2009. The magical atmosphere of the fled area with the secret corridors, spiral staircases, and old tools left behind charmed Kornél so much that he goes back to dive here even these days. Notably, there are four locations to start diving out of which one is for beginners, and three are for professionals. The tunnel system’s actual size is unknown, but it is bigger than one would think at first.

Featured image: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojY89o-hzHs#action=share

Source: bbc.com, infostart.hu