Underground tunnel from Austro-Hungarian era discovered in Lviv region

In the center of Stryi, Lviv region, utility workers unexpectedly discovered the entrance to a tunnel dating back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire while carrying out road repairs.

According to Ukrinform, the Stryi City Council reported this on Facebook.

"During road repairs on Nezalezhnosti Street, utility workers accidentally came across an entrance to a tunnel from the Austro-Hungarian period, with clean water flowing along its bottom," the statement said.

Local historians note that more than a century ago, the Mlynivka River flowed through this area, with small bridges crossing it.

Deputy Mayor Mykhailo Zhuravchak invited urban explorers Andrii Ryshtun and Vlad Vergaz, known for their in-depth research of Lviv's underground spaces, to examine the find.

After exploring the tunnel, the diggers reported that it was built during the Austro-Hungarian period from red brick. It measures approximately two meters by one meter, with spring water flowing along the bottom.

Moving upstream, they reached the monument to Stepan Bandera, but could only proceed further by crawling, so they turned back and continued downstream.

"Unlike the upstream section, which was clean, this part collects sewage from surrounding buildings. There is a lot of dirt and household waste on the bottom, which significantly complicated our movement," the explorers said.

In total, about 300 meters of underground passages have been examined so far.

According to the diggers, they plan to continue their research after clearing the tunnel of debris.

Photos from the website rdzs.org