Visting an abandoned underground tunnel below Vienna
There is a massive network of tunnels under Vienna's city center. These Vienna underground tunnel system dates back to the Romans. During World War II, these tunnels were used as air raid shelters.
I could exlplore one of these tunnels below Vienna as part of a photo tour and in this blog post I'll share some of the photos I took during this photo tour in the Vienna underground.
Table of Contents
The descent into the underground tunnel
Most of the Vienna underground tunnels are below residential buildings in the inner districts and thus not accessible - unless you book a photo tour with the research team Vienna Underground. More on that at the end of the post.
The first things we spotted in the tunnel were some fluorescent signs from the Second World War.
Fluorescent sign in a underground tunnel in Vienna
Despite that these signs are roughly 80 years old, they are still fluorescent if you point your flashlight at them for 30 seconds. But the effect only lasts for a few seconds.
Next, we entered two huge chambers that were connected by smaller underground tunnels. In these chambers, hundreds of people seeked shelter during the more than 50 air raids on Vienna between 1943 and 1945, where almost 10.000 people lost their lives and more than 35.000 buildings were destroyed.
One of the chambers of the abandoned air raid shelters below Vienna
In case one of the main entrances would be buried by debris, each chamber had an emergency exit. From this photo, you'll get an idea how
Emergency exit from the underground tunnel
Relicts of World War II
Walking through this underground tunnel is like walking through a time capsule. You'll find a lot of leftovers from World War II, like jugs, bottles, and even a shoe.
Leftovers from World War II
We also found a huge wooden box that looked like it would crumble to dust if you moved it. To answer a possible upcoming question: No, there is no gold in it.
Wooden Box discovered in the abandoned air raid shelter
Other branches of the underground tunnel
There were several branches from the main tunnel. But almost all of them were either empty or partially collapsed. Only one branch was still accessible. You can guess the purpose of this underground tunnel branch, can you?
You can guess the purpose of this branch, can't you?
Taking photos in low light conditions or total darkness is challenging - not only with iPhone. I took all photos in this post using ProCamera and ProCamera'sLow Light mode. I've also used the Anker 610 magnetic phone grip instead of a wrist strap.
During this photo walk, I also experimented with indirect light using the VIJIM VL120 RGB photo light (Amazon Link). I love the effects you can get from indirect light like the shadows in this image.
Experimenting with indirect light
It was the first time I used this technique. I'll need to experiment more and will write a review about the VL 120 RBG light once I get the hang of it.
How to vist the Vienna Underground Tunnels
As mentioned, the underground tunnels below Vienna are generally not accessible. But thanks to the efforts of two people, a few can be visited by means of guided tours:
- A photo tour organized by the research team Vienna underground
- A guided (non photo) tour by Wienführungen
I did both. I recommend the first tour by Vienna Underground for a lost place experience. You'll visit an abandoned air raid shelter like what I wrote about in this post.
I recommend the second tour if you're uncomfortable exploring a dark underground tunnel. The second tour is more touristy, and the tunnels are illuminated and in use as storage.
