A Ukrainian, Yurii Zholobailo, who lives in the city of Horodok in Khmelnytskyi region, unexpectedly stumbled upon an underground passage beneath his own house. The man said that the discovery happened during the cleaning of the basement from debris. The underground passage has impressive dimensions: 25 meters long, just over one meter wide, and nearly 2 meters high.
“We have enough underground passages like this. We cleaned it because it was buried under debris. This passage is covered with something. Further in, there is also a bit covered. Whether there was a passage further, I cannot say,” explained Yurii Zholobailo.
In the city of Horodok, there are many underground passages that were created back in the 16th-17th centuries. They once formed a large system connecting to the castle to protect the city from attackers.
The Priest's Discovery
Oleh Zharuk, a Roman Catholic priest and rector of the Institute of Theological Sciences, also spoke about the underground premises in the institute building. This building dates back to 1774, and according to the priest, there are passages leading from it to the city center or to the river.
“There are rumors in the city that passages lead somewhere from the institute. Perhaps to the center or to the river,” noted Oleh Zharuk.
The center of Horodok is a real cemetery of underground passages, many of which are only mentioned in historical legends. Many remain unknown regarding their quantity and locations.
The residents of Horodok have gained the opportunity to learn more about the mysterious underground passages that sprawled across the city centuries ago. The findings of the resident and the priest are an important addition to the study of the archaeological context and history of the city.