 One of the wide corridors in the tunnel complex | |
  Kőbánya cellar system | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | District X (Kőbánya), Budapest |
| Country | Hungary |
| Coordinates | 47°29′6″N19°8′14″E / 47.48500°N 19.13722°E /47.48500; 19.13722 |
| Production | |
| Products |
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| Type | undergroundslope mine |
| Greatest depth | approx. 30 m (98 ft) (from surface) |
| History | |
| Opened |
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| Closed |
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| Owner | |
| Company |
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| Website | www (e-mail: pince  kvzrt.hu) |
| Year of acquisition | March 1948 (nationalization) |
TheKőbánya cellar system orcellar system of Kőbánya (IPA:[ˈkøːbaːɲɒ]; inHungarian:kőbányai pincerendszer, "cellar system of Kőbánya", orkőbányai alagútrendszer, "tunnel system of Kőbánya"), sometimes known to non-Hungarians simply as theKőbánya Mine, or theKobanya Mine, is an extensive network ofsubterranea, or underground spaces, in the10th district ofBudapest (Kőbánya), inHungary.[1][2] It is considered to be the largestcellar complex in the country. The complex as a whole started as an undergroundlimestonequarry in awine-growing area of present-day Kőbánya in the Middle Ages. Laterwineries andbeer breweries were established on the premises and they continued to use some of the underground spaces. During theSecond World War, the dimensions of the complex enabled it to be used as a covertaircraft engine assembly plant and a civilian hideout. Since 2008, Kőbánya Asset Manager Jsc. organizes free guided tours annually (duringSaint László Days), which introduce visitors to both the complex and theHavas Villa (erroneously also known as the Dreher Villa), one of the most notable properties connected to it. The underground complex is one of the locations that are participating in theEuropean Heritage Days.[3]
The floor area of the complex is variously estimated to be somewhere between 180,000–220,000 m2 (1,900,000–2,400,000 sq ft; 44–54 acres) and the combined length of the tunnels is estimated to be around 32–35 km (20–22 mi). Corridors 3–6 m (9.8–19.7 ft) wide and halls 10 m (33 ft) high are common in it. The deepest part is approximately 30 m (98 ft) under the ground surface. The nature of limestone makes the spaces of the complex moist andmoldy, and some parts are actually heavily flooded by groundwater. Currently the bulk of the tunnel system is the property of the Kőbánya district government (through its company Kőbánya Asset Manager Jsc.,Kőbányai Vagyonkezelő Zrt.), a small portion is still owned by theDreher Beer Breweries, who still actively uses some of the cellar spaces, and other small areas are in use by wineries. As of 2007, the Kőbánya tunnel system was not underarchitectural protection.[1] The complex is sometimes referred to as an "underground city"[2] or as an "underground world".[4][5]
InHungarian, the tunnel complex is known only as thecircumlocutionskőbányai pincerendszer (cellar system of Kőbánya), orkőbányai alagútrendszer (tunnel system of Kőbánya), using no capitalization as per establishedorthography rules. The complex is also oftenmetonymically referred to as the "Dreher cellars", the "Dreher cellar system", or the "brewery/beer cellars of Kőbánya", by association with theDreher Beer Breweries which was a main user of it. This is an example ofpars pro toto, as the brewery never came close to using the full extent of the complex.
The otherwise unnamedlimestone quarry sites which formed the network of tunnels gave the later municipal district,Kőbánya, its name,[6]: 1 [7]: 6 andkőbánya is in fact the sole Hungarian word for "quarry". Non-Hungarian individuals (especially divers) or media sometimes call the cellar system the "Kőbánya Mine", the "Kobanya Mine" or even the "Kobayna Mine" (a clear misspelling), as if this was the actual name of the mining sites, but technically speaking this is amisnomer (and a case oftotum pro parte), as the sites never hadKőbánya as a formal name in any manner, and so the capitalized nounKőbánya can only refer to the 10th district of Budapest in Hungarian. The only semantically correct way to refer to the Kőbánya quarry sites is to use theredundant formkőbányai kőbányák (literally, "the quarries of Quarry").
The tunnel system originated as an undergroundlimestone quarry in an area which was known asKőér (roughly "Stone Vein") in present-day Kőbánya.[6]: 1 [1] The area's name appears asKewer (orKőér inmodern Hungarian orthography) in aroyal charter written byBéla IV[8]: 8 [6]: 1 [7]: 6 [9] (in which he donated a piece of land to the city ofPest),[7]: 6 [5] a name of a 147 m (482 ft) high hill.[8]: 8 This evidence suggests that the area was used as a source of limestone from at least the 13th century,[8]: 8 but it is likely that the area provided limestone even in theAntiquity.[10] The exact variant is known asSarmatian limestone,[6]: 1 which was formed from the deposits of thePannonian Sea in the Central EuropeanSarmatian stage of the upper-middleMiocene era, approximately 11.6–12.7 million years ago.
TheKőér quarry's activity have risen significantly in the early 17th century,[8]: 8 [7]: 8 [3] and then experienced even more heightened output in the 19th century,[6]: 1 as it provided limestone for the construction (or renovation) of some of the most prominent buildings in present-day Budapest;
The quarry served as a material source for many of the buildings of Pest which were built after the devastatingflood of 1834,[6]: 1 as well as for many of thevillas ofAndrássy Avenue.[6]: 1 [1]
It is likely that the name ofFehér út (White Road) was the result of the presence of white limestone dust, as the road was the main route of transportation from the quarry sites to the Pest construction sites.[6]: 1
Even when the quarry was still in active production, routine mining practices,cave-ins (due to the inadequate mining techniques used)[3] as well as thegroundwater penetration caused parts of it to be abandoned continuously. Above the quarry there were largevineyards from the 17th century on,[6]: 2 and sowineries and wine merchants started to use the abandoned sections,[12][6]: 2 making them more akin to purpose-builtwine cellars.
While winemaking ceased in the area because of the large-scale European"phylloxera plague" of the second half of the 19th century,beer breweries also settled in the area to exploit the tunnels.[12]Péter Schmiedt was the first[5] to establish hisKőbánya Beer House Company (Kőbányai Serház Társaság) on the premises in 1844.[6]: 2 The company continued to use some of the underground spaces asfermentation cellars, and drilled deep wells to exploit the limestone-filtered, clean groundwater under the quarry tunnels for beer production.
The Austrian businessman and brewerAnton Dreher Sr. (known in Hungary as Antal Dréher) bought Schmiedt's company and its related assets in 1862[6]: 2 [1] to eliminate competition and to expand his Austrian brewery company,Klein-Schwechat Brewing House (Klein-Schwechater Brauhaus), and continued to use portions of the underground spaces as cellars.[7]: 10 The brewery site became known simply as the Steinbruch Brewery (Brauerei Steinbruch), reflecting the German name of Kőbánya. In the following years, Dreher's son, Anton Jr. bought up and integrated the neighboring rival breweries that were also settled in the vicinity. In 1907, this Kőbánya site became an independent company, led by Dreher's youngest grandson, Eugene (Jenő) Dreher, as Antal Dreher's Kőbánya Beer Brewery (Dreher Antal Kőbányai Serfőzdéje). The Dreher family's companies were the most significant developer and producer ofpale lager beer up untilWorld War I. In the 1920s, the brewery controlled 70% of the beer market in Hungary.[9] In the 1930s, the Dreher Brewery Combine have already acquired almost all of the neighboring breweries: the Haggenmacher Brewery, the First Hungarian Stock Brewery, and the Capital City Brewery, leaving only the Civic Brewery independent.[6]: 2
Meanwhile, due to the general instability of the tunnel system, limestone mining was officially banned in 1890,[8]: 8 [7]: 8 [3] although the system was still used for acquiring limestone as late as 1911 to repair theReformed Church of Kecskemét,[6]: 1 which was damaged in a5.6 Mw earthquake the same year.
During theSecond World War, due to fears ofAllied bombing campaigns, parts of the complex were used as a covertaircraft engine assembly plant[12][6]: 2 [1][2] most likely by theDanubian Aircraft Factory (Dunai Repülőgépgyár), the enterprise responsible for the domestic license production of theMesserschmitt Me 210Cheavy fighter (designated as Me 210Ca-1 in theLuftwaffe), which were to be either delivered to or fully assembled inGermany. The workers were able to produce more than 200 engines until production was relocated into Germany asRed Army troops came close to Budapest.[9] Other, smaller aircraft factories also used the complex during the war.
Throughout the war, especially during thesiege of Budapest, the complex also acted as a shelter for civilians.[12][9] At least one specific hall, which was referred to as a "chapel" (kápolna) by the miners, served as a place of worship to holdSunday masses during the siege.[9][5]
All of the abandoned tunnel system of the quarry and the Dreher Brewery cellar system (along with the Dreher family's company) wasnationalized in March 1948.[1] In the next year, the brewery was united with other nationalized companies as well as being renamed, and the premises became known as Site No. 1 of the Kőbánya Beer Brewery (Kőbányai Sörgyár 1. számú telephely) in the communist era. After the transition tomarket economy, in 1992, the now-private company acquired the rights from the Austrian legal successor of the original Dreher company to use the Dreher name again, and becameDreher Beer Breweries (Dreher Sörgyárak).
Between the 1950s and the early 1970s the mining tunnels and the central mine courtyards (mélyudvar) of the Óhegy area were filled withconstruction debris, meters ofcommunal waste, and earth torehabilitate land, which then gave place to the Hungarian-Soviet Friendship Park, today'sÓhegy Park [hu].[10][13][14]
In the evening hours of 6 June 2004, a cave-in occurred in the park, killing a 62-year-old man;[15][13] the victim had fallen into the 80–85 cm (31–33 in)[13] wide and 6–8 m (20–26 ft)[13][10] or 10–15 m (33–49 ft)[15] deep pit that formed under him. The victim died because of the toxic gases of the rotting waste, not from the fall.[10] This caused a roughly one hectare part of the park to be fenced off citing soil stability issues.[13]
Even before this incident, the park had at least two minor cave-ins.[13] The problem was finally mitigated in 2012 (involving the help of aGHH LF 4.1 minefront loader), costing the district government 90 millionforints (400,000 US dollars), and on 5 December 2012 the fence was removed and the area was restored to the public.[16][14][17]: 1
Currently the bulk of the tunnel system is the property of the Kőbánya district government (through its company Kőbánya Asset Manager Jsc.,Kőbányai Vagyonkezelő Zrt.), a small portion is still owned by theDreher Beer Breweries, which still actively uses some of the cellar spaces.[1] Other small areas of the complex are in use by wineries.[5] The most prominent human activity in the past decades within the tunnel complex was the commercial growing ofedible mushrooms in some sections, generally in corridors and smaller halls.[1][2][11] However this practice was outlawed byEuropean Union regulations and so mushroom production ceased in the latter parts of the 2000s.[2][11] Starting from 2007, the complex hosts guided walking tours as well as diving tours, cycling and running competitions and other recreational events.
In 2012, the complex was used as testing grounds for the capabilities of the portableREGARD Muontomograph by a group of Hungarian scientists and engineers fromEötvös Loránd University, theWigner Research Center for Physics, and theBudapest University of Technology and Economics, to demonstrate the use ofmuon tomography in geophysical surveying of underground structures.[18]
On 21 February 2014, a physicalgeocache was hidden in the tunnel complex.[19]
In March 2015, theHamburg Fire and Rescue Service visited the complex as part of their "4. LLG 2.1" training course, in the EU'sExchange of Experts initiative.[20]
In 2015, the record-holder AustrianfreediverChristian Redl dived in the flooded parts of the complex for aGoPro promotional video.[21]
In the past decades, the Kőbánya district government developed ideas about the future use of the Dreher Brewery premises and the tunnel complex under it, such as operating adark ride in the tunnels.[6]: 3 In 2005, the district government has envisioned a project which would turn the premises into a cultural and entertainment venue with atheme park, this became known as theS1 Project.[22][6]: 3 [4] The code "S1" refers to the historical brewery premises;[4] as "beer brewery" issörgyár orsörfőzde, and the premises were known as the no. 1 production site of the brewery. The project anticipates that the premises would contain a musical stage, an event hall, galleries, studios, clubs, coffee houses, restaurants, a beer museum, a mass transit stop, and hotels among other things.[6]: 3 The concept also calls for the construction of apartment buildings in the area which would provide thousands of apartments.[4] The development of the project would involve using the tunnel system in some form,[6]: 3 possibly being opened up by artificialravines.[4] The Kőbánya Asset Manager Jsc. was in talks with Austrian historianGünter Bischof,[4] whose involvement resulted in three project plans submitted by four architectural firms; Erick van Egeraat Architects (EEA), Zoboki Design & Architecture (ZDA), Sporaarchitects, and Naos Architecture.[4]
The preparation of the S1 Project is being done by the Kőbánya Asset Manager Jsc. in the framework of Budapest's medium-term development program, thePodmaniczky Program, with the financial support of the EU.[22][6]: 3 The project was a part of the EU'sbrownfield rehabilitation programMISTER (Military and Industrial SiTEs Reuse) as well as theInterreg III B-level CADSES (Central European–Adriatic–Danubian–South-Eastern European Space) cooperation, but did not gather enough interest from potential investors. In 2009, the cost of the realization was estimated at 120 billionforints (395,856,700 US dollars),[4] while the S1 Project area was valued at 5 billion forints (16,494,029 dollars).[4] In 2012, more than two-thirds of the involvedreal estate was the property of the district government, with the remainder being the property of a few private companies.[6]: 3 Administering the complex costs the Kőbánya district government around 70–80 million forints (230,916–263,904 dollars) annually.[11]
While intricate, the Kőbánya complex can be divided into two general, interconnected areas: a larger, somewhat moremine-like part which is in district ownership, and a smaller, more cellar-like part which is in private ownership, although usually these are considered as one single entity in public discourse, since they had the same origins.[23][24]
The tunnel system was originally aslope mine with gentle inclinations, which used theroom and pillar method for thelimestone production. The shape of the passages and excavation halls has acomb-like pattern.[6]: 1 [1][11] The complex has multiple levels within,[23] and (due tocave-ins, tunnel closures and floodings, along with the poor mining documentation) its full extent is not fully surveyed or mapped.[18][12][3][9] Even so, it is considered to be the largest cellar complex in Hungary.[10][8]: 47 [6]: 1 [11]
The floor area of the complex is estimated to be either around 180,000 m2 (1,900,000 sq ft; 18 ha; 44 acres),[12][6]: 1 [1][11] 195,000–196,000 m2 (2,100,000–2,110,000 sq ft; 19.5–19.6 ha; 48–48 acres)[8]: 47 [9][24] or 220,000 m2 (2,400,000 sq ft; 22 ha; 54 acres).[23] The combined length of the tunnels is estimated to be 32–33 km (19.9–20.5 mi)[8]: 47 [6]: 1 [7]: 3, 10 [2] or 35 km (21.7 mi),[12][1][3][9] according to different sources and estimations. Corridors 3–6 m (9.8–19.7 ft)[6]: 1 [25] wide and "church-like" halls 10 m (33 ft)[6]: 1 [1] high are common in it, with some of the halls reaching sizes of 10–12 m (33–39 ft)[6]: 2 in height and 8–10 m (26–33 ft)[6]: 2 in width. Some of the taller halls were later divided into two levels withreinforced concreteslabs.[5] There is at least three halls there are referred to as "chapels" (kápolna), these are named after major world religions.[11] One such chapel hall was originally an open mine court which was covered with brick arches.[5] The average depth of the tunnels under the ground surface is around 10–15 m (33–49 ft).[12][6]: 1 The deepest part of any tunnel or hall is approximately 30 m (98 ft),[12][6]: 1 [23] measured from the ground surface above it to the bottom surface of the tunnel. However, one of the flooded machinery halls of the Dreher Brewery reaches into a depth of roughly 44 m (144 ft),[4] but it is unclear if it could be considered as part of the tunnel complex. There are ventilation shafts above some of the tunnels, these are 1 m (3.3 ft) in diameter and generally 10–20 m (33–66 ft) long.[18] The average density of rock around the complex is 1.8 ± 0.1 g/cm3 (1.040 ± 0.058 oz/cu in).[18]
The air temperature is around 12–15 °C (54–59 °F)[12][1][26][4] (according to other sources, 6–8 °C (43–46 °F),[27][28][29][30] or 10 °C (50 °F))[3] throughout the complex.
The complex originally had dozens of entry locations,[8]: 8 some of them are:
Despite being abandoned, the complex still has working lighting,[26] including some underwaterfloodlights installed in flooded areas to enhance diving.[11][28]
The whole complex that is often referred to as the "Kőbánya cellar system" is in fact a grouping of one large, intricate tunnel network with two main parts, and a few isolated, smaller tunnel systems. These are largely under three well-defined areas of Kőbánya:Óhegy (Old Hill),Újhegy (New Hill), and the Dreher Brewery premises, now known as the "S1 Project area" or just "S1 area".
The main subnetwork, the Dreher/S1 Project network, starts at the intersection of Kőrösi Csoma Road, Kolozsvári Street and Jászberényi Road (known as the "Tight Corner";Éles-sarok), and continues along Jászberényi Road and Maglódi Road as far as Téglavető Street.[6]: 1 This part of the subnetwork is more than 20 km (12 mi) long, and it is connected to the other part under the vicinity of the Vineyard Guard Tower (Csősztorony) next toÓhegy Park [hu].[6]: 1 The second part is surrounded by Harmat Street, Ihász Street, Halom Street, Bebek Road and Halom End.[6]: 1 The cellar floor area under the Dreher premises is around 40,000–45,000 m2 (430,000–480,000 sq ft),[32][5] with a combined passage length of 6 km (3.7 mi).[5] The depth from surface to the cellar grounds is about 15–20 m (49–66 ft).[5] According to different sources, the temperature is about 8 °C (46 °F)[5] or 14–16 °C (57–61 °F).[32]
One of the biggest isolated tunnel systems is the one which is under Óhegy Park (the former Hungarian-Soviet Friendship Park), along Szlávy Street, facing the end of Száraz Street.[6]: 1 Some of it were filled with construction debris, meters of communal waste, and earth torehabilitate land.[10][13][14] This network is almost 1 km (0.62 mi)[17]: 1 long and 16 m (52 ft)[6]: 1 deep. It was roughly 1.3 km (0.81 mi) long before the cave-in mitigation works done in 2012.[6]: 1 Sources also give the following post-mitigation characteristics: the tunnel system has a floor area of 5,500 m2 (59,000 sq ft),[17]: 1 with tunnels 4–6 m (13–20 ft)[17]: 1 wide and 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft)[14][10][17]: 1 high; the thickness of rock and soil above the tunnels is between 12–22 m (39–72 ft).[17]: 1 The air temperature is around 18 °C (64 °F).[10] The Óhegy tunnels were continuously reinforced since 1996.[17]: 1
Two, way smaller tunnel "systems" are located alongside Algyógyi Street and Kocka Street, as well as at the intersection of Kőér Street and Petrőczy Street.[6]: 1
Due to thehygroscopic (water absorbing) nature of limestone and the presence ofgroundwater, some of the deeper parts of the complex are permanently flooded,[28] and even the unflooded parts have moist,moldy walls and flowing or poolingpit water.[12][26][1] The flooding is generally present around the wells that were used by the Dreher Brewery.[5] Some flooded areas are deeper than 18 m (59 ft) from the surface of the water,[26] these could only be accessed bytechnical,cave, orwreck divers. There are four areas of flooding and 5 diving spots within, of which one does not require technical/cave/wreck diving qualifications and can be dived with only OWD qualifications.[30][33]
The flood areas as identified by their original Dreher well (kút) names:
Other, unflooded wells includeChampagne kút (Champagne Well) andHipó kút (Hypo Well).[11]
The water temperature is around 10–13 °C (50–55 °F),[26][36][28][30] or according to other sources,13–14 °C (55–57 °F),[33] or 6–8 °C (43–46 °F),[11] and it is generally very clean and clear (aside from small floating debris from decaying equipment and considerablesilt deposits in some halls), providing good visibility for navigating around with flashlights.[26][36]
From time to time, the complex or the Dreher brewery buildings are used byfilmmakers and other artists for their projects, includingmusic videos andcommercials.[12][6]: 3 [5] The most notable examples are the 2015 Americanaction comedy filmSpy, which had its opening scenes shot in the complex,[26] and the 1989 Hungarianart filmMeteo, which features the subterranean spaces in apost-apocalyptic manner in some scenes.
The complex hosts or hosted sporting and recreational events such as:
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 3D visualization of the cellar complex by Katalin Zsoldi (ELTE), YouTube video |
Multiple television andwebcastdocumentaries have featured the cellar complex, such as:
Katalin Zsoldi, a doctoral student ofELTE's Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics made a 3D visualization of various underground structures in Budapest, including the cellar complex.[44]
| Naturalcaves andpit caves |
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|---|---|
| Mines |
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| Undergroundbunkers,bomb shelters and other subterranean military installations |
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| Miscellaneous artificial structures (including natural caves with extensive amounts of artificial alteration) |
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Locations that are entirely closed to the general public for any reason are shown initalic. Locations that are generally closed, but are accessible with special (press, scientific etc.) permissions are shown initalic with an asterisk (*). | |
