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undergrounds. From then on, a huge white bear saw to the safety of the fire and the priestesses taking care of it. Only when the disaster loomed over the Chełm land did it leave the caverns. On one occasion savage invaders burned down the settlement and wanted to capture the holy fire. When the defenders, being heavily outnumbered, had yielded to the enemy, the white bear appeared and routed the invaders. Then, tired from fighting he paused for a moment among three oak trees and the setting sun thankfully painted gold the trees, the animal and surroundings. Since then the white bear among three oak trees has been the emblem of Chełm.
100:, increased road traffic through the city centre in the 1960s led to many construction disasters. The renovation of the tunnels began after an accident, which took place on one of Chełm's streets in the '70s. One of the corridors collapsed under the pressure of a truck driving through the street. Nobody was hurt, but this accident became a reason for excavation, which led to many corridors being discovered. Many tunnels are undiscovered because of the lack of money and high risk. To this day there is no entry to the square under which there are tunnels, because of the risk of collapse.
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89:, it was resolved to use the tunnels for tourism. The first attempts were made in the interwar period when the tunnels were rediscovered while the municipal water supply system was being built. Unfortunately, plans to make the chalk galleries a tourist attraction were not implemented. The planned route (300 metres long) was destroyed during the
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trees, in a chalk cave, lived a powerful white bear. It was the terror of the neighbourhood. One day when it went hunting, people built a temple at the entrance to his cavern and lit an everlasting fire. The bear came back and was so transfixed by the brightness of the holy fire that it sank into the
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After selected sections of the corridors were adapted for tourism in the 1970s, the undergrounds were opened to visitors. The present-day tourist route was given its final form only in 1985. It runs through three underground complexes of corridors in the Church of Holy
Apostles The Messengers, under
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While visiting the nearly two km route, which tourists cover in about 50 minutes, one can observe exhibitions of geological, archeological and historical interest. Even today there are pits being discovered, which make the chalk undergrounds full of riddles, surprises and mysteries.
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The chalk undergrounds are thought to measure up to 15 km (9 mi) in length — they even reach outside the city border. Even now it is not certain where the chalk tunnels end. The ambient temperature, independent from the weather outside, is 9 Celsius and the
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The underground tourist route is safe for visitors, complete with electric lighting and constant temperature. In 1994 it was entered into the register of historical monuments as a unique heritage of chalk quarrying.
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In the 19th century it was decided to terminate chalk extraction because the tunnels began to endanger inhabitant safety. After many years, during which the galleries were penetrated only by
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region of Poland, in the east of the country. The chalk tunnels came into being as a result of the exploitation of rich chalk deposits which lie under the surface.
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during raids, wars and pillage. The system is now open solely for tourists. In total, the network of tunnels stretches for around 15 kilometres (9 miles).
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Tales and legends about the chalk tunnels have been circulating from time immemorial. The most widely known is the legend of the white
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occupation of the city, during which Chełm's tunnels also served as a shelter for the persecuted Jewish population.
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and was discontinued in the 19th century. The tunnels also served Chełm's inhabitants as
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ZAPRASZAMY DO CHEŁMA - serwis prowadzony przez Chełmski Ośrodek
Informacji Turystycznej
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ZAPRASZAMY DO CHEŁMA - serwis prowadzony przez Chełmski Ośrodek
Informacji Turystycznej
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ZAPRASZAMY DO CHEŁMA - serwis prowadzony przez Chełmski Ośrodek
Informacji Turystycznej
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and even the world. Chełm is a small town, one of the oldest in the
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286:"Chełm's Chalk Undergrounds" Tourist Information Centre in Chełm
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In the pre-Christian times on Chełm Hill under three huge
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A legend as recorded by Longin Jan Okoń, the author of
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465:Buildings and structures in Lublin Voivodeship
297:"Chełmskie podziemia kredowe - Cuda Świata"
480:Tourist attractions in Lublin Voivodeship
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67:The Chełm Chalk Tunnels are unique in
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321:POLANDunder30 - 12 cudów Polski!
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47:. The tunnelling began in the
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20:Interior of the chalk tunnels
198:Kartchner Caverns State Park
104:the Old City Market Square.
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475:Underground mines in Poland
214:Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
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33:Chełmskie podziemia kredowe
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380:The Tales of the Bear Town
362:February 26, 2008, at the
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274:February 8, 2008, at the
436:51.133004°N 23.471298°E
116:The Chełm Chalk Tunnels
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460:Chalk mines in Poland
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441:51.133004; 23.471298
376:The Legends of Chełm
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204:, the United States
171:Wieliczka Salt Mine
26:Chełm Chalk Tunnels
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39:under the city of
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242:, southern Europe
165:Bochnia Salt Mine
137:Tales and legends
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305:. Retrieved
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98:World War II
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49:Middle Ages
43:in eastern
454:Categories
427:23°28′17″E
424:51°07′59″N
307:2008-02-21
247:References
218:Zipaquirá
208:Grand Roc
360:Archived
342:Archived
324:Archived
272:Archived
226:Colombia
193:Pakistan
159:See also
131:humidity
108:Visiting
57:shelters
202:Arizona
173:, near
80:cellars
63:History
236:Ancona
189:Punjab
179:Poland
175:Kraków
96:After
73:Lublin
69:Europe
45:Poland
30:Polish
470:Chełm
240:Italy
216:, in
187:, in
41:Chełm
37:chalk
378:and
143:bear
91:Nazi
51:for
28:(in
24:The
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151:oak
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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