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The Chełm Chalk Tunnels (in Polish ''Chełmskie podziemia kredowe'') are a system of tunnels dug into the chalk under the city of Chełm in eastern Poland. The tunnelling began in the Middle Ages for chalk extraction and was discontinued in the 19th century.〔(ZAPRASZAMY DO CHEŁMA - serwis prowadzony przez Chełmski Ośrodek Informacji Turystycznej )〕 The underground tunnels also served Chełm's inhabitants as shelters during raids, wars and pillage.〔 The system is now open solely for tourists. In total, the network of tunnels stretches for around . ==History== The Chełm Chalk Tunnels are unique in Europe and even the world.〔 Chełm is a small town, one of the oldest in the Lublin 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. Starting in the Middle Ages, for hundreds of years, under Chełm's old city buildings enormous pits were dug from residents' cellars. The chalk was dug out by the inhabitants of Chełm, who took it straight from their cellars, and then sold it. After some time the corridors linked up, creating an underground system of corridors. Large chambers, called 'halls', came into being as a result of the unplanned connecting of many pits, which existed on several levels — even 20 metres below street level.〔 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 treasure hunters, it was resolved to use the underground 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 Nazi occupation of the city, during which Chełm’s tunnels also served as a shelter for the persecuted Jewish population. After World War II, increased road traffic through the city centre in the 1960s led to many construction disasters. The renovation of the underground 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 underground tunnels, because of the risk of collapse. 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 the Old City Market Square.〔"Chełm's Chalk Undergrounds" Tourist Information Centre in Chełm〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chełm Chalk Tunnels」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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