Syani is one of the largest man made underground systems in Moscow Oblast as well as all of Russia.
Location: village Starosyanovo Map
Found: no later than 14th century
Total length: over 19 km long
Temperature: 7-10 ° C
Syani name is roughly translated
as "take off" or "cut off" as a reference to the white stone
that was extracted from here. Syani was used
as a quarry of white stone that was used by Grand Duke Dmitri Donskoi in his
construction of a first stone Kremlin in the late 14th century. In fact it
gave a nickname for Russian capital "white- stoned" (белокаменная).
Some of the remains of the white Kremlin can still be seen in some of the
corners of the medieval fortifications. In fact the
name became so synonymous with Moscow that much later during the reign of
Ivan III then the walls were rebuild, red brick was actually painted white
every couple of years to make it look white. This practice was carried until
the early 20th century.
The quarry in Syani was actively used until late 19th century, but gradually decreased. By the time of the Russian revolution only some local peasants used it for its direct purpose. Then commies came to power these underground passage ways were used for execution of political prisoners. Several rounds and even a revolver from that time period can still be found here. Needless to say a lot of stories surround Syani and many people who visited this place reported seeing ghosts, hearing screams and gunshots in the depths of the tunnels.
Moscow Kremlin at the Time of Grand Duke Dmitri Donskoy (14th century) above and 19th century depiction below
AristarchusemKind of a local gig. Some people leave stuff out of superstitious beliefs. The skull is human and it is real. It probably once belonged to political prisoners who were executed here by the NKVD or German troops who were killed here during World War II. There was a German Nazi helmet at some point, but it disappeared. |
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"Eyes of the System" |
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Margarita flying on a broomstick from one of the best books ever "Master and Margarita". |
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