Draft:Krupina Underground

Krupina underground
Krupina underground consists of extensive cellars, corridors, catacombs and other underground rooms under the town of Krupina.

Location
They are located mainly under the buildings of the historical centre, outside the city in the former vineyards. The owners of the fowls were not only citizens, but also a town that had its own inns and leisure places.

History
Just as Krupina can boast that it is one of the oldest towns in Slovakia and the former Hungary, it can also be claimed to have the oldest cellar, almost catacombs.It is not known exactly when or why they were created. There's no initial research. But the cellars already existed before the city walls. They were probably started by the Saxons, who came into our territory after the Tartar attacks. Whether they served as a refuge from the Tartars or not, the Turks were not in the city, but during the next unrest in the country, they certainly served as dwellings.Krupina burned down several times, the residents didn't have the money to build new homes, so they retired to the fledglings they were expanding.

Characteristic features of cellars
All drawn cellars have approximately the same characteristics. They are mainly entered through an entrance portal located on the facade of the house or the portal is located in the yard of the building. The stone portal usually had to be made separately by the wealthier owner of the cellar. Most of the time, behind the portal there is an entrance brick room. The entrance stairs are quite steep, reaching a height of four to eight meters below street level. Smaller or larger side corridors lead from the main corridor. These can further branch out, sometimes into complicated shapes. In some cellars it is obvious that two originally separate cellars have been merged. At that time, one of the entrances was walled up. Ventilation is provided by ventilation chimneys. Sometimes several larger branches of the cellar are connected to one ventilation chimney through narrow tunnels. In some cellars there are also smaller drawn tanks as water sources. Somewhere there are niches carved into the walls of the cellars for storing candles and other small objects.

It is assumed that all cellars were created using the same technology of manual drawing. In the part of the city where the volcanic bedrock does not extend, there are only brick basements to a limited extent. A similar system of drawn cellars in an urban environment is not known in Slovakia. More common are similar drawn systems known from the area of Bohemia and Moravia, where their origins date back to the 14th century, but they experienced the greatest growth in the 16th and 17th centuries in cities such as Jihlava, Tábor and Znojmo.

Current use of Krupina underground and World War II
For the last 150 years, the cellars have been used mainly for storing potatoes. However, they became important in the Second World War, when the Krupina cellars were declared air raid shelters and used as civil protection shelters. When the city was bombed on December 22, 1944, the inhabitants of the city moved into the cellars and remained there until the arrival of the Red Army. In the cellars, the citizens arranged themselves quite comfortably. They built ovens, stoves, tables and beds. They cooked, ate, washed and nursed in them. Even priests went to these "bunkers" to pray. In some cellars there were 100 to 150 people. Those times were difficult.

Turkish wells (they are part of the mysterious underground of Krupina)
East of the center of Krupina, between the town and the recreational area of Tepličky. There is a very attractive tourist location called Štrampľoch. It is a former stone quarry (Steinbruch in German), into which interesting rock shelters, the so-called Turkish wells, are carved. In the 19th and 20th centuries, these shelters probably served as temporary dwellings for the local poor, but what their original purpose was, is still not known for certain. According to some, it could be Turkish hiding places from the 16th-17th centuries, which are also mentioned in some historical sources, but they could also be cellars or even baths. Either way, today the Turkish Wells are a popular resting place.

Interesting facts
The inhabitants of Krupina were already supplying wine to Budapest in 1256. It is indisputable that there have already been cellars, also distillery, although this does not correspond to historical data. The wine was also said to have been drunk by King Matthias Corvinus, for example, when he feasted at Zvolen castle in 1465 for Easter holidays. It was also enjoyed by high-ranking dignitaries and diplomats who gathered here at the National Assembly in 1605. The cellars also served as a prison. In 1675, in the month of july, four women were accused and tortured in the ‘ Kopňovej pivnici ’ cellar. This documented event shows that the underground cellars were apparently also used to detain the accused and interrogate them in connection with torture. Even the cellar on the right-hand side of the city hall was once a prison.

But the cellars served many purposes.For example, women used to go to Krupina's cellars to bake meat and melt lard, as their carelessness during baking often caused fires in the town. There are many rumors associated with cellars.

There are also many legends connected to the cellars. Near Krupina, where Štangarígeľ hill is, there is a big hole, so deep that when hunting dogs run into it, their barking is said to be barely audible. There is a cellar on Petra, about which there is a rumor that the monks there kept the beautiful daughter of Lambert, the elder of Bzovík, in it. A beggar was supposed to free her. Although it may be just a rumor, there really is a hill called Žobrák not far from here. There is also one caved-in cellar in Petra, where treasures are said to be hidden. Other interesting fact is that in small Bebrava, in the rock, there is the opening of the cellar, from which in winter comes warm steam and drowns the snow around it.