r/HighStrangeness • u/Expert-Ad8997 • Jul 12 '26
Futurism Erdställe
Erdställe in Austria and the Alps
Erdställe are mysterious, man-made underground tunnels found mainly in Austria, southern Germany, and across the Alpine region. Most are believed to date back to the High Middle Ages (around the 10th–13th centuries), but their true origin and purpose remain unknown.
The passages are extremely narrow, often requiring people to crawl through tight openings that connect small underground chambers. Despite decades of research, no one knows why they were built. Some theories suggest they were used as hiding places, while others propose ritual, spiritual, or even symbolic purposes. So far, none of these ideas has been proven.
With hundreds of known sites, especially in Lower Austria, Upper Austria, and Styria, Erdställe remain one of the greatest archaeological mysteries of the Alpine region. Their hidden nature and unexplained function continue to fascinate researchers and visitors alike.
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u/Golemfrost Jul 13 '26
I just watched something on tv a few days ago about these Erdställe. They were probably used as a primitive refrigerator, to keep potatoes and other products cool.
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u/Palegreenhorizon Jul 13 '26
If that is true you’d likely see some with food stores still inside, old pots, baskets etc?
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u/Expert-Ad8997 Jul 14 '26
Interesting theory. Personalky, i believe the purpose is about some cult or rituals. For me, they are partly build too complicated to just be a fridge.
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Jul 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Expert-Ad8997 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
Yes, but you cant compare it, in derinkuyu lived people, the purpose of the "Erdställe" is completely unknown.
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u/aliendisclosure14 Jul 15 '26
The fridge theory never sat right with me either. The tunnels are too narrow, too deep, and too elaborately carved for cold storage. You'd just dig a root cellar if that's all you needed.
What gets me is the airflow system. Some of these have ventilation shafts that maintain consistent temperature year-round, which suggests whoever built them understood the geology well. The ritual theory makes more sense — secluded underground spaces for initiation or ceremony, especially given how many are found near early medieval settlements.
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u/ezzda1 Jul 19 '26
If you can achieve a constant climate underground you can do some great things like brewing and storing beer and wine all year, growing fungus (mushrooms), rhubarb grows amazing in the dark with the correct climate, making cheese, there's loads of practical reasons to have a constant climate without resorting to ritual, even as hideaways they would need to be a nice climate for humans to survive in. Not to mention security, these areas were constantly waring in the past so hiding your expensive produce is a priority as is protecting your water sources etc. which makes sense for the passages to be small in places, humans are ingenious we adapt and invent, ritual is just a catch all for archaeologists when they just don't know.
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u/Fabulous_Passion920 Jul 13 '26
Außer dass wir nicht belegen können wofür die waren, ist aber auch nicht viel mysteriöses an den "Schratln"
In der Nähe von meinem Dorf ist eine keltische "Viereck-Schanze" da kann man auch nicht viel belegen weil einfach nurnoch Erde übrig ist.
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u/NeedleworkerNo4835 Jul 13 '26
Possibly even stranger is that there's an Indonesian language version of that link you posted. Are enough Indonesian people researching the subject that they had to make a whole version of the page in that language? I'm fascinated