Chthonian City

When laying the foundations of Odessa in 1794, the builders begun to cut stone right from beneath the ground to obtain building material. The excavations went on until the 1960s, with no scheduling and coordination, hence what remains now is a labyrinth strecheing over tha area of 2000 km... In the 19th century, workers left peculiar drawings and inscriptions on many underground walls, nowadays seen as a vivid relicts of their lives. Caves under houses were used as cellars or depots for contraband goods. In the wartime the catacombs gave shelter to civilians, partisans and deserters. Today, the most frequent visitors are speleologists and adventurers. The film Chthonian City depicts presents these situations with the use of video, revelations of people who tell about the catacombs through hand-drawn animation, and miners’ drawings found in the labyrinth.