Austro-Hungarian tunnel uncovered in Ukraine's Stryi amid road repairs

In central Stryi, Lviv region, local utility workers uncovered an entrance to an Austro-Hungarian–era tunnel while conducting road repairs.

The Stryi City Council reported the discovery on Facebook, noting that the object was spotted by local services, News.Az reports, citing Mezha.

“During road repairs on Independence Street, the utility workers accidentally came across the entrance to a tunnel from the Austro-Hungarian era, at the bottom of which clear water flowed,”  said Stryi City Council.

According to local historians, more than a hundred years ago this stretch was crossed by the Mlynivka River, over which there were small bridges.

In the City Hall, Deputy Mayor Mykhailo Zhuravchak invited to Stryi the diggers Andriy Rystun and Vlad Vergaz, who are known for their thorough research of Lviv’s underground tunnels.

As the diggers stated after examining the tunnel, it was built during the Austro-Hungarian era of red brick. Its cross-section is two meters by one meter, and spring water runs along the bottom.

“Unlike the section against the current, which was clean, sewage from all nearby houses flows into this area. There is a lot of mud and domestic waste on the bottom, which significantly hindered our movement,” say the diggers.

In total, the length of the explored underground passages is about 300 meters.

According to the diggers, after cleaning the tunnel from debris they plan to continue the exploration.

It was also reported earlier that in Kharkiv on August 1, 2025, on the territory of Arrow Square, during the cleanup after the storm, ancient catacombs were discovered.

The discovery opens new chapters in Stryi’s history, and the exploration of the underground will continue to provide a fuller understanding of their origin and purpose in the past.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli