Green Velo

Chalk is the basic material, of which Chełm Hills are composed, used by modern cement factories in Chełm, as well as in the nearby Rejowiec Fabryczny. Its use of course was and still is more widespread, and the demand was so high, that even in the 16th century, mass exploitation of the hills was needed – right under the city. The residents dug tunnels and chambers on their plots, sometimes right under their own houses. Today Chełm is famous for its unique chalk mines, with a labyrinth of corridors that together is over 40 kilometres long.

In the 19th century, the authorities forbade further mining works, and most of the corridors were closed or filled up, because they could cause a disaster. In the mid-1980s, mining engineering experts prepared a very interesting attraction for tourists – an underground trail, spanning over 2 kilometres of the tunnels. It goes under the historic city centre, including the Main Square, where among things to be seen there is old well that served the Old Town. Some of the bigger chambers house mining and archaeological exhibits, and the meeting with the legendary ruler of the tunnels – Bieluch the Ghost, is not for the faint-hearted. However scary he is, this good ghost is often associated with the white bear from the city’s coat of arms. The old legends say that the big animal lived in the chalk caves in the pre-Christian times and protected the residents from invaders.