Top 5 underground attractions in Croatia!

The Croatian underground has a large number of tunnels, underground bunkers, and shelters that attract tourists from all over the world.

Many of them are already big attractions, and some of them are a bit unsafe to visit because they are neglected and not maintained. That’s why in this post I want to draw your attention to the TOP 5 safe underground attractions that you must visit in Croatia!

Tunnel Grič, Photo: Adria fun

• Tunnel Zerostrasse – Pula

Beneath Pula, there is an entire underground world made up of tunnels that stretch through almost the entire city. The Pula underground tunnels were created during the First World War as a shelter in case of air raids on the city.

The most famous and the one open to tourists is the Zerostrasse tunnel, which is located at the foot of the Kaštel, an old Venetian fortress from the 17th century. It is about 400 meters long, and in its center, there is a unique space to which tunnels lead from four different sides. The corridors are 3 to 6 meters wide and 2.5 meters high, and it’s also cool that you can take the elevator up to the fortress and then look around it.

Zerostrasse, Photo: Adria fun

• Tunnel Grič – Zagreb

The Tunnel Grič in Zagreb was built during World War II and served as a shelter. It is located in the heart of the metropolis, below Upper Town, and connects Mesnička and Radićeva Streets, it exits vertically at three places in Ilica and one in Tomićeva Street towards the south.

The tunnel is 350 meters long, its largest part is 3.2 meters wide, while the central part is 5.5 meters wide. It recently hosted the first ZAGREB UNDERGROUND gastro-enology festival.

Zagreb Underground Tunnel Grič, Photo: Matej Marjanović, Adria fun

• TunelRI – Rijeka

The Rijeka Tunnel, also known as TunelRi, is located in the center of the city of Rijeka. It stretches for 350 meters under Rijeka’s Old Town, from the Cathedral of St. Vitus to the courtyard of Dolac Elementary School. It is about 4 meters wide and 2.5 meters high on average.

The tunnel was dug by the Italian Army between 1939 and 1942 to protect the civilian population from Allied bombing during World War II.

TunelRI- Rijeka- Photo: Adria fun

• Diocletian’s Cellars – Split

The cellars of Diocletian’s Palace are the covered and partly underground space in the southernmost part of the Old Town (part of Diocletian’s Palace built around 300 AD) in Split. It is about vaulted hall spaces and corridors between them.

Over time, they were almost completely covered, but the awareness of their existence in Split always existed. The old Split name for them is Grote. They were considered dungeons where Emperor Diocletian tortured Christians.

Diocletian’s Cellars, Photo: Depositphotos

• St. Nicholas’ Fortress Cellars – Šibenik

Fortress of St. Nicholas’ is a naval defense fort located on the islet of Ljuljevac, at the entrance to the St.Anthony’s Canal near Šibenik. It was built in the middle of the 16th century by the Venetians. In the bowels of this exceptional fortress, there are wonderful vaulted cellars that are worth visiting.

Almost at sea level, there are also underground openings, which were used for cannons, and which provide external light to the fort underground. Part of these rooms also served as a casemate.

Fortress of St. Nicholas cellars, Šibenik, Photo: R3li3nt, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED

All tunnels and cellars are the work of human hands, and due to their exceptional value, they have been declared a cultural asset, so they are protected from devastation and decay. I believe you will visit at least some of them!