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An example of a medieval building with many subterranean passages is Prague Castle. In the Middle Ages underground passages were dug out mainly for purposes of defence. Later drainage conduits transported waste water to the foot of the castle wall and then let it fall freely over the slope of the bare cliff face into the bed of the Brusnice stream.
Hidden passages and secret rooms have been built in castles and houses owned by heads of state, the wealthy, criminals, and abolitionists associated with the American Underground Railroad. They have helped besieged rulers escape attackers, including Pope Alexander VI in 1494, Pope Clement VII in 1527 and Marie Antoinette in 1789.
Catacombs, although most notable as underground passageways and cemeteries, also house many decorations. There are thousands of decorations in the centuries-old catacombs of Rome , catacombs of Paris , and other known, some of which include inscriptions, paintings, statues, ornaments, and other items placed in the graves over the years.
After the war, there were plans to use the underground complex as a bomb shelter. Among the paintings hidden in the quarries during WWII was The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn . The canvas which measures 363 × 437 cm was detached from its frame and rolled into a large cylinder.
Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. [ citation needed ] An oubliette (from the French oublier , meaning 'to forget') or bottle dungeon is a basement room which is accessible only from a hatch or hole (an angstloch ) in a high ceiling.
The word Erdstall is derived from the medieval (Middle High German) forms of German Erde (earth) and either Stelle (place) or 'Stollen' ("mineshaft"). There are very few historical references – a document from 1449 [which?] names the area above the tunnels as 'auf den erdstelln'.
The Bottini di Siena are a complex system of medieval underground aqueducts for the water supply of the city of Siena with a total length of 25 kilometres (16 mi). [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The system used to be the main water supply of the entire city of Siena until 1914 and nowadays continues to supply water to the fountains of Siena .
Medieval architecture was the art and science of designing and constructing buildings in the Middle Ages. The major styles of the period included pre-Romanesque , Romanesque , and Gothic . In the fifteenth century, architects began to favour classical forms again, in the Renaissance style , marking the end of the medieval period.