A previously unknown air-raid shelter has been discovered in Piraeus, Greece on a plot of land between Grigoriou Lambraki, Distomou, and Androutsou streets. The complex network of corridors came to light during construction work for an 11-story apartment building to include a swimming pool and three underground levels.
This large subterranean structure is believed to date back to the interwar period and is considered to have been highly significant in times of war. Some of the tunnels were carved directly into the local Piraeus limestone, while others are constructed of concrete or stone masonry. This unknown network—the full extent of which remains to be measured, as constructors believe to extend beneath Lambraki Street—is linked to the history of Piraeus.
Given that the discovery constitutes a “material remnant related to the protection of civilian population,” the matter has been referred to the relevant joint advisory body—comprising the Central Archaeological Council and the Central Council for Modern Monuments—for a decision on designating it a protected monument.
Τhe council members postponed the decision to designate the site as a modern monument. They appointed a five-member committee to conduct an on-site inspection before issuing a recommendation. It is worth noting that an ancient quarry is preserved at the northeastern end of the same plot; plans are in place to incorporate it into the grounds of the building currently under construction.
The air-raid shelter network
By 1940, roughly 12,000 shelters were believed to exist across the greater Athens-Piraeus area, as Greece was prepared for the possibility of air raids of an upcoming World War II. They ranged from purpose-built shelters to reinforced basements, caves and other underground spaces.
Gradually, a big part of the shelter network disappeared as urban construction was expanding. Some shelters were demolished, others incorporated into newer buildings and some converted to different uses. There is no state comprehensive registry, so there are only estimates of how many survive today. So far, there are estimates that about 1,000 spaces have been identified in Athens alone.
The surviving structures provide a physical record of the development of civil defense before and during World War II, when aerial warfare transformed the relationship between cities and the protection of their civilian populations.
The Piraeus discovery and its designation as modern monument is therefore significant not only for its possible architectural and historical value but also because it may add to the fragmented record of how the country’s largest urban area prepared for aerial attack.
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