Usually mines are filled with coal to run power stations, salt to keep our roads free from snow or rare earth metals to keep our electric cars running. One thing you don’t expect to find down a mine is a Volkswagen Beetle, let alone a whole swarm of them. That’s exactly what a group of urban explorers found when they went off piste in Switzerland.
The mine was unearthed by the Exploring the Unbeaten Path YouTube channel, which is helmed by self-proclaimed adventurer Bob Thissen. The channel has previously explored ghost towns in the desert, Second World War bunkers and even abandoned prisons.
In one of the channel’s latest escapades, Thissen and a friend head to the mountains of Switzerland to go inside an abandoned mine. The pair start by walking into some pretty well-maintained access tunnels, which they head into under the cover of darkness.
As the pair moves ever deeper, the tunnel widens and they uncover all kinds of mining equipment from the late 70s. As they continue, more and more branches appear in the tunnel, showing just how wide the network of passages and pathways must be.
After trying all kinds of routes, hitting all manner of dead ends and even stumbling upon a running water tap, the pair finds their prize and the first VW Bug looms out of the darkness. Then another, and another, and behind that there is an old Golf as well. The passage is full of vintage VWs with nowhere to go.
The pair report finding five different models of VW Beetle as well as MK1 and MK2 Golfs, VW Polos and even a Passat stashed away in the Swiss mountains. They’re all safely tucked away out of the rain and elements, but that doesn’t mean they’re factory fresh. They’re covered in signs of use and wear, with some sporting a few rusty blemishes and signs of mold.
What’s weird is that the cars haven’t been stashed away since they rolled off the factory. Instead, one has a sticker in the window showing that it was registered for road use as recently as 2018.
Why, then, are the cars stashed away down there? Well, according to those clever folks over at The Autopian, the haul of vintage VWs is the property of the brains behind a bizarre VW museum in Switzerland.
The heritage site, called the the Musée Volkswrecks, in St. Sulpice, Switzerland, is packed full of dioramas showing VW cars in various settings. Maybe the ones hidden away were cars that were just too rusty to make it onto display? Or perhaps they’re parts cars ready to be searched through for the essential pieces required to finish a new display.
Whatever the reason for their underground entrapment, it’s a strange site to behold, so I encourage you to watch the full exploration video, which is available to see above. And if that’s not enough urban exploring for one day, head here to take a look inside an abandoned international airport in Greece.