Catacombs

In the Second World War, the limestone tunnels quarried by Richelieu and Vorontsov's builders, connected to old catacombs, were used as home base and transport for groups of partisans fighting against the Romanians.

Today, if a house slightly sinks or a pet goes missing, it is always blamed on the catacombs, which run over 2,500 kilometers-- it's only 2,138 km from Odessa to Paris-- and possibly more, they are not fully explored.

Because of this, the different partisan groups never connected with each other, but were effective at setting off small bombs in Romanian buildings and thwarting daily plans.  The Romanians soon caught on and sealed, gassed, or fire-bombed the entrances.  Malaria and malnutrition was rampant in the tunnels, but despite that, they more or less stayed underground until the war was over.  

Recreated Partisan hideout

Flooded!

Nowadays it is more likely to find a stash of smuggled drugs, a pet, or lost tourist than partisan rebels.  

However, the question I pose is, if Odessa's citizens seemed complacent during the war, and the partisans could never do much, why was it one of the four founding Soviet Hero cities? The answer has to do with created myths, yet again. 

Sources (photos and information):

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g295368-d2334352-Reviews-Wild_Odessa_Catacombs_Tour-Odessa_Odessa_Oblast.html

http://whatsupkuwait.com/2010/09/27/odessa-catacombs/