page_title: Kőbánya cellar system
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Kőbánya cellar system / History / World War II
caption_attribution_description: Magyar: Kőbánya limestone mine
context_page_description: The Kőbánya cellar system or cellar system of Kőbánya, sometimes known to non-Hungarians simply as the Kőbánya Mine, or the Kobanya Mine, is an extensive network of subterranea, or underground spaces, in the 10th district of Budapest, in Hungary. It is considered to be the largest cellar complex in the country. The complex as a whole started as an underground limestone quarry in a wine-growing area of present-day Kőbánya in the Middle Ages. Later wineries and beer breweries were established on the premises and they continued to use some of the underground spaces. During the Second World War, the dimensions of the complex enabled it to be used as a covert aircraft engine assembly plant and a civilian hideout. Since 2008, Kőbánya Asset Manager Jsc. organizes free guided tours annually, which introduce visitors to both the complex and the Havas Villa, one of the most notable properties connected to it. The underground complex is one of the locations that are participating in the European Heritage Days.
  The floor area of the complex is variously estimated to be somewhere between 180,000–220,000 m² and the combined length of the tunnels is estimated to be around 32–35 km.
context_section_description: During the Second World War, due to fears of Allied bombing campaigns, parts of the complex were used as a covert aircraft engine assembly plant most likely by the Danubian Aircraft Factory (Dunai Repülőgépgyár), the enterprise responsible for the domestic license production of the Messerschmitt Me 210C heavy fighter (designated as Me 210Ca-1 in the Luftwaffe), which were to be either delivered to or fully assembled in Germany. The workers were able to produce more than 200 engines until production was relocated into Germany as Red Army troops came close to Budapest. Other, smaller aircraft factories also used the complex during the war.
  Throughout the war, especially during the Siege of Budapest, the complex also acted as a shelter for civilians. At least one specific hall, which was referred to as a "chapel" (kápolna) by the miners, served as a place of worship to hold Sunday masses during the siege.
caption: An area of the complex showing vertical ground separation (the pipe was for the transportation of barley used in the malting process)
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