MISC | Archaeology & Subways

[micro]

Subway construction concerns archaeologists as it can endanger valuable remains from history. But the extensive underground digging can also be a great opportunity to excavate objects from the past, and displaying the excavated objects in subway stations is only straightforward.

I have a web page about this in the making and would like to ask if someone has more information or photos about the subject. There's also a list of stations with archaeological displays in them, maybe someone knows of more such stations?

This is the page: http://mic-ro.com/metro/archaeology.html

For example this is Syntagma station in Athens that displays many of the ancient artifacts excavated during construction of the metro:



I have also ordered the book "The City Beneath the City" which will hopefully tell me more about the link between metro construction and archaeology in Athens.

[Chilenofuturista]

Have they found anything of the Saxons or other Germanic tribes of the Völkerwanderung when they dug the tunnels for the Hamburg U-bahn?

Just my 2 cents.

[Alargule]

At the Stephansplatz station in Vienna, they unearthed an entire, old church. The remains have been integrated into the station design.

In Amsterdam, there are some interesting archaeological objects on display at the Nieuwmarkt Waterlooplein station.

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Originally Posted by Chilenofuturista

Have they found anything of the Saxons or other Germanic tribes of the Völkerwanderung when they dug the tunnels for the Hamburg U-bahn?

Nothing that I know of. The only thing that points in that direction is an oakwood pole from some medieval foundation they found and which is now displayed in Jungfernstieg station. And since there's absolutely nothing interesting to see at a plain oakwood pole, they let an artist spoil it with carving some ugly 1960s-style figures out of it.

[micro]

Originally Posted by Dee Hinnov

At the Stephansplatz station in Vienna, they unearthed an entire, old church. The remains have been integrated into the station design.

In Amsterdam, there are some interesting archaeological objects on display at the Nieuwmarkt Waterlooplein station.

The Stephansplatz chapel is very nice and it's on my page already.

From which time are the objects at Waterlooplein station?

[safta20]

Kungsträdgården station in Stockholm has statues and other objects from old buildings. Most of them are from the palace of makalös (built 1642) that was destroyed in a fire 1825. The station is though a museum rather than an archaeological excavation since the statues and the other objects have been moved from nearby parts of the city to the station.

[micro]

That is not really a case of archaeology I think because the objects were not excavated.

There are other examples like in Rotterdam or Berlin where parts of buildings from about 1900 have been used to decorate stations but I don't want to list them on my page because it's not archaeology.

[billyandmandy]

They didn't finish Sofia's subway first leg of constructions for like 20 years because they found the ancient Roman city wall and many other things along the constructions site. But there is only one sculpture and some cpitals of columns. And they are supposed to costruct another station under the existing one for the second metro diameter aand it will have to go under the ancient romn forum and a palace of Constantine the Great. I think that's archaeolodical

[micro]

That sounds really interesting!! Not that I don't believe you, but do you have a source?

[Almopos]

Work has finally started on the construction of Thessaloniki's metro. Archeologists have designated the following stations as high risk archeological areas:

- Democracy square;
- Venizelou street; and
- Saint Sophia street stations


Archeologists have high expectations on what they are going to find there. It is speculated that the findings will range from the Hellenistic era through to the Ottoman era. As soon as there is any news/pictures I will let you know.

Great thread by the way!

[billyandmandy]

well I live in the city and I saw the excavations on the first part for real. And I read about the new station in the newspaper and there was a map of the old city and everything and the chief architect of the city was conserned that they may damage the buildings of historic value that are underground. I'll search for more reliable information on the net.

[Falubaz]

do this and post it here, please

[billyandmandy]

ok, this is some interesting information (very old, though: Lenin square is now Independence square, the Party House is a part of the National Assembly etc. The plans for the underground are different too, you can find the new ones here : http://www.metropolitan.bg/index_eng.htm ) : http://www.international.icomos.org/...ol23-24_15.pdf

and here is some information from the Metropolitan Sofia website about Serdika station :

The metro station is located in close proximity to the rear gate of the ancient Roman fortress of Serdika (I century b.c. - V century a.d.) which was established at the site of a Thracian Bronze Era dwelling which existed till the III-II centuries b.c. Due to the favourable climatic conditions, the availability of mineral water springs and its strategic location, the Romans turned the city into anadministrative and military center of the Thracia Province. Emperor Marcus Uplius Trayan conveyed to Serdika the formal status of a Roman city. Archeological excavations in downtown Sofia have indicated that the ancient city was built up with massive stone buildings and had paved streets.

The city forum and the buildings of the Bulevterion, the Praetorium and the Gerusium - the seats of the Roman administrative power - were located not far away from the metro station. remnants of summer houses of prominent Roman administrators which used to visit and spend long period of time in Serdika, have been discovered immediately to the metro station.

The Western section of the Serdika station pier is located immediately below the fortress wall of Roman Serdika. most of the pier actually is located within the boundaries of the ancient city. The spatial design employs a scheme without columns with a high ceiling.

The architectural arrangement of the station resembles a symbiosis between a modern interpretation of the ancient heritage with a contemporary architectural design for the rest of the interior space. The pier fllor is made of polished granite in an ancient brown-rose colour. The two colours of the floor are used to replicate an imprint of an ancient roman construction discovered immediately after the tier.

I think this is reliable

[micro]

wow, a lot of stuff to read for me

[thryve]

Apparently alot of the routes on Rome's subway are hilariously (in a lighthearted, non-rude way) indirect, detouring around all sorts of old archaeological sites.

Funny this thread should be created, because I was just talking to someone about that the other day, and joking that "In Europe, even something as basic as building a subway is an archaeological dig!"

[SM247]

In Brisbane our Inner Northern Busway construction teams recently came across an old WWII era underground bunker dating from when Macarthur had his HQ there that had been completely forgotten. That's about as far back as you are likely to hit in this country.

[yuri]

Naples will be an important example of archeological sites inglobed in the subway station. In one station there will be a roman temple of the imperial age (Duomo Station, Fuksas architect), in another station there will be roman ships found in the excavations for the construction of the station (Municipio Station, Alvaro Siza Architect). The pourpose is the creation of an archeological path/museum within the stations.
[IMG]http://i6.************/359b6yw.jpg[/IMG]
Duomo station: on the left you can see the roman temple.

[micro]

Wow, great! I must ask you, too: Do you have a source? (Because everything I put on my site should be backed up by some reliable source.)

[billyandmandy]

cool. a museum/subway. that is so nice. great idea

[yuri]

On Italian forum there are some pics of the projected stations:http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=430061
Here I found many informations
http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread...394497&page=21