Thousands of similar tunnel systems have been discovered across Europe, and despite this, their purpose has been subject to decades of theory and debate.
The Saxony-Anhalt Office for Heritage Management and Archeology (LDA) discovered a medieval tunnel system, officially known as the “erdstall”, during excavations near Reinstedt in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
The discovery was announced in a social media post in January, saying “a very special discovery was recorded in late 2025 in the area of a Middle Neolithic cemetery.”
Erdstalls, a combination of Middle High German Two virtues (“Earth”) and stars (“Place”) are a system of tunnels that researchers believe were built during the Middle Ages, although their precise dating is a challenge because they are often empty.
Even so, horseshoes, fox skeletons and the bones of several other small mammals were unearthed at Reinstedt, according to the LDA.
spanish publications la brula cape verde (LBV) added that archaeologists also found a layer of charcoal on the lower levels of the erdstall, and they believe the fire “was short-lived, perhaps just a light source.”
LBV said a pile of large stones discovered by archaeologists near one entrance to the tunnel may have been stacked there to seal off the entrance.
The LBV further stated that the Reinstedt erdstall had a height between “1 and 1.25 meters, a width between 50 and 70 cm, and had gabled vaulted ceilings in some areas”.
Archaeologists also discovered the remains of possible Bronze Age burials near the erdstall and Neolithic tombs, according to the LBV.
What are erdstalls used for?
Thousands of similar tunnel systems are found across Europe. However, their purpose has been theorized and debated for decades.
Some researchers believe the tunnels were used as temporary hideouts or escape routes, much like the tunnels used by Jewish rebels during the Bar Kochba rebellion.
However, LBV explains that the late archaeologist Lambert Karner ignored this theory in his 1903 book Künstliche Höhlen aus alter Zeit, claiming that such a use was impractical based on the tunnel’s design.
According to LBV, historian Anton Haschner suggested that the tunnels may have been “symbolic empty tombs built by medieval settlers in new settlements as abodes for ancestral spirits awaiting final judgment.”
“Other interpretations maintain that they may have been used for initiation rituals, as places of spiritual retreat, or simply as temporary hiding places for people and valuables during times of instability, although the lack of a second exit complicates this last explanation,” LBV continues.
“Their locations are often in the basements of old farmhouses, near churches, cemeteries or in remote forests, which adds even more mystery to their original purpose.”
