The Tunnel

“Here I am, bellow the Fortress.

For years before I could only see the entrance of the tunnel from the other side of the river. My grandfather used to tell me: “Honey, that used to be where the train passed on a way from Budapest to Belgrade.” For me, it was something beyond my comprehension. 

One day a friend told me: “Let’s go to the tunnel under the Fortress”. Her proposal triggered the immediate wish and excitement about the possibility to experience the tunnel from the inside. 

The road to the tunnel was hidden in the greenery, not easily reachable at all. It felt misterious. Tunnel’s entrance was wide, but a metal fence and darkness coming from the other side appeared hostile.

Broken glass on the floor was cracking under our feet. The edges of the tunnel were rugged and I could easily sense that am in a middle of a massive stone womb.

It smelled on earth. A drop of water fell on my head. I felt shivers down my spine. In one moment traces of light appeared in front of us.

Coming to a daylight and seeing the view on familiar landscape of my city filled me with gratitude. Hm, it felt like a reward for being courageous enough to enter a dark tunnel’s interior.”

Author: Ivana Volić, tourism and culture researcher, Faculty of Sport and Tourism, Novi Sad

This digital story has been realised within the European project “Stories Behind the Cities”, founded by Creative Europe Programme, European Commission.