Secret Rooms Inside of Famous Landmarks

Secret Rooms Inside of Famous Landmarks

It is a well-kept secret that some of the most iconic landmarks and buildings in the world have hidden rooms built inside that are not widely accessible to the public– or not currently accessible at all.  Here is a list of secret rooms inside of famous landmarks.  

The Torch of the Statue of Liberty
Location: New York, NY, U.S.
Many people may not know that visitors to the Statue of Liberty used to be able to climb onto the platform surrounding Lady Liberty’s torch for magnificent views of the city and New York harbor.  During World War I, German agents blew up a nearby military warehouse and damaged the torch. The torch and balcony have since been repaired, but only National Park Service staff can enter it. If you want to catch a view from this secret off-limits room atop the torch of the Statue of Liberty, you can view the webcam stream online.

The Vanderbilt Tennis Club at Grand Central Station
Location: New York, NY, U.S.
Hidden on the fourth floor of this busy train station, is the elite Vanderbilt Tennis Club and Fitness Center.  The “secret” space, known as the Annex, also was once home to an art gallery, a TV studio, and an indoor ski slope.

The Hidden Room in Lincoln’s Head at Mount Rushmore
Location: Keystone, South Dakota, U.S.
Another secret room hidden inside a famous landmark is located inside Abraham Lincoln’s head at Mt. Rushmore, known as the Hall of Records.  It contains porcelain panels inscribed with text from some of America’s most important documents including the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, as well as a history of Mount Rushmore and why the four presidents were chosen to represent the nation.  This secret room is not accessible to visitors but was constructed as a record for future generations.

Club 33 at Disneyland
Location: Anaheim, California, U.S.
An unmarked door in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square marks the entrance to the ultra-exclusive Club 33.  The secret room and club inside Disneyland features a restaurant and jazz lounge, and was originally built to entertain Walt Disney and his guests.  Membership to the secret Club 33 is extremely limited, with a lengthy waiting list and hefty initiation fees.

The Secret Apartment Inside the Eiffel Tower
Location: Paris, France
Hidden inside the famous Eiffel Tower is a secret apartment and office that the building’s engineer, Gustave Eiffel, built for himself to entertain the Parisian elite.  During his lifetime, only Gustave and his close associates had access to this secret room inside the Eiffel Tower. The apartment has since been restored to its original condition and recently opened to the public.

Tunnels Underneath Rome’s Colosseum
Location: Rome, Italy
The Roman Colosseum attracts more than 4 million people visitors every year, however, not everyone who visits knows about the secret network of tunnels under the Colosseum called the Hypogeum.  This vast network of rooms, cells, tunnels and passages were once used to hold various animals, as well as gladiators, convicts and slaves for infamous battles inside the arena. The beasts and fighters were lifted into the arena via an impressive pulley system. The now-exposed tunnels have been opened to the public in recent years.

Passageway in the Vatican
Location: Vatican City, Italy
Constructed in 1277, there is a hallow wall that runs from the Castel Sant Angelo, the tomb of the Roman Emperor Hadrian to the papal apartments.  The tomb had been made into a fortress where the Pope could seek refuge.

Vasari Corridor
Location:  Florence, Italy
Built by the famous Medicini family in the 16th century, the Vasari Cooridor is an enclosed passageway that connects the Palazzo Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti.  This corridor snakes across many important landmarks in Florence including the Uffizi Gallery, Santa Felicita Church, the Boboli Gardens and Ponte Vecchio as mentioned previously.  This game them a lot of movement in the city while traveling unnoticed.  You can now view the passage by booking a special tickets at the Uffizi Gallery or learn more of Italy’s secrets and hidden gems on an Italy tour package.

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