The Substructures are one of the best-preserved ancient complexes of their kind in the entire world, so it is not surprising they are one of the main reasons for the UNESCO protection of the Palace area in 1979.
They were originally used for storage for the royals and nobles living in the palace. Given that the Palace was continually lived in for 1700 years, the upper layers were adapted and changed according to people’s needs, and it is not known what its original floor plan was. The Substructures being structurally a faithful replica of the chambers above, enable a faithful reconstruction of the way the Emperor’s chambers looked like.
In the Middle Ages, they were also a residential area and in one part, an old oil and wine press can be found, exhibited exactly how it was found.
Today this area is a hub for tourists (and filming sets as well – for a while, Game of Throne’s Viserion and Rheagal stayed in these dungeons). They regularly host painting and sculpture exhibitions, theatre plays, fairs like the International Flower Fair, gastronomic and oenological presentations, and many other social and cultural events.
