The secret of the green tunnel of love in Ukraine

The photo of a train tunnel covered in fresh green in Ukraine has become familiar to many people since 2011. However, information about this "tunnel of love" is almost non-existent, and its location is vague.

Photo: Amusing Planet

Recently, reporter and photographer Amos Chapple came here and discovered the tunnel with a charming beauty that everyone seems to know about but no one understands.

The Tunnel of Love is located between Klevan and the village of Orzhiv, on the Kovel-Rivne railway line. Near Orzhiv, the railway splits into two branches. One leads to Klevan and the other to a secret Cold War military base deep in the forest.

Trees were planted around the railway tracks to conceal the movement of military equipment. The military bases may still be active, as Google maps shows a large number of military vehicles gathered there.

The tunnel of love is neatly trimmed, not by military forces, but by industrial cargo ships from the Odek plywood factory that regularly pass through here.

Birch trees from all over Ukraine are brought to the factory where they are processed into plywood panels, transported in large crates by train across the Klevan railway. From Klevan, the plywood is exported to Western European markets.

Odek freight trains bound for Klevan pass through the tunnel of love several times a day, depending on the amount of plywood being transported. The green tunnel starts just a few hundred meters from the factory. According to some sources, the tunnel is only about 3-4 kilometers long.

The tunnel has become famous in Ukraine. Couples, spouses and tourists often come here to take pictures, which is why it is called the tunnel of love. Last year, a 38-year-old Japanese woman came to the tunnel of love and was hit by a passing train, breaking her hip.

The tunnel is unguarded. A few years ago, the factory cut down some trees to clear the way for the train. But they don’t do that anymore.

According to VNE