A woman was left baffled after finding a secret in her flat that had remained untouched for at least two decades. She moved into the rented apartment six months ago, attracted by its “cheap rent” and prime location.
While she was making over the bedroom, she spotted something peculiar about one of the wardrobes and decided to explore to find out what was behind it. She said: “It’s an old building in a city where ‘quirky’ basically means ‘falling apart but with character.’ The rent was cheap, the location was good and the place had these weird, old-school built-in closets and thick walls.
“About a month ago, I was rearranging my bedroom and decided to finally deal with this awkward, nailed-shut panel in the back of my closet. Curiosity got the better of me, so my boyfriend grabbed a hammer and pried it open.
“Behind it wall another wall. But the wall sounded hollow. I tapped around and found a loose section. After some serious effort (and a lot of dust), my boyfriend managed to break through.”
To her astonishment, behind the wall was a small, windowless space roughly the size of a large walk-in wardrobe.
The only items in the room were an ancient wooden chair and a pile of yellowing newspapers from the 1970s.
She continued: “I freaked out a little but eventually called my landlord to ask about it. He was just as surprised as I was, he’d owned the building for like 20 years and had no idea there was a hidden room.
“He came over, checked it out and we both just stood there, weirded out but also kind of fascinated.
“I ended up cleaning out the space and turning it into a reading nook. However, I still wonder who built the room and why they sealed it up.”
One social media user commented on her discovery: “Dude, you just tunnelled into next door and turned someone’s quiet space into a reading room.”
Another shared their own experience: “I moved into my apartment right when the landlord bought the house.
“There was a little linen closet in the hall that was locked when we viewed it. It turns out it’s not a linen closet. It’s the stairs to the attic.
“The landlord didn’t know. The attic isn’t a finished space but it’s a full-height walkable attic with a window. It’s been invaluable for storage.”
A third chimed in: “My grandparents house had two of these secret rooms in the upstairs bedrooms. So cool.”
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