The Bohemian Massif (500-250 Ma), the easternmost part of the Variscan orogenic belt, is one of the largest stable outcrops of pre-Permian rocks in Central and Western Europe. This region has persistent geodynamic activity that is clearly linked to upper mantle, and offers a globally unique location for studying intra-continental earthquake swarm (ES) seismicity in combination with deep crust and mantle degassing as well as their interaction with the deep biosphere. The main questions regarding seismicity, microbial life and origin, and heat flow are all linked by the common questions of fluid flow, pathways, and composition. The ICDP project 'Drilling the Eger Rift' aims to develop the most modern, comprehensive laboratory at depth worldwide for the study of ES, crustal fluid flow, mantle-derived CO2 and He degassing, and processes of the deep biosphere. In order to reach a new level of high-frequency, near source, and multi-parameter observation of ES and related phenomena, such a laboratory will comprise of a high-frequency 3D seismic array with a set of four shallow boreholes, combined with modern continuous real-time fluid monitoring at depth (the shallow boreholes) and the study of deep biosphere. Waveform data is available from the GEOFON data centre, under network code 1D.