Walking through the tourist spots of Paris, it's hard to imagine that there is another city underground, intriguing and mysterious. Parisians call this landmark the catacombs.
The Catacombs of Paris is an underground cemetery (municipal ossuary) with numerous tunnels, passages, caves. Its origins date back to the end of the eighteenth century. It was originally a limestone quarry that was used to build the city, in particular for Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre. More and more stones were required over time. Huge voids formed under the city, which led to the fact that some of the streets collapsed into the ground.
Another problem has ripened in the city. The terrible overcrowding of Parisian cemeteries caused pollution of drinking water, and this contributed to the spread of epidemics, diseases and a significant deterioration in the sanitary situation in the city. In 1786, it was decided to move the bones from the city's cemeteries to abandoned underground quarries. The tunnels were strengthened and a staircase was built. Until 1814, the remains of the dead continued to be brought to the catacombs. The burials were originally just an accumulation of bones. But over time, this eerie place began to be used as a museum.
During their existence, the catacombs served for different purposes. During World War II, there was a German bunker and the headquarters of the French resistance, and during the Cold War, the city government converted part of the tunnels into a bomb shelter.
In 1897, this large space was chosen by Parisian artists and intellectuals for special themed events, marking the first sign of public interest in the ossuary. Here Chopin's funeral march was performed in front of hundreds of participants.
Ossuary
The catacombs are located near Paris at a depth of 20 meters, which corresponds to the height of a five-story building. To get there, you need to go down a spiral staircase of 130 steps. The area open to tourists is a small part of a huge system of underground tunnels that stretch for more than 300 km. Today 2.5 km of tunnels are open for tourists. Some passages are very narrow, with low ceilings, flooded and easy to get lost in. It is quiet and cool underground. Schematically, the tunnels coincide with the location of the streets of Paris. At the entrance, the stone slab of the ossuary reads: “Stop! This is the kingdom of the dead."
The remains of about 7 million Parisians are kept here, most of them unnamed. The corridors, 1, 6 kilometers long, consist of neatly laid remains of skeletons, memorial plaques, monuments, wall paintings. The bones are disinfected, sorted and arranged in certain, from an artistic point of view, compositions. A row of bones forms a common wall 780 meters long and up to the ceiling.
The catacombs contain the remains of such famous personalities as: Francois Rabelais, Jean de La Fontaine, Claude Perrot, as well as Lavoisier, Danton and Robespierre.
A well, which was once used by quarry workers to prepare mortar, and a special reservoir for collecting water have survived.
In the catacombs, restoration work is constantly being carried out to strengthen them. The Commission, created in 1777 by the King of France, still exists today. She monitors the state of the dungeons.
Catacombs today
The underground cemetery opened as a tourist attraction in 1874. There are several conditions for visiting the catacombs, for example, it is not recommended for people with heart and respiratory diseases, limited mobility, and young children.
Among all the sights of Paris, the catacombs are one of the most mysterious and terrible.
