The Catacombs of Paris or Catacombes de Paris are an underground ossuary&nb
The Catacombs of Paris or Catacombes de Paris are an underground ossuary in Paris,France. Located south of the former city gate (the “Barrière d'Enfer” at today's Place Denfert-Rochereau), the ossuary holds the remains of about 6 million people[1] and fills a renovated section of caverns and tunnels that are the remains of Paris's stone mines. Opened in the late 18th century, the underground cemetery became a tourist attraction on a small scale from the early 19th century, and has been open to the public on a regular basis from 1874. Large portions of the catacombs and the underbelly of Paris are closed off to the public for safety (and anti-vandalism) reasons. A friend of mine said she went to a midnight Halloween party in one of these closed sections. I’m neither a risk-taker nor a rule-breaker, but it’s such a perfectly morbid picture that I can’t help but be tantalized by the idea. -- source link
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