LES CATACOMBES
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The Catacombs of Paris, a fascinating tour of underground galleries housing millions of skeletons.
The largest ossuary in the world, the Catacombs of Paris contain over 6 million skeletons. Since Roman times, the Parisian subsoil was exploited to provide plaster and stone. Thus, at the end of the 18th century, the capital had about 160 km of underground galleries. In 1780, the collapse of the Cimetière des Innocents led to the closure of all the Parisian cemeteries within the city limits, and then the transfer of the bones of thousands of dead people to a part of the Paris quarries, at the time, outside the city limits. The Catacombs are therefore a part of the quarries under Paris. The opening of the ossuary to public visits began in 1809 and the last deposits of bones took place about fifty years later, in 1860, during Haussmann's urban planning work. Today, the catacombs are accessible from the Place Denfert-Rochereau, by a spiral staircase that goes down 20 meters under the ground. For those who are claustrophobic, the visit takes place underground in a real staging of death with texts and inscriptions. Count on an hour of visit for a course of 1,5 kilometer with 131 steps in descent and 112 steps in rise. To prepare your visit, remember to stay covered, even in summer! Indeed, in the depths of Paris, the temperature does not exceed 14 degrees. Finally, you should know that it is forbidden to drink, eat or touch bones during the tour. An impressive walk full of history.
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Members' reviews on LES CATACOMBES
Très impressionnant par contre il y a beaucoup de marches !!!!
Attention à la tête pour les grand(e)s.