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The Catacombs of Paris

A disappointing visit to the Catacombs of Paris

The Catacombs of Paris are located on the place Denfert-Rochereau, you can't miss the entrance because there are many signs. Moreover, when you get there, you will immediately see the very long queue to enter the catacombs. Be patient! The Catacombs of Paris are old quarries that were used to store bones from different cemeteries. The catacombs exert a certain fascination and attract crowds but the visit is not very interesting, it is difficult to feel a certain emotion. One can almost dispense with it.

Interest: ratingvery disappointing (1 user)
Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 2 h.
Departure point (Google Maps)

The cemetery of the Innocents

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The cemetery of the Innocents
The cemetery of the Innocents was located next to Châtelet - Les Halles, at the current location of the Innocents fountain. It served as a cemetery from the Middle Ages until 1785. For a long time, the poorest people were buried in pits, throwing them on top of each other. As soon as the pit was full another one was dug.

The mass graves

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The mass graves
Very quickly, due to the increase in population, the cemetery was saturated, and mass graves were built along the walls of the cemetery. They were used to store the bones that were dug up to make room for the new arrivals.

The Innocent Fountain

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The Innocent Fountain
In 1780 a local resident saw his cellar collapse, he found corpses from the cemetery in the middle of his house! It was then decided to close the cemetery and to transport the bones to the catacombs. The cemetery and the church of the Innocents no longer exist today. The cemetery of the Innocents was the first cemetery to be transferred to the catacombs.

The entrance to the catacombs

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The entrance to the catacombs
It's hard to avoid the queues, there are always a lot of people. The entrance fee is 12 euros.

Registration

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Registration
There are some quotes along the walls. This is almost the most interesting part of the visit.

The bones

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The bones
The bones come from different Parisian cemeteries, including the one of the Innocents. The visit is quite short (30 - 40 minutes).

The skulls

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The skulls
The visit is rather boring, we walk among the bones.

Panel

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Panel
Signs indicate the origin of the different bones.

Citation

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Citation
It's sure not a place to go if you're in the middle of a depression!

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