The Dark Underworld of the Paris Catacombs

Paris, the capital of France, is often called La Ville Lumière (meaning ‘The City of Light’), however, beneath this bustling European city of 12 million people, lies a dark subterranean world holding the remains of 6 million of its former inhabitants. These are the Paris Catacombs: a network of old caves, quarries and tunnels stretching hundreds of miles, and seemingly lined with the bones of the dead.

Some areas are open to the public as museums, but since 1955 entrance to the majority of the underground space is prohibited. However this hasn’t stopped some thrill-seekers venturing into the cavernous passages that have been home to thousands of upon thousands of bones of the dead. As the water table has risen under the city, many of these spaces are now filled with cool and clean water. Locals are well aware of this, and, according to Bobrtimes, this year’s long, sweltering summer has seen an increase in illegal entrance to the catacombs as people seek a respite from the heat by using the subterranean pools as cooling zones.

But these desperate measures could have dire consequences. Just last month, two teenagers were rescued from the catacombs after being lost in the vast network for 3 days. They were found by rescue dogs and were taken to hospital to be treated for hypothermia, reported The Guardian. It was not known exactly how the boys got lost, but this occurence, along with the recent Thai cave emergency rescue, highlights just how easy it can be to get lost or cut off in such environments.