Beneath the sprawling lanes and streets of Paris, considered one of the most beautiful cities of the world, lies a scary and formidable world of the dead. Preserved in a vast underground tunnel system are millions and millions of human bones. These tunnels are called the Catacombs of Paris and their history is a fascinating one.
The Catacombs are a small part of a vast underground tunnel system beneath the city. For hundreds of years, the vast limestone deposits beneath Paris had been mined by the residents to build the city. The open-pit quarries had existed since the first century.
Starting from the 13th century onwards, the quarries ran underground as the city above continued to expand and flourish. The underground stone quarries gradually led to the formation of a vast underground tunnel system. At most places, the tunnel system almost runs parallel to the streets of Paris.
