| The Catacombs of Paris is an underground ossuary | | | | Resistance. German soldiers also established an |
| which was organised in a renovated section of the | | | | underground bunker in the catacombs. |
| city's huge network of underground tunnels and | | | | While the catacombs have proved to be a popular |
| caverns in the late 18th century. It became a tourist | | | | and profitable tourist destination, the various tunnels |
| attraction on small scale from the early 19th before | | | | and chambers have long posed a problem for |
| being opened to the public on a regular basis from | | | | construction in Paris. Quarries sometimes cave in, |
| 1867. | | | | resulting in a hole in the ground above and causing |
| The story of the catacombs is a fascinating one. In the | | | | damage to buildings. To prevent this, IGC, or General |
| late 17th century most of the cemeteries belonging to | | | | Inspection of the Quarries, was established in 1777 by |
| Paris' churches were saturated to the point where | | | | the government in order to monitor the current quarries |
| nearby residents were falling ill with disease, due to the | | | | and prohibit the digging of any new ones. The IGC did |
| contamination resulting from improper burials and mass | | | | dig tunnels of its own, however, in order to monitor and |
| open graves. Eventually, after almost a century of | | | | repair the consolidated quarries. |
| ineffective decrees condemning the cemeteries, in the | | | | The monitoring work in the Paris catacombs continues |
| late 18th century it was decided to create three new | | | | to this day. Extra caution must be taken when new |
| large scale suburban cemeteries in the disused Parisian | | | | construction is attempted due to the plethora of |
| quarries and to condemn all the existing cemeteries | | | | quarries and subway, train and sewer tunnels now in |
| within the city limits. | | | | existence, as well as the softness of the stone |
| One of the main reasons people continue to visit the | | | | involved. However, no major problems have occurred |
| awe inspiring catacombs is due to the graffiti that has | | | | in recent times and the catacombs remain a popular |
| coated the walls of the tunnels since the 18th century, | | | | Paris tourist destination, with many nearby hotels in |
| chronicling the intense history of the suburban ossuary. | | | | Paris filled with travellers eager to witness the |
| In 1871 communards killed a group of monarchists in | | | | fascinating chambers and tunnels and anxious to learn |
| one of the chambers, while during the World War II the | | | | the history behind them. |
| tunnels were used by Parisian members of the French | | | | |