The Catacombs of Paris holds the remains of 6 million people and is part of a series of tunnel networks under the city which stretches more than 280 kilometers (174 miles) long. No one knows exactly how far the tunnels extend in total as there are many paths still unmapped and even undiscovered. The tunnels were created in order to extract Lutetian limestone which was used for for building material. Parts of the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde and Les Invalides were all built with limestone obtained from this vast tunnel system. The catacombs only take up a small portion of the tunnel system and is the only part that is legally accessible. In the late 1700s, the ossuary was built to address the problem of overflowing cemeteries. Until the early 19th century, the ossuary had largely been forgotten until it became a novelty place for concerts and other private events. The network is mostly intact today and is regularily toured by urban explorers or so called "Cataphiles". #paris #catacombsofparis (at Paris, France) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3SJbjelvjI/?igshid=b3oevl0eay38
