Stone pits delivered Paris with the raw material the old city is built of. For this reason a tunnel network underneath Paris was created which lies 5-35m underneath the surface and possesses a total length of 100km. the first problems emerged when the ground became too unstable to extract more stone material. Several superficial streets collapsed because of the underground catacombs. The following attempt to fill the tunnels was futile.
Barrière d’enfer –The Gate to Hell
Later on, the main part of the catacombs of Paris was used as ossuaries when the cemeteries of Paris became too overcrowded. The growing population, wars, famines and epidemics forced the city to make use of the tunnels to bury the dead ones at the end of the 18th century. Rotten corpses were exhumed to move them to the catacombs to make room on the Parisian cemeteries. The odor was allegedly so bad that several inhabitants of the Rue de la Lingerie choked on it.
When the Parisians began to move the corpses to the catacombs, lacking organization determined the transportation of the bodies. But slowly, a kind of system was developed which even enabled the workers to arrange the corpses in an almost decorative way. Grave markers shaped like crosses and memorial plaques were then installed. Two kilometers of the tunnels were transformed into a museum for the public. Additional parts became rooms for cables and hidden and secured tunnels are used as safe rooms for gold by the national bank.
The rest of the tunnels is barricaded. However, this fact makes the catacombs particularly attractive to many Parisians as well as international adventurers. They explore the blocked parts or set up party rooms, ateliers and other useful rooms. It seems as if there are even people who live in the catacombs. There is an entire police department responsible for the underground tunnels. However, considering the length of 100km, the catacombs can indeed be called gate to hell, at least for the hardworking policemen.
Copyright and Source: http://www.catacombes.paris.fr/les-catacombes and http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakomben_von_Paris
