Imagine being lost 300 feet below the streets of Paris in total darkness, surrounded by over 6 million dead bodies. No, I'm not being dramatic. And no, I'm not kidding. This is a real place. The Paris Catacombs attract thousands of visitors each year, though only about 10% of the tunnels are open to the public. As for the other 90? They're illegal to explore... allegedly due to flooding, crime, and risk of getting lost.

But this, naturally, only adds to the mystery and lore of what could be hidden or living down here. Not to mention with the millions of dead being buried here, superstitious people have declared this place haunted and cursed.

There are also self proclaimed cataphiles: risk taking explorers whose goal is to conquer that 90% of the unexplored tunnels. But these tunnels make up hundreds of miles. It's basically an entire second city hidden underneath Paris. So what's the history behind these iconic macabre tunnels? And what could be dwelling here today? Are they haunted?

Today, we will be discussing the history and conspiracies of the Paris Catacombs. 

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SOURCES:

1) https://www.history.com/news/paris-catacombs-origins

2) https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/history/architecture

3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris

4) https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/strange-maps-paris-catacombs

5) https://www.teenvogue.com/story/teens-got-lost-in-paris-catacombs-for-3-days

6) https://www.reddit.com/r/ParisCatacombs/comments/f1biyv/stop_asking_me_to_guide_you_in_the_catacombs_and/

7) https://www.quora.com/How-large-are-the-catacombs-of-Paris

8) https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/art-culture/paris-catacombs

9) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p89pxOM4r0M