Brave Enough to Visit: Paris Catacombs Reopen to Offer Reflection on Life
The Catacombs of Paris have reopened after a five-month renovation, featuring improved air quality, scientific restoration of bone walls, and a new philosophical audio guide to enhance the visitor experience.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 23:26
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Central News, Paris Correspondent Lee Jo-yun
April 23, 2026 (Updated April 23)
Recommended Reading: Are you a 'Catacomb Lover' or a 'Catacomb Destroyer'?
When I first arrived in Paris, fueled by youthful energy, I followed a group of friends on a midsummer night to an 'underground adventure.' We walked along abandoned railway tracks in the suburbs and slipped into a tunnel. Wearing headlamps, we moved through total darkness and crawled through an inconspicuous hole—barely larger than a child's slide—disappearing beneath the surface.
My friends warned me to wear durable, warm clothes. I soon realized why; I had to wriggle like a worm until the tunnel widened. We spent the night navigating a maze of graffiti, eventually reaching an ant-nest-like chamber filled with skulls, young people drinking beer, and overwhelming street art.
In Paris, such underground passages span 300 kilometers, reaching depths of 20 meters with a constant temperature of 14 degrees Celsius, covering one-tenth of the city's area. These were originally medieval limestone quarries that provided materials for landmarks like Notre-Dame Cathedral.
By the late 18th century, many quarries were abandoned and became unstable. Simultaneously, city cemeteries were overflowing, causing public health crises. According to *Libération*, the city began moving remains into these tunnels between 1780 and 1860. In the 19th century, workers began stacking skulls and bones into formal 'bone walls' (Hagues) about 50 cm thick. Thus, the Catacombs—the final resting place for nearly 6 million Parisians—were born.
In French culture, those who sneak into these tunnels are divided into two groups: 'Cataclastes' (Catacomb Destroyers) who deface the space, and 'Cataphiles' (Catacomb Lovers) who study and respect it, providing inspiration for films and art.
**Restoring the Bone Walls: The Catacombs Museum Reopens in April**
In 1809, the city established the 'Catacombes de Paris' museum with a formal entrance in the southern district. The official 1.5 km route features bone walls adorned with poems and Roman-style decorations. It has been a popular site since the 19th century, visited by Emperor Franz Joseph I and Napoleon III.
Today, it attracts 2,000 visitors daily. During the 'Nuit Blanche' art festival, crowds gather even late at night to listen to concerts among the bones. In April this year, the museum reopened after a five-month closure. The renovation improved air quality and lighting and used traditional dry-stone methods to restack collapsed bone walls, avoiding moisture-trapping cement.
The new experience includes exclusive sensor headphones. Returning to this world years later, I found that the calm narration transformed the fear of death into a realization of the value of life. As a sign at the end of the tour notes, whether a historical figure or an ordinary citizen, everyone is equal in death.
April 23, 2026 (Updated April 23)
Recommended Reading: Are you a 'Catacomb Lover' or a 'Catacomb Destroyer'?
When I first arrived in Paris, fueled by youthful energy, I followed a group of friends on a midsummer night to an 'underground adventure.' We walked along abandoned railway tracks in the suburbs and slipped into a tunnel. Wearing headlamps, we moved through total darkness and crawled through an inconspicuous hole—barely larger than a child's slide—disappearing beneath the surface.
My friends warned me to wear durable, warm clothes. I soon realized why; I had to wriggle like a worm until the tunnel widened. We spent the night navigating a maze of graffiti, eventually reaching an ant-nest-like chamber filled with skulls, young people drinking beer, and overwhelming street art.
In Paris, such underground passages span 300 kilometers, reaching depths of 20 meters with a constant temperature of 14 degrees Celsius, covering one-tenth of the city's area. These were originally medieval limestone quarries that provided materials for landmarks like Notre-Dame Cathedral.
By the late 18th century, many quarries were abandoned and became unstable. Simultaneously, city cemeteries were overflowing, causing public health crises. According to *Libération*, the city began moving remains into these tunnels between 1780 and 1860. In the 19th century, workers began stacking skulls and bones into formal 'bone walls' (Hagues) about 50 cm thick. Thus, the Catacombs—the final resting place for nearly 6 million Parisians—were born.
In French culture, those who sneak into these tunnels are divided into two groups: 'Cataclastes' (Catacomb Destroyers) who deface the space, and 'Cataphiles' (Catacomb Lovers) who study and respect it, providing inspiration for films and art.
**Restoring the Bone Walls: The Catacombs Museum Reopens in April**
In 1809, the city established the 'Catacombes de Paris' museum with a formal entrance in the southern district. The official 1.5 km route features bone walls adorned with poems and Roman-style decorations. It has been a popular site since the 19th century, visited by Emperor Franz Joseph I and Napoleon III.
Today, it attracts 2,000 visitors daily. During the 'Nuit Blanche' art festival, crowds gather even late at night to listen to concerts among the bones. In April this year, the museum reopened after a five-month closure. The renovation improved air quality and lighting and used traditional dry-stone methods to restack collapsed bone walls, avoiding moisture-trapping cement.
The new experience includes exclusive sensor headphones. Returning to this world years later, I found that the calm narration transformed the fear of death into a realization of the value of life. As a sign at the end of the tour notes, whether a historical figure or an ordinary citizen, everyone is equal in death.