The Catacombes!

So, as I mentioned before a bit, Les Halles (the big ol' underground mall by our place) used to house a cemetery: "Les Cimetiere des Innocents" (A fountain, "Le Fountaine des Innocents" now stands near Les Halles to mark this place in history.)

In 1785 about 2 million skeletons were disinterred from here just before the Revolution and transferred by night in wagons to build The Catacombes. (Other graveyards followed throughout the years) The reason being - to solve the hygiene and aesthetic problems caused by Paris' overflowing cemeteries. It took 15 months to transport the rotting corpses across the city to their new resting place.

After exhuming the bones, they created ossuaries with the parts and formed purdy skele-walls down in some quarries (the mines were formed by earlier excavations) underneath the city.

It's known throughout history that Parisians occasionally throw wild parties down here (Charles X being one of them)

At the beginning of the Catacombes is a sign that reads: STOP! THIS IS THE EMPIRE OF DEATH!

And they check your bag for "borrowed" bones when you leave. YES!

It was pretty cool. heh. heh.