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“As if visiting the Paris Catacombs in the daytime wasn't creepy enough – you can now visit the underground maze of skeletons after nightfall, too. That is if you dare defy the warning at the entrance: “Stop, this is the empire of Death”. The subterranean tunnels, stretching 2 kilometers (1.2 miles), cradle the bones of some 6 million Parisians from centuries past and once gave refuge to smugglers. Twenty meters (66 feet) beneath the French capital's medieval streets, labyrinthine walls of bones and skulls bring visitors into the city of the dead, in a spooky atmosphere that attracts history enthusiasts as well as visitors looking for a chilling place to celebrate Halloween.

The site used to close at 5 p.m., but is now staying open until 8 p.m. The change is mainly aimed at allowing more people to visit and reducing long lines, but it also adds to the thrill: entering and leaving the catacombs after dark feels different from doing it in daylight. Human remains started to be transferred to the former underground quarries of Paris in 1786, when the main cemetery of Paris – the Cemetery of Innocents – was closed for public health reasons. From 1809 on, the catacombs were rearranged into organized galleries, with piled bones forming walls and pillars, and even some artistic shapes made of femurs and skulls.

The site is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (last admission at 7 p.m.), closed on Mondays and public holidays. General admission: 10 euros (about $12.70). Tour of 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) takes around 45 minutes, with 130 steps to go down and 83 steps back up to street level. Not accessible to people with reduced mobility”. – Sylvie Corbet via The Associated Press


In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. The subterranean tunnels, stretching 2 kilometers (1.24 miles), cradle the bones of some 6 million Parisians from centuries past and once gave refuge to smugglers. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. The subterranean tunnels, stretching 2 kilometers (1.24 miles), cradle the bones of some 6 million Parisians from centuries past and once gave refuge to smugglers. The site used to close at 5 p.m., but is now staying open until 8 p.m. The change is mainly aimed at allowing more people to visit and reducing long lines, since it can only hold a limited number of people at a time and visits can't be reserved in advance. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)




In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, a woman walks by the Catacombs in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, a woman walks by the Catacombs in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)




In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)




In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)




In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, a plaque reading, “Everything fades away on earth, Spirit, Beauty, Grace, Talent, as an ephemeral flower that is knocked down by the lightest wind” wedges skulls and bones stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, a plaque reading, “Everything fades away on earth, Spirit, Beauty, Grace, Talent, as an ephemeral flower that is knocked down by the lightest wind” wedges skulls and bones stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)
17 Oct 2014 13:27:00