Catacombes de Paris
Head 20 metres underground to the extraordinary Catacombes de Paris, home to the bones of some 6 million people. Stroll through a macabre maze of dimly lit galleries and narrow passageways in the largest ossuary in the world. In the late 18th century, Louis XVI sanctioned the removal of bones from the city’s cemeteries which were so packed that they were a health hazard. One of them, the cemetery of the Holy Innocents had been in use for 10 centuries. Bones were taken to the site, a former quarry and stacked in the galleries. By 1809 the catacombs were opened to the public for visits and now receive more than half a million people a year.
Père-Lachaise Cemetery
You might not think this a fun place to visit but it is a beautiful cemetery with walkways made for strolling. Here you’ll find the graves of celebrities like Oscar Wilde, whose tomb is protected from fans keen to kiss the stone which could cause damage, Jim Morrison of The Doors (there have been several claims of his ghost being seen) and Frederic Chopin (though his heart is in a church in Warsaw). In the centre of the cemetery is the impressive mausoleum of Russian baroness Élisabeth Démidoff. According to legend, after she died in 1818, the wealthy, if slightly nutty aristocrat stated in her will that if anyone could spend 366 days locked in her tomb watching over her, they would inherit a fortune. Food and water would be passed to them through a grill and waste removed that way. Apparently many people took up the challenge and no one succeeded. Her tomb has now been sealed up…
Traces of a guillotine
In 1851 until 1899 a guillotine was placed on the corner of Rue de la Croix-Faubin, near 166 bis Rue de la roquette in front of the Prison Grand Roquette. The dreaded machine was used to behead prisoners. If you go there now, you might notice that in the road are five slabs of stone embedded in the tarmac – this is where the guillotine was installed…