# Mapping Resources > Reference Material >  Maps of the Paris Catacombs.....

## thebax2k

Sometimes life is stranger than fiction.  The Guild has many maps of dungeons and megadungeons, nearly all imaginary, but here is a link to the real thing: http://www.catacombs.explographies.com/ 

A French urban exploration group put up a page with a whole bunch of maps of the Paris catacombs.  Although not directly rpg related, I find the maps highly inspiring and wouldn't be surprised if similar structures cropped up underneath my campaign's cities  :Wink:   Enjoy.

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## Ghalev

> Sometimes life is stranger than fiction.  The Guild has many maps of dungeons and megadungeons, nearly all imaginary, but here is a link to the real thing: http://exploration.urban.free.fr/catacombes/ 
> 
> A French urban exploration group put up a page with a whole bunch of maps of the Paris catacombs.  Although not directly rpg related, I find the maps highly inspiring and wouldn't be surprised if similar structures cropped up underneath my campaign's cities   Enjoy.


Awesome.

Moscow has some great tunnels, too ... laid out over centuries and nobody's ever mapped them completely. A few years ago, there were some great stories running about a group of teenagers that apparently had the most complete maps of them from exploring them personally, and the government's efforts to win over the kids' cooperation in getting a complete picture ...

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## Tancread

That really is cool. I wonder what symbol they use for secret doors?

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## Turgenev

When I look at those maps, they make me want to run a Call of Cthulhu adventure set in them.  :Laughing:

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## Michel-Eugène Lefébure

Here are 2 detailed underground maps of Paris:
https://www.pdf-maps.com/maps/107349...catacombs-map/
https://www.pdf-maps.com/maps/105662...derground-map/

Especially the second one.

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## HoquetetL'Enchenteur

> That really is cool. I wonder what symbol they use for secret doors?


My wife and I spent 100+ hours (2x a week for 3 months) learning the catacombs with some great guys who've been going down there for decades... none of the secret doors down there are marked, and look exactly like the surrounding walls unless you know WHERE it is supposed to be!

Further, since it is all illegal to be going down there (and dangerous if you don't have a cataphile to guide you) folks don't mark the entrances they know on their maps, since if they got busted, the police would be sure to seal those entry points.

If you find yourself in Paris, drop us a line and we might know a guy!

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## Nathan Chapman

HoquetetL'Enchenteu, I have been searching all over the internet for as much info as possible on the catacombs as I am traveling to Paris at the end of this month with the intent of having a mooch in the catacombs! I have been urban exploring for years now but would love to get in contact with you for some advice maybe? I know I have came to this thread abit late but hopefully you will see this and could help me out?

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## The_Sleeping_Dragon

They can be found in the following arrondissements municipeux and each has information on them
5th, 6th, 12th,13th, 14th, 15th, 16th
They are originally abandoned quarries in three different networks (5th, 6th, 14th,15th then 12th then 16th), where gypsum was mined and are now the ossuaries for 6m people
Technically exploring the mines is not permitted and you can be fined but they are often explored by people called cataphiles. However the good news s that about 1.7kms of the mines have been granted a permit ie the ossuary part known as the Catacombes de Paris

They are just south of the Gate to Hell (one of the entries into Paris City) and can now be entered from Place Denfert-Rochereau, previously known as Place d'Enfer, a public square located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, France, in the Montparnasse district, at the intersection of the boulevards Raspail, Arago, and Saint-Jacques, and the avenues René Coty, Général Leclerc, and Denfert-Rochereau[fr], as well as the streets Froidevaux, Victor-Considérant and de Grancey. It is one of the largest and most important squares on the left bank of the Seine.

The catacombs are known formally as l'Ossuaire Municipal or Catacombes officiels 

I attach a map below from 1857 off wiki and have a map of the whole mines if you need it



Sorry for double post
If you zoom in to the map on the right hand side is some fascinating information when the tombs were discovered during building works at St Innocents which house building was stopped to allow an Inspection
The catacombs are called Ossements and marked on the map by letters from A to f

Even sorrier for the triple post - the catacombs are recent c1780 and were prompted when the St Innocents cemetry had to be renovated.  Some 2m Parisien dead were relocated to the ossuaries as well as the cemetries at Saint-Étienne-des-Grès (one of the oldest), Madeleine Cemetery, Errancis Cemetery (used for the victims of the French Revolution), and Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux.

Two much better maps

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## ChickPea

I've merged your comments, TSD. You can use the Edit button if you want to update an existing comment.

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## The_Sleeping_Dragon

> I've merged your comments, TSD. You can use the Edit button if you want to update an existing comment.


Chickpea many thanks

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