ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Catacombs of Paris

Hey kiddo! So, do you know what catacombs are? They're basically underground tunnels and rooms where people used to bury dead people a long time ago. And the Catacombs of Paris is a really famous catacomb - it's located in Paris, which is in France.

See, Paris used to have a big problem with cemeteries - they would get really full and overcrowded, and dead bodies would start to spill out of their graves! So the city decided to move a bunch of bones and skulls from the overcrowded cemeteries to the abandoned underground tunnels and rooms that made up the old quarries around the city. This happened a long, long time ago - starting in the late 1700s - and it took a while for all of the bones to get moved. But eventually, the tunnels and rooms became full of bones and skulls, all carefully stacked and arranged.

Today, people can visit the Catacombs of Paris and take a tour through some of the tunnels and rooms. They can see all of the bones and skulls up close, and learn about the history of the catacombs. It's a bit spooky and creepy, but also really interesting and unique!
Related topics others have asked about: