Halloween is just around the corner – let’s explore some haunted Paris facts!
With history comes hauntings, and Paris is no exception. With more than 2,000 years of recorded events, this city has seen more than its fair share of scare. If you want to freak yourself out before Halloween, Paris is the place to be.
Here’s a list of freaky facts and haunted Paris hangouts where you wouldn’t want to be alone…
Haunted Paris: The Catacombs
The Catacombs: a 300km labyrinth of burial tunnels that lie beneath Paris – the final resting place of over 6 million people. On a cold, November’s day in 1793, a hospital doorkeeper named Philibert Aspairt mysteriously disappeared. 11 years later, his body was found in the Catacombs just meters from the exit.
Paris has always been overpopulated, but this problem was at its worst in the 18th century when graveyards were literally overflowing with exposed corpses. Where better to move millions of bodies than to an underground, former mining network?
Not only are the Catacombs the creepiest place in Paris, but this ancient burial site may just be the most spine-chilling (or breaking, depending on who you ask) place in the world.
If you want to see for yourself, head to Place Denfert-Rochereau for a guided tour of this mass tomb. The first thing you’ll encounter is an ominous sign that reads ‘Arrête, c’est ici l’empire de la mort’ (Stop, here is the empire of death!)
Remember: wherever you eat, wherever you sleep, you’re likely just a few meters above the Catacombs at any given time….
Père Lachaise
Père Lachaise is one of the world’s most prestigious cemeteries. A strange title for a graveyard, you might say – you’ll understand the nickname when you find out who lies in Paris’s largest burial ground.
Père Lachaise was once snubbed by Parisians, who thought it was too far from the centre. As a marketing tactic, the bodies of famous people were moved to the cemetery, and Paris’s elite became desperate to be buried alongside the likes of Chopin and Molière.
Today, more than 1 million people are entombed in Père Lachaise, including Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf, Honoré de Balzac, and Mozart, to name a few…
Jim Morrison is buried in Père Lachaise – his tomb attracts thousands of visitors per year. After excessive vandalism, overdoses and public displays of affection, a security guard has been hired to keep watch at all times.
Vampire museum
Imagine that, a whole museum dedicated to something that doesn’t exist. Jacques Sirgent, the museum’s founder, might disagree with that claim. He is a self-proclaimed ‘vampirologist’ and a Bram Stoker translator.
This private museum is filled with Vampiric collectors’ items, including a vampire-protection kit from the 19th century, when people really did believe in these blood-sucking creatures.
Book online, and visit Le Musée des Vampires for a creepy day spent with the undead!
Panthéon Crypt
The colossal, gothic Panthéon church is worth visiting at any time of year. If the gruesome, awe-inspiring religious paintings aren’t enough to send shivers down your spine, head downstairs to the crypt.
To reach the burial crypt, you’ll have to walk through a long, low-lit tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is the resting place of French intellectuals including Voltaire, Émile Zola, Victor Hugo and Marie Curie. This is not spooky per-sé, but the peaceful, solemn atmosphere has been known to give people a chill.
Le Manoir de Paris
The Paris Manor is a walk-through haunted house with ghosts, zombies, mummies and witches – the lot. You’ll also hear TRUE hair-raising tales about strange occurrences that have happened in Paris.
All of the creepy people are professional actors, and if this doesn’t ignite your fright, just remember that this manor was built on the site of a former leper colony and prison. Enter at your peril…
Chateau and Gardens of Versailles: the most haunted place in France
Versailles is one of the most popular places to visit in France, but it’s not just the living who spend time in this castle.
Image Source: http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/image/palace-of-versailleshaunted.jpg
But why is it so haunted?
The Château de Versailles is symbolic of the French Revolution, when the monarchy was overthrown, and blood was spurting left, right and centre.
Rumour has it that a ghostly Marie Antoinette has been seen wandering through the premises, and others have witnessed hoards of spooky noblemen dressed in 18th-century attire.
The Demon Barber
Have you seen Sweeney Todd? Most people think the tale originates from London, but certain Parisians will disagree. According to some, the story is inspired by the suspicious disappearance of tourists in Paris during the 14th century…
A patisserié on Rue des Marmousets was renowned for its delicious meat pies, which had a secret ingredient lacking in other recipes. Next door to this patisserié, there was a barber’s shop – Can you guess the connection?
One day, locals noticed a dog barking persistently outside the barber’s. It was discovered that the dog belonged to a man who had recently disappeared, The premises were searched, and human bones were discovered in the basement!
The street has since been renovated, but next time you’re in the area, hang around and see if you can hear the dog wailing in the wind…
What are you doing for Halloween?
If you don’t know where to party on the 31st of October, head to Brasserie Barbès for a 90’s Halloween party hosted by Les Inrocks magazine. This spooky soirée is Buffy the Vampire Slayer themed – expect character inspired cocktails and resurrected memories of Buffy and her posse! For more information, check out the their Facebook page.
If you’re intrigued by the Day of the Dead, head to L’Alimentation Générale (ALG) in Oberkampf for a Mexican-themed evening of funky music and fancy dress.
If you have plans for the evening, head to the Gilbert Peyre exhibition in Montmartre’s Halle-Saint Pierre for a pre-sunset scare. Enter a world of fantastically creepy machines – children on tricycles, headless figures, dolls, and self-playing instruments await you…