Forbidden Paris：  

The Secret World of the Parisian Catacombs

探索 巴黎隱蔽的另一面

Adapted from Culture Trip 選自：  趣游

Translated by Michelle 翻譯：蜜雪

Set apart from Paris’ literary sophistication, artistic air and stunning fine-dining establishments, there is a more mysterious, reclusive scene, which buzzes under the foundations of the city. 

  The Paris catacombs beguile and hypnotise the imaginations of all who hear about them, as those left outside can only imagine what lies beneath. We explore the history of Paris’ best-kept secret and take a tour of its endless underground corridors.

   除去巴黎的文學修養(yǎng)、藝術(shù)氛圍和令人驚嘆的精致餐廳之外，還有一個更神秘、更隱遁的巴黎，在這座城市的地基下。

   巴黎的地下墓穴能迷惑和催眠所有聽說過它的人的想象力，因為在外面的人只能想象地下的東西。我們探索巴黎最秘密的歷史，并參觀它無盡的地下長廊。

 There is a certain romantic hue to the damp stone walls lining the corridors in Paris’ underground network of tunnels and hollowed-out shelters.

   It’s a far cry from the Eiffel Tower, and it in no way rivals the luminosity of the Sacre Coeur or the grandeur of the Arc de Triomphe, but it represents Paris in a way that few other historical monuments in the city can. The number of people that touch those walls and have trodden those tunnels is incredibly limited, and yet the history of Paris is intrinsically linked to these claustrophobic and dark, enclosed spaces.

   在巴黎的錯綜復(fù)雜的地下隧道和挖空的庇護所中，潮濕的石墻襯在走廊上，有一種浪漫的色彩。

  它與埃菲爾鐵塔相距甚遠，也絕不能與圣心大教堂的明亮和凱旋門的宏偉相比，但它以一種這個城市中其他歷史古跡所不能達到的方式代表了巴黎。能接觸到這些墻壁、走過這些隧道的人非常有限，但巴黎的歷史， 與這些幽閉、黑暗、封閉的空間有著天然內(nèi)在的聯(lián)系。

 Underneath southern Paris there are more than 300 km of these tunnels which all interlink, despite numerous collapses and manmade blockades. Two major networks interlink, providing a veritable maze for daring explorers stretching from Montparnasse to Porte d’Orléans and beyond. 

        A select group of (primarily) young urban explorers make regular trips below street level, gaining access via a number of manhole covers which are surveyed and tracked by the community of self-professed ‘cataphiles’, enabling all those across the city who wish to go down to be up-to-date on the available entry points. The problem is that the police also survey them, almost as closely. They scrutinise from above and below ground the manhole covers which are opened by official and non-official means and once this information is confirmed, the entrance is sealed.

  在巴黎南部的地下，有超過300公里的這些隧道，盡管有很多坍塌和人為封鎖，但它們都是相通的。有兩個主要的網(wǎng)相互連接，這為勇敢的探險者提供了一個名副其實的迷宮，從蒙帕納斯到奧爾良港甚至更遠。

  年輕的城市探險家(Cataphiles) 定期從城市里可用的井蓋入口處潛入地下探險。警察也會對他們進行密切調(diào)查，他們從地面和地下仔細檢查用官方和非官方的方法打開的井蓋，一旦確認了這一信息，入口就被封住了。

The practice of going down into the catacombs is therefore one relatively fraught with risks. The possibility of attempting to come back to the surface and being confronted by a sealed and therefore inaccessible trapdoor back to the road above is a real one, and therefore demands of the cataphile an extensive knowledge of the hundreds of kilometres of networks and the different access points. 

   The likelihood of parts of the stone walls and reinforcements coming crashing down on innocent visitors is minute, but not nonexistent. It’s reassuring that the only known case of a death down in the catacombs dates back to 1793, and the case of Philibert Aspairt. He wasn’t a curious tourist ，nor a  dedicated cataphile, but a gatekeeper who caught wind of a rumour that there was a secret stash of liquor under a convent and so set out with only a candle on him to find it. 

   He was found eleven years later a few steps from the exit with a bottle of the said liquor in his hand. To this day, cataphiles revere Philibert as the guardian, the resident ghostly presence of the cataphiles, and the example not to follow.

   進入地下墓穴的做法是一個相對充滿風險的做法。最可能的風險就是當試圖返回地面時，面對入口封死的可能性。因此需要cataphile對數(shù)百公里的巴黎地下網(wǎng)絡(luò)和不同的入口有廣泛的知識。

   石墻坍塌的可能性微乎其微，但并非不存在。令人欣慰的是，地下墓穴中唯一已知的死亡案例可以追溯到1793年，還有一個叫菲利伯特·阿斯帕特的案例。他既不是一個好奇的游客，也不是一個虔誠的城市地下探險家，而是一個把守大門的人。他聽到一個謠言，說在一個修道院下有一個秘密藏酒的地方，于是他就帶著一支蠟燭出發(fā)去尋找。

   11年后，他被發(fā)現(xiàn)在離出口幾步遠的地方，手里拿著一瓶酒。直到今天，探險者們?nèi)匀蛔鸪鏟hilibert為守護者，地下探險家鬼魂般的存在，是不可效仿的榜樣。

  Aside from protecting Cataphiles from harm, it is told that Philibert’s spirit becomes active each year on the anniversary of his death. Wandering the Catacombs, blowing out candles and whispering into the ears of tourists.

   除了保護探險者免受傷害外，據(jù)說這個曾經(jīng)的守門人Philibert的靈魂每年在他的忌日都會變得活躍起來。在地下墓穴里徘徊，吹滅蠟燭，對著游客的耳朵低語。

 Why take the risk, then? The reasons are as varied as the occupations, names and facial features of those that venture down the rusty metal ladders which lead to the catacombs. The quiet, temperate (though somewhat damp) ambiance and the isolation offer a cool respite from the hubbub of the city above.

    Despite the dedicated police force patrolling the catacombs to prevent any illegal access and fining intruders on-the-spot, there is a distinct lack of authority and control once underground (it’s rumoured that this dedicated police force numbers fewer than five full-time officers for more than 300 km of tunnels). 

    The sense of community felt amongst cataphiles is the biggest self-policing method and the only one necessary to prevent severe degradation of the stonework and the desecration of the more historical features such as a Second World War German bunker or the tomb of Philibert. Recent spates of vandalism are all the more shocking given the exclusivity of gaining access and this self-control, which is unspoken and yet universal amongst cataphiles. This leads some to believe that knowledge of the network and the spread of information is getting out of control and allowing anyone to penetrate the catacombs and destroy the work of artists, stoneworkers and explorers.

  為什么要冒這個險呢?

  原因各不相同，那些冒險走下通往地下墓穴的生銹的金屬梯子的人， 他們有著不同的職業(yè)和背景。但這個寧靜、溫和(盡管有些潮濕)的氛圍和與世隔絕的環(huán)境，為他們遠離地面喧囂提供了一個涼爽的喘息之機。

  盡管有專門的警察部隊在地下墓穴中巡邏，以防止任何非法進入，并對現(xiàn)場的入侵者處以罰款，但在地下卻明顯缺乏權(quán)威和控制(有傳言稱，這支專門的警察部隊在300多公里的隧道中只有不到5名全職警官)。

  地下城市探險家們(Cataphiles) 的集體感是最大的自我監(jiān)督方法，也是唯一一種防止地下城衰落和褻瀆更多歷史特征的必要方法，例如二戰(zhàn)德國碉堡或菲利伯特墓。

  也有些人認為，巴黎地宮的價值正在失去控制，無數(shù)人進入地下墓穴，破壞藝術(shù)家、石匠和探險家的作品。

  The most common question those who hear that someone they know is a cataphile is ‘have you ever stolen any bones?’ Indeed, the official tourist destination, Les Catacombes de Paris, contains thousands of skeletons and bones from past Parisians, Meanwhile, an unofficial catacomb visit will uncover almost no bones and a distinct lack of human remains. 

   The catacombs are in fact the quarries from which a large proportion of the limestone for Paris’s Hausmannian buildings was extracted hundreds of years ago. When the quarrying ceased, some of the tunnels were used for growing the popular Paris mushrooms, as they thrived in the damp, dark conditions. Such activity has completely ceased in recent years and now the city’s mushrooms still bear the prestigious name but are grown in the provincial areas to the north of Paris.

   對于地下探險家來說，最常見的問題是“你偷過骨頭嗎?”事實上，官方公開的巴黎地下墓穴包含了數(shù)千具過去巴黎人的骸骨，但非官方的地下墓穴之旅卻也許幾乎沒有找到遺骨。

  巴黎地下墓穴實際上是采石場，數(shù)百年前，巴黎奧斯曼式建筑的很大一部分石灰石就是從這里開采出來的。采石停止后，一些隧道被用來種植廣受歡迎的巴黎蘑菇，因為它們生長在潮濕、黑暗的環(huán)境中。當然如今，巴黎的蘑菇仍享有盛名，但現(xiàn)在全部在巴黎北部的省級地區(qū)種植。

  Now, the catacombs play host to cinema screenings, parties, concerts, dinner parties and all manner of gatherings. Extensive work is constantly undertaken by various groups to create playful and artistic spaces with no planning permission necessary and only the limit of space and time to restrain them. 

  It’s not for the fainthearted though. Thigh-high waterlogged passages, tunnels the width of a slim child and uneven ground can delight some and scare off many.

  現(xiàn)在，巴黎地下墓穴可以舉辦電影放映、聚會、音樂會、晚宴和各種聚會。各種各樣的團體不斷地進行大量的工作來創(chuàng)造有趣的和藝術(shù)的空間。沒有什么特別的規(guī)定，只有有限的空間和時間來約束它們。

   但它不適合膽小的人。一些人興奮于高到大腿的充滿水的通道，狹窄的隧道和不平坦的地面，但同時這也很多人害怕。

  The tourist trend is one that’s more and more common and brings new dangers. Alcohol abuse, accidents, social pressure and undue delegation of responsibility to perhaps less than experienced friends are all greater risks, in reality, than rubble crashing down, but ones which are regularly taken.

  這種趨勢越來越普遍，也帶來新的危險。酗酒、意外事故、社會壓力以及責任心的下滑，這些都比坍塌的瓦礫更危險，但這些都是經(jīng)常發(fā)生的。

  Getting to grips with the secret life of the Paris catacombs can entail years of exploration and experimentation, and even the hardiest veteran cataphiles acknowledge that they’ve only scratched the surface of the full potential of Paris’ underground system. There are an almost equally substantial number of suburban quarries, tunnel networks and urban exploration sites which stretch beyond the boundaries of the city, and mean that it would be possible to spend a lifetime wandering the unnamed and unmanned underground streets of the region without so much as scratching the surface.

   了解巴黎地下墓穴的秘密生活需要多年的探索和實驗，即使是最勇敢的地下探險專家也承認，他們只觸及了巴黎地下系統(tǒng)的表淺一部分。還有大量的郊區(qū)的采石場地宮 , 隧道網(wǎng)絡(luò)一直延伸到城市的邊界，或許探索完， 可能要花一生的時間在這些無人無名的地下街道游蕩。 

 For those who would prefer the claustrophobic atmosphere of the dark catacombs, Paris’ abandoned underground world is another great way to explore the lesser known aspect of the French capital.

  對于那些喜愛黑暗地下墓穴的幽閉恐怖氣氛的人來說，探索巴黎廢棄的地下世界是在探索這座法國首都鮮為人知的一面。

  更重要的是， 在這里，看到了對死亡的尊重，甚至是死亡的藝術(shù)。 

The Paris Catacombs are a fascinating and spooky place to enter. It is said that the Gates of Hell exist in the underground tunnel network and those who loose their way may be unlucky enough to stumble upon them.

   巴黎的地下墓穴是一個迷人而陰森的地方。據(jù)說，地獄之門存在于這個地下隧道中，而那些迷路的人可能很不幸地撞進了它們。

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