Grottes de Naours, Underground complex and museum in Naours, France.
The Grottes de Naours form a network of 28 tunnels and 300 rooms carved into limestone about 72 feet below ground level. The system connects various chambers, some of which served as living quarters while others functioned as storage areas.
The site began as a chalk quarry in the 15th century and was later transformed into a shelter system that housed around 3000 people in the 17th century. During World War I, the chambers served again as refuge for soldiers and civilians.
World War I soldiers left inscriptions on the walls, showing how they used these underground rooms as shelter. Their markings today tell the story of their time in this hidden place.
Visitors can join guided tours in multiple languages to safely explore the chambers and learn the history. The site also has a museum of traditional crafts and a war history exhibition that together fill about half a day.
The chimneys from underground ovens were connected to surface structures and concealed the daily activities of hidden inhabitants. These air shafts show how carefully life underground was organized.
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