Where are the old Gypsum Mines near Paris located? And can you visit them?

Question

I understand that the James Bond Movie, Moonraker filmed several pivitol scenes in these mines in the late 70's.

Answer 1

The Park Buttes-Chaumont were created from the gypsum quarries that existed in the 18 hundreds.

This is a beautiful park with grottos, a big waterfall and a folly on the very top of the hill. Climb up here and you get wonderful views of Paris.

The park has featured in french films, for example,The Aviators Wife, On Conait la Chanson.

I am not sure about Moonraker though.

Answer 2

They are located under Paris, in the north eastern part of the city (click on the link and you will see a map of the old gypsum quarries) as well as in suburbs of Paris. I don't know exactly where the film was shot.

http://www.carrieres.explographies.com/

Despite the fact that illegal tours are regularly organized, you cannot visit them because it is dangerous. I recently answered another related question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

The only thing you can legally visit is the ossuary of the Paris Catacombs: http://www.catacombes-de-paris.fr/englis...

Answer 3

A large part of the city served as quarries up into the 19th century.  When buildings on the surface started collapsing because the stone for them had been mined from tunnels beneath them, it finally occurred to the authorities to close the subterranean galleries.

Today the only part of these underground quarries that can be visited by the public is the Catacombes.

Answer 4

Try with:

http://www.computours.co.uk/places/terra...

Just south of Narbonne is a fascinating wine cave in an old gypsum mine. We would have lunch in the village and tour the cave.

http://www.stripedmaple.com/france/tours...

http://www.terra-vinea.eu/

http://www.terra-vinea.eu/pgs/visite.php