The underground quarries in Caumont-sur-Seine (Normandy, France) are a world apart : exploited for chalk stone since the Middle Ages, there’s not only a former German WWII factory, but also spectacular vaults, corridors, collapses... Here is a quick visit.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
The location of the quarries, near the Seine river, is beautiful.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
At the entrance, looking down from a chalk cliff.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
1.The entrance, seen from inside.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
Again the entrance viewed from inside, a bit deeper.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
In the rooms near the exit. The walls are bending in, because variation in temperature erodes the stone.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
One of several exits that has been closed by a mushroom farmer.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
Deep inside the quarry lies a huge underground labyrinth.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
In the galleries, big puddles reflect the light. The water is rain dropping down from the ceiling.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
1. A big collapse in the quarry.
Caumont-sur-Seine chalk quarry -
Here, the workers who dug the quarry have crossed a natural cave and a river. Cavers today call this place "la rivière des robots", the river of robots, because of the stiff, robot-like walk that everyone gets when traversing this muddy surface.
