Pontoise Undergrounds

The city of Pontoise, north-west of Paris, experienced a real demographic boom in the Middle Ages. Numerous building sites were created, requiring a large quantity of materials. While the limestone on which the historic heart of the city is built was previously mined in open-cast quarries, it was around the 13th century that mining evolved towards underground extraction "in pits" or "encavage".

The many underground quarries that can still be visited today, some of which converted into vaulted cellars (ogive or semicircular arches), with various decorations and functions, such as the Cave des Moineaux and the Cave du Pont, are a precious testimony to this exploitation and daily life in Pontoise.

A playful and educational visit which will please young and old alike!

Did you know? Camille Pissarro, one of the great masters of Impressionism lived in Pontoise for 15 years. Don't miss the visit of the museum that is dedicated to his work.