Nicknamed the ‘City of Lights’ for its annual Fête des Lumières, Lyon also has a darker side. One of the city‘s biggest mysteries is its hidden network of underground passageways laid out in the shape of a fish skeleton. Discovered by accident in the 1960s, the 30 or so galleries are located about 130 feet (40m) beneath the Croix-Rousse neighbourhood. As for their purpose, no one really knows – there's no mention of the tunnels in the municipal archives. Was it built by the Knights Templar? Or is it a relic of some forgotten army? And how to explain the presence of human remains and children’s handprints on the walls? It all remains a mystery. The only certainty is that one of the passages ends at a well in Saint-Bernard Church, which is closed to the public. If you wish to see it from the outside, head to Montée Saint-Sébastien in the old quarter.
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