Muches de Domqueur

Useful Information

Location:	4 place de l’Eglise, 80620 Domqueur. (50.1139191, 2.0481388)
Open:	closed. [2026]
Fee:	closed. [2026]
Classification:	Underground City
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	VR=9 m, L=300 m, Rooms=52.
Guided tours:	V=1,000/a [2017]
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Les muches de Domqueur, 4 place de l’Eglise, 80620 Domqueur, Tel: +33-322-280917. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

17th century	built as a refuge for the population during the Spanish invasions.
2005	rediscovered during a routine inspection of a village well.
2009	opened to the public.
2018	site closed to the public after a minor collapse.

Description

The Muches de Domqueur are operated by the Association les amis des Muches de Domqueur. They were dug in the 17th century, which makes them the youngest muches in the area. The entrance building contains a small museum about the daily life of the Picards. The underground structure has 52 rooms and extends below the church. One theory says that each of these chambers was used by a single surface property or family as a place of storage and safety.

The site was forgotten during the 18th century, the last graffiti found was from 1729. It was rediscovered in 2005, when a routine inspection of a village well revealed some different masonry in the lining of the shaft. It was removed and a hidden entrance to the Muches discovered. Volunteers removed a lot of debris from the rooms and passages, mostly clay which was transported in by rainwater. They discovered the original entrance within the village church. After a detailed archeological survey the site was opened to the public in 2009. The site was never a popular tourist spot, only 1,000 visitors per year is not much, nevertheless the locals are quite proud of their muches. A minor rockfall underground ended the visits in 2018, although it was a minor landslide in an inaccessible part of the underground network, the site was closed by the prefecture. They were requested to have an expert report carried out, which cost € 22,000, but still its unclear what would be approved by the authorities and when the reopening would be. So sadly the site is now closed for year, but we marked it as temporary closed as the association is still trying to reopen it.

The area has siliceous limestone which is on two-thirds of the commune is covered by a 1 m thick layer of impermeable clay. Nevertheless, the area is a karst area and karst groundwater is at a depth of about 50 m. The Artois-Picardie basin is drained underground.

Muches is a local term for an underground city in the Picardie, which forms a labyrinth under the city. While some part may be older or created as stone quarries, the muches were mainly constructed in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were refuges during the French Spanish Wars and both World Wars. The construction was designed to hide their existence by leading the smoke from underground fires through the chimneys of surface buildings. Should intruders enter the site, they would be confused by twisting passages and low ceilings.