Children, a dog, a game and a discovery: Lascaux
When children from Montignac reveal a treasure of humanity
Montignac and its bridge, site of the discovery of the fabulous Lascaux cave / Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com By Jebulon - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16311569
Montignac, in the Dordogne's Vézère valley, at the height of the Second World War. Despite the context, the children continue to play. And with good reason. On this September 8, 1940, Marcel Ravidat and his friends, Jean, Marcel, and Louis, are having their usual fun. Their dog, "Robôt", suddenly starts chasing a rabbit, which ends up disappearing into a hole under an uprooted tree. Curious, Marcel tries to dig to catch the animal, but discovers a large cavity instead.
One of the Lascaux frescoes / Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.Com: depositphotos
The location is near the Château de Lascaux, and the children imagine they've found the entrance to the mysterious tunnels spoken of in local legends.They return a few days later, on a school-free Thursday, this time accompanied by Georges, Jacques and Simon. Armed with knives and an oil lamp, they enlarge the opening and rush in. What they discover exceeds their expectations: it's not a tunnel, but a cave, and not just any cave.On the walls and ceilings, everywhere, incredibly well-preserved paintings: animals, hunting scenes, figures from another time.
Lascau frescoesx / Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: depositphotos
The Lascaux frescoes: a 20,000-year-old treasure that's still there
Skeptical at first, their former teacher doesn't take their discovery seriously. But Maurice Thaon, intrigued by their story, decides to explore the cave. He makes the first sketches of the frescoes and presents them to Abbé Breuil, an expert in prehistory. The latter was stunned. The drawings reveal a vanished world, with mammoths, felines, and hunters in action. These frescoes, 20,000 years old, look so fresh you'd think they were done the day before.
The famous Lascaux horse / Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: depositphotos
Since then, Lascaux has become anational treasure and a mecca for French tourism. To preserve this jewel of humanity, replicas of the original cave have been created. While the historic cave is closed for preservation, today's sites are so well made and so well copied that they allow thousands of visitors every year to plunge into a distant past, which yet still seems within reach.
Visiting Lascaux today: a prehistoric adventure with a modern twist
So, you want to explore Lascaux? Good news: you don't need an oil lamp, a knife or a band of intrepid friends like Marcel Ravidat and his friends in 1940. The Lascaux caves can still be visited today... but with a few modern adjustments!
Frescoes at Lascaux / photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: depositphotos
What do we see at Lascaux?
- Awe-inspiring millennia-old frescoes: Mammoths, bison, horses and other life-size animals that seem to gallop across the walls. If you didn't know your ancestors were artists, these 20,000-year-old works will prove it. And believe me, they would have kicked the crap out of quite a few contemporary painters.
- Believable hunting scenes: Almost makes you want to pull out your spear (or at least your smartphone to immortalize the moment).
- Fascinating details: These paintings have colors that look like they were laid down yesterday. Yes, even after 20,000 years, they hold up better than the paint in your living room.
Frescoes / Photo chosen by Monsieurdefrance.com: depositphotos
How do you visit the Lascaux site?
So, a little disappointment: you won't be entering the real cave. Why not? Because humans, no matter how well-intentioned, bring bacteria and moisture that would have ruined these masterpieces. So, to preserve the "Sistine Chapel of Prehistory", we created Lascaux II, III and even IV (and no, they're not movie sequels).
- Lascaux II: A painstaking replica of the original cave, built a few hundred meters away. You see the frescoes as if you were there.
- Lascaux IV: Ultra-modern, this is a cave art center with virtual reality and interactive devices. You can even zoom in on details (thanks, technology). It's as if our ancestors had met the geeks of Silicon Valley.
The actual site with an exciting museum / Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.Com: depositphotos.
Going to the Lascaux caves: infos / Geo / Websites
Address of the Lascaux caves :
The Lascaux site is located at lieu dit Lascaux 24 290 MONTIGNAC. Montignac-Lascaux is located in the Dordogne, not far from Sarlat. Brives la Gaillarde is 45 Mn / Bordeaux is 2H20 / Paris is 6H00 (533 kms).
Lascaux by train
The nearest train station is in Condat, 10 km away, and can be reached from Brive, coming from Paris or Toulouse, or from Périgueux, coming from Bordeaux;
Lascaux by bus
From Sarlat, Périgueux or Brive, there are daily return trips (morning and evening) on the Trans-Périgord network, with a single fare of 2 euros. For further information: www.transports.nouvelle-aquitaine.fr
Websites:
Official website grottes de Lascaux
Site tourisme Nouvelle Aquitaine.
The little extra after Lascaux?
After the visit, treat yourself to local specialities to prolong the experience: foie gras, truffles and Bergerac wine. A tasty way to round off a day in the past... with the comforts of the present. Discover the beautiful Périgord;
