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| Thousands of prehistoric paintings such as this can be seen at the new Lascaux International Centre of Cave Art in the Périgord region. |
The accidental discovery of the Lascaux cave in the Périgord region of southwest France can be credited to a dog named Robot. It was 77 years to the day I am publishing this blog post (Sept. 8, 1940) that 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat was walking with his dog through the hills near Montignac-sur-Vézère. Here’s how the event is recounted on the Lascaux IV website:
“When the dog disappeared down a hole in the ground, left by an uprooted tree some years earlier, the young mechanic’s apprentice began throwing stones into it. They rolled and rolled deep down into the earth. Marcel could feel it: he had just found something extraordinary. Could it be the local legend, an underground passage leading to Lascaux Manor? He returned only four days later with a few friends to discover one of the greatest archaeological works of art of the 20th century.”
That discovery — Lascaux cave — contains a treasure trove of prehistoric art, created 20,000 years ago by Cro-Magnum Man. Thousands of paintings of large animals and fauna adorn the walls, providing clues to life in the Upper Paleolithic period. Lascaux was opened to the public, but in 1963 when it became apparent that the artwork was deteriorating due to the carbon dioxide, heat, humidity and germs brought in by visitors, the decision was made to close the cave. Today, only scientists are allowed to visit the original Lascaux cave. Even Mick Jagger’s yearly request for a visit is denied.
In 1983, Lascaux II opened nearby, allowing visitors to see exact replicas of Lascaux’s Great Hall of Bulls and the Painted Gallery. A touring replica, Lascaux III, hit the road in 2012, offering visitors across the globe the chance to experience the cave. In addition to Bordeaux and Paris, the exhibition has traveled to the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Switzerland and Asia, and it may be heading to Australia next.
Late last year (on Dec. 15, 2016) the new International Centre for Cave Art (Lascaux IV) opened in Montignac. Half-buried in the Lascaux hillside, the center is more than a mere replica. Combining art, history, science and technology, Lascaux IV is an incredible learning experience.
I had been looking for an excuse to visit, and our visiting French student, who had never visited this prehistoric area of the Dordogne, provides my chance. We booked online a few days in advance (highly recommended, although some slots are saved for visitors who arrive in person at 8:30 a.m.). Tours leave every 20 minutes, although only two are offered each day in English. We arrive about a half-hour before our tour starts and unwind from our drive in the huge reception lobby. When our tour is called, we meet our guide and are given headsets and tablets. At points along the tour, the tablets enhance what we’re seeing and are a personalized high-tech guide for our visit to the discovery workshop. The tablets also can serve as cameras, and you can arrange to have the photos emailed to you later.
Our guide takes our group of around 20 to Le Belvédère, where we hear about the cave’s discovery and are given a preview of what we’ll see inside. Inside the grotte, which is kept at 13C degrees (the same constant temperature of the original cave), we are guided through a complete reproduction of Lascaux. After the guided tour, we spend an hour or so on our own exploring L’Atelier de Lascauxwhere we delve into various aspects of the cave’s art, geology, climate and history. Then it’s on to a 3D film and a browse in the gift shop. We skip the café because we’re stopping for lunch in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil on the way home.
Lascaux Centre International de L’Art Parietal is open year-round. The area surrounding Montignac is rich with prehistoric sites, so a full day can include stops at the nearby Parc du Thot, the National Museum of Prehistory in Les Ezyies, and a number of other caves, rock shelters, and prehistoric villages. Visit the Lascaux website here for hours and tickets.
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| Visitors to the workshop at Laxcaux International Centre of Cave Art examine reproductions of the famous Lascaux paintings. |
In 1983, Lascaux II opened nearby, allowing visitors to see exact replicas of Lascaux’s Great Hall of Bulls and the Painted Gallery. A touring replica, Lascaux III, hit the road in 2012, offering visitors across the globe the chance to experience the cave. In addition to Bordeaux and Paris, the exhibition has traveled to the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Switzerland and Asia, and it may be heading to Australia next.
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| Lascaux International Centre of Cave Art opened in Dec. 2016. |
Late last year (on Dec. 15, 2016) the new International Centre for Cave Art (Lascaux IV) opened in Montignac. Half-buried in the Lascaux hillside, the center is more than a mere replica. Combining art, history, science and technology, Lascaux IV is an incredible learning experience.
I had been looking for an excuse to visit, and our visiting French student, who had never visited this prehistoric area of the Dordogne, provides my chance. We booked online a few days in advance (highly recommended, although some slots are saved for visitors who arrive in person at 8:30 a.m.). Tours leave every 20 minutes, although only two are offered each day in English. We arrive about a half-hour before our tour starts and unwind from our drive in the huge reception lobby. When our tour is called, we meet our guide and are given headsets and tablets. At points along the tour, the tablets enhance what we’re seeing and are a personalized high-tech guide for our visit to the discovery workshop. The tablets also can serve as cameras, and you can arrange to have the photos emailed to you later.
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| Although no one knows for sure what the Lascaux artists were trying to tell us, theories are presented in the Lascaux IV workshop. |
Our guide takes our group of around 20 to Le Belvédère, where we hear about the cave’s discovery and are given a preview of what we’ll see inside. Inside the grotte, which is kept at 13C degrees (the same constant temperature of the original cave), we are guided through a complete reproduction of Lascaux. After the guided tour, we spend an hour or so on our own exploring L’Atelier de Lascauxwhere we delve into various aspects of the cave’s art, geology, climate and history. Then it’s on to a 3D film and a browse in the gift shop. We skip the café because we’re stopping for lunch in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil on the way home.
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| How body heat affects the Lascaux cave paintings is explained at the Lascaux International Centre of Cave Art. |
Lascaux Centre International de L’Art Parietal is open year-round. The area surrounding Montignac is rich with prehistoric sites, so a full day can include stops at the nearby Parc du Thot, the National Museum of Prehistory in Les Ezyies, and a number of other caves, rock shelters, and prehistoric villages. Visit the Lascaux website here for hours and tickets.
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| A visit to Lascaux International Centre of Cave Art ends at the gift shop. |
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