The+Caves+of+Lascaux

What an adventure ! You'll hardly even believe it ! On the 12th of September 1940, near the village of Montignac on the banks of the Vézère River, not far from [|Bury's twin town of Angoulême], four French teenagers were out walking in the forest with their dog Robot when their pet mysteriously disappeared.

While searching for Robot, the boys discovered that he had fallen down a hole in the ground at the base of a fallen tree.

It was getting late and the boys did not know how deep the hole was, so they decided it would be safer to return the next day with a torch and a rope to rescue their trapped companion.

The next morning, the four intrepid explorers, named Marcel, Jim, Simon, and Georges all went back up on Lascaux Hill where the dog had disappeared.

One after another, they lowered each other into the dark unknown... and discovered what is now known as 'The Hall of the Bulls', part of the world-famous Caves of Lascaux, one of the most important sites of prehistoric man!!

Yes, it's all true! The vast walls of the cave were adorned with colourful artwork painted by early man some 16-17 thousand years ago; huge paintings of prehistoric bulls, some more than 5 metres long; herds of deer and horses; and the occasional stick like figures of men with spears, hunting the animals for food.

News of the boys' discovery soon spread and the Lascaux cave was opened to the public. After World War II, the entrance to the cave was widened for visitors and over a thousand people came to see it every day. By 1955 however, it was clear that the drawings were starting to become damaged; carbon dioxide from the visitors' breath was causing corrosion of the walls of the cave. Sadly, the only solution was to close the Lascaux caves to the public. But, as the caves were such a national treasure, an amazing life-size replica of Lascaux was built at nearby Montignac and most of the original paintings recreated.

The replica is open each day during the summer with guided tours lasting around 40 minutes; out of season the centre is closed on Mondays and is closed from January to early February.

Don't worry if you're unable to visit in person though; you can embark on an amazing [|virtual tour of the caves] by visiting the attraction's official website.

This wonderful slideshare presentation also shows some of the cave art to be found in France's many paleolithic caves including Lascaux. Be sure to watch the Youtube video that has been embedded into the final slide.

media type="custom" key="6526155"