Grotte Prehistorique de Villars


Useful Information

Location: Villars
Open: APR to JUN daily 10-12, 14-19.
JUL to AUG daily 10-19:30.
SEP daily 10-12, 14-19.
OCT to NOV daily 14-18:30.
Last visit half hour before closing.
[2011]
Fee: Adults EUR 7.50, Children (5-12) EUR 4.50, Children (0-4) free.
Groups (20+): Adults EUR 6, Secondary School EUR 4, Primary School EUR 3.50.
[2011]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension: T=13 °C, L=13,000 m.
Guided tours: D=65 min. Photography forbidden.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: Grotte Prehistorique de Villars, 24530 Villars. Tel: +33-553-548236, Fax: +33-553-542173. E-mail: contact
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

1953 cave discovered by speleologists from the Spéléo-Club Périgourdin.
1958 Magdalenian paintings discovered by Pierre Vidal.

Description

The Grotte Prehistorique de Villars (Villars Prehistoric Cave) is located near Brantome in the Perigueux Vert. The prehistoric paintings in this cave are 18,000 years old from Magdalenian origin.

The cave was discovered by members of the Spéléo-Club Périgourdin (Périgord Caving Club), Marie Claude Ferres, Yann Jezequel, Robert de Faccio, Bernard Pierret, and Pierre Vidal. The cave explorers discovered and surveyed the cave over years, at the end the cave system had several levels and a total length of more than 13 kilometers.

In December 1958, one of the cavers, Pierre Vidal, discovered a number of prehistoric paintings covered by calcite. The paintings were immediately examined by the famous archaeologist Abbé Breuil, who approved their authenticity. As a result the cave was opened to the public in 1959.