Vézère Valley

The Vézère Valley is known for its prehistoric cave systems, containing numerous cave paintings and hominid remains. They are found in the valley of the Vézère river between the communes of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil and Montignac in the Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

UNESCO designated the systems as a World Heritage Site in 1979. Among the archaeological sites with remarkable caves is Lascaux.

 Inscription as a heritage site 
UNESCO description is:
"The Vézère valley contains 147 prehistoric sites dating from the Palaeolithic and 25 decorated caves. It is particularly interesting from an ethnological and anthropological, as well as an aesthetic point of view because of its cave paintings, especially those of the Lascaux Cave, whose discovery in 1940 was of great importance for the history of prehistoric art. The hunting scenes show some 100 animal figures, which are remarkable for their detail, rich colours and lifelike quality".

 List of the main sites named by the UNESCO 

Code  Name  Coordinates  Commune 85-001  Shelter of the Cro-Magnon    Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil 85-002  Shelter of the Fish   85-003  Font-de-Gaume Cave  85-004  La Micoque   85-005  La Mouthe Cave  85-006  Laugerie-Basse   85-007  Laugerie-Haute   85-008  Le Grand Roc Cave   85-009  Les Combarelles Cave  85-010  Cap-Blanc Shelter Marquay (on the Vézère) 85-011  Lascaux Cave Montignac (on the Vézère) 85-012 Rouffignac Cave orCro-de-Granville orMiremont Cave    Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac 85-013  Roc de Saint-Cirq Cave    Saint-Cirq 85-014  Le Moustier (2 shelters)    Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère and Peyzac-le-Moustier 85-015  La Madeleine Shelter    Tursac

Gallery

Related pages
 Lascaux
 Vézère

 References 

Other websites

 Hominides.com website  
 Office de tourisme de la Vallée de la Vézère 

Category:World Heritage Sites in France
Category:Archaeological sites in France
Category:Dordogne
Category:Corrèze