La grotte de Niaux (Ariège) - France - Cave Entrances (Natural) on Waymarking.com

[FR] Elle fait partie du réseau de grotte ornées de la chaîne pyrénéo-cantabrique.

La grotte fut régulièrement visitée à partir du XVIIe siècle, comme en témoignent les multiples inscriptions retrouvées dans la grotte. L'occupation préhistorique est reconnue et étudiée depuis 1906.

Classée au titre des monuments historiques le 13 juillet 1911, la grotte de Niaux fait partie d'un ensemble souterrain de 13 km.

La grotte de Niaux renferme un très riche art pariétal incluant la plupart des espèces propres à la faune préhistorique du massif des Pyrénées. Les animaux sont peints la plupart du temps avec une matière noire, identifiée à du charbon de bois ou à du dioxyde de manganèse, quelquefois avec une matière rouge obtenue à partir du broyage d'hématite.

La salle principale, qui regroupe les représentations animales les plus spectaculaires est appelée le « Salon noir ». La grotte a également livré des signes tels que des points ou des traits de couleur rouge et noire, soit isolés sur les parois, soit associés aux représentations d'animaux. Les peintures du Salon noir contenant du charbon de bois ont pu être datées par la méthode du carbone 14 ; leur âge est ainsi estimé à 13 000 ans.

[EN] From the very beginning of the seventeenth century the cave was of great interest for tourists, who left numerous traces on its walls. People visiting the cave did not imagine that the paintings of the "Salon Noir" were so old - only in 1906, thanks to captain Molar and his sons who made a plan of the cave and discovered the paintings of the "Salon Noir", did Niaux attract specialists' attention. In 1907 it was investigated by H. Breuill and E.Cartailhac, but the discovery of the "Salon Noir" paintings was only the beginning. In 1925 J. Mandeman found a gallery with some black paintings and called it Cartailhac Gallery. Later it was established that the paintings had been emerging on the cave walls during a long period between 11500 and 10500 years BC.

The main entrance to the Niaux cave used for visitors is now further up the hillside than it once was. In ancient times, there would have been several lower, smaller entrances.

The visits to the cave are strictly regulated in order to maintain an even temperature of 12 degrees C and thus preserve the wall drawings of bison, horses and ibex. July through September there are 11 visits per day of up to 20 people with 45 minutes between each group, including a tour in English at 12:30pm. Three visits per day the rest of the year (some English tours). The caves are not lit up, visitors are handed torches, another measure to protect the paintings. Furthermore there is always the risk for one or two of the torches running out of battery during the visit, small children and anyone afraid of darkness should not go on this tour, once the tour has started there is no turning back. The walk to the paintings lead through both big caves and narrow passages. The cave floor has been left in its natural state: wet, very uneven and slippery in places so sturdy walking shoes are essential.

It is recommended to book ahead. However, outside the ticket office a sign indicates how many spaces are left (if any) in the day's scheduled tours. If you arrive in the morning you might be able to reserve a spot in a tour in the afternoon. But don't count on this in July and August.

Type of Land: Other Managed By: The French State Contact Info: +33 (0)5 61 05 10 10 Website: [Web Link] Type of Cave: Karst Cave Contains Stalactites: yes Contains Stalagmites: yes Contains Bats: yes Price of Admission: 9.00 (listed in local currency)

Visit Instructions:
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Date Logged Log User Rating   02/06/2020 gudeca7 visited it 03/29/2013 SastRe.O visited it

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