At Pont d'Arc in Ardeche the Grotte Chauvet is a perfect replica of the part of a series of underground galleries where can be found some of the world's oldest and finest cave paintings. To be inaugurated today (Saturday 11 April) the building will open to the public on 25th April.
Discovered in 1999 by three potholers one called Chauvet after whom the cave has been named), the grotto has paintings made some 36000 years ago. Rather than opening the site to the public, with the risks of damage and deterioration seen in sites such as Lascaux (Dordogne) it was decided to construct a replica.
Much older than Lascaux the paintings depict a range of animals long disappeared from western Europe, such as lions, rhinoceros and mammoth as well as a 7 metre long wall of horses. Over 400 animals of 14 species are depicted, using the natural contours of the cave walls. The replica cave is about one third the size of the original and the site will also house a visitor centre and museum.
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