Chauvet ‘cave’ opens to public

THE €55MILLION replica of France’s Grotte Chauvet today opened its doors to the public.

The 21st-century mock-up at Vallon-Pont d'Arc in the Ardèche department of south-east France, is a highly accurate reproduction of the closely guarded Grotte Chauvet, which was granted World Heritage status last year and which has never been open to the public.

All tickets for the opening day have long since been sold out, officials at the new attraction said, adding that 70,000 tickets have already been sold online. Authorities hope the replica will attract some 350,000 visitors a year.

Visitors to the site will see more than 1,000 faithfully reproduced paintings and carvings, including 425 charcoal or ochre drawings of animals and hand prints dating back up to 36,000 years, while experiencing the smell, humidity and even stalactites and stalagmites of the original cave. Even the temperature has been set to match that of the original, which has featured in a documentary by Werner Herzog

The Vallon-Pont d'Arc project has taken eight years from inception to completion and has involved hundreds of people.

Hi-tech scans, 3D-modelling and digital images of the original cave were used to create the attraction. Limestone walls have been reproduced in concrete, while stalagmites and stalactites have been recreated in resin.

Amateur speleologists Jean-Marie Chauvet, Eliette Brunel and Christian Hillaire discovered the remarkable cave in December 1994. It had lain undiscovered for more than 20,000 years following a rock fall which blocked the entrance.

The replica site was inaugurated by President Francois Hollande on April 10.

To book tickets for the attraction, click on the Cavern du Pont D’Arc website here

Photo: HTO