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Vezere Valley UNESCO world heritage sites

Rouffignac Cave in Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac at La Pradelie
The artistic representations in the cave were mainly executed as engravings or black contour drawings. In contrast with the caves in Lascaux and Font-de-Gaume the representations in the Rouffignac cave are not polychrome. So far 224 animal representations and 4 human figures have been registered. Additionally there is a single cave bear. Amongst the six animal groups cited the mammoths take on a prominent role. The woolly rhinoceros are also commoner than in other similar caves, where representations are rare.

Prehistoric Cave of the Wizard in Le Bugue at Route de Saint-Cirq
Inside the cave there are not a lot of engravings but one of them is a very rare engraving of a human figure - known as the sorcerer. The engraving is reputed amongst historians to be one of the most beautiful engravings in Europe.

Shelter of the fish in Manaurie on D47
This rock shelter is home to a huge fish. A one meter long salmon, to be specific. This bas-relief fish was carved on the ceiling about 25,000 years ago and was rediscovered in 1912. Fish are very rare in cave art, and this is probably the best one.

Prehistoric Sites in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil see detail
In and around Les Eyzies are a series of prehistoric rock dwellings, the caves include some of the most significant archaeological finds of the Upper Paleolithic (from about 40,000 to 10,000 years ago) and Middle Paleolithic (200,000 to 40,000 years ago) periods; they are especially noted for their extensive wall drawings.

Cap Blanc rock shelter in Marquay on D48
The Abri du Cap Blanc is a rock shelter which has a large frieze sculpted on it by prehistoric man. The frieze is 13 meters long and includes carvings of horses, bison and deer. Horses are the dominant animal in the freize with eight horse sculptures in total, one of which is more than two meters in length. The frieze is considered to be one of the best examples of Paleolithic sculpture (about 35 000 to 10 000 years ago) which is still open to the public. The quality of the images and the depth of the sculpting are both exceptional.

Saint-Christopher's cliff in Peyzac-le-Moustier on D706
The town occupied 5 terraces in the cliff face using naturally hollowed out caves in the limestone cliff. Three hundred feet above the ground and more than half a mile long the Roque Saint Christophe really is a remarkable troglodyte development.

Magdalena shelter in Tursac at Le Petit Marzac
Prehistoric finds from the site include the Bison Licking Insect Bite, a carving estimated 20,000 BC.

Lascaux cave in Montignac at Lieu-dit Lascaux
Over 600 parietal wall paintings cover the interior walls and ceilings of the cave. The paintings represent primarily large animals, typical local and contemporary fauna that correspond with the fossil record of the Upper Paleolithic time.