Lascaux, located near the village of Montignac, is famous for its Stone Age cave paintings, estimated to be 17,000 years old. The most famous section of the cave is The Great Hall of the Bulls where bulls, equines and stags are painted. One of the bulls is 17 feet long, the largest animal discovered so far in cave art. Lascaux was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list along with other prehistoric sites in the Vézère valley.
The kids had told us the cave was discovered (in 1940) by four teenagers looking for their stray dog and that it had been closed to the public because of the damage the paintings had suffered after years of being open to visitors. The carbon dioxide produced by the visitors, as well as pollen and other elements introduced into the cave, was damaging the paintings.
So when you visit Lascaux, you're actually in Lascaux II, an exact replica of the two main cave halls and their paintings, which was opened in 1983, 200 meters from the original. But unless they tell you, you won't know they are reproductions.
You are not allowed to take photographs, so the ones here are courtesy of Wikipedia.
