Grottes de Lacave

The Lacave caves are a set of caves located just 14 km from our castle. The caves were accidentally discovered on May 27th 1905 by Armand Viré, who also discovered the igue de Saint-Sol. As the entrance to the igue is a well 64 meters deep, and Viré wanted to make this cavity accessible to the public, he began digging a tunnel from the Jouclas cave located on the Place de Lacave where he discovered a number of archaeological remains. The tunnel did not reach the igue de Saint-Sol as planned, but opened by chance the caves of Lacave. Viré had the fittings installed at the end of May. The first visitors entered on September 7th that same year. He owned the caves until 1947, and discovered prehistoric tools and weapons, in bone and horn, as well as flints at the entrance dating from the Solutrean and Magdalenian periods.

A documentary film, entitled “A Journey Out of Time” was shot in the caves of Lacave in 2012. It displays their discovery in the heart of the Dordogne valley, and offers a poetic vision of the caves. It is open to public visits, and you can access the Jouclas cave by a small underground electric train, that takes you to the most interesting rooms and galleries of the Lacave caves. On a 1,600 m round trip you pass numerous lakes and concretions, as well as several rooms. The two most impressive are one with a height under a dome of 60 m, and the other with an area of 2,000 square meters. They are dimly lit by ultraviolet light to bring out the natural fluorescence of certain concretions.

Approximately 100.000 guests will visit these caves every year. If you come and stay at our castle, we highly recommend that you go and explore what our ancestors once left behind.