Landmarks and attractions in Aquitaine

7/28/2019 Landmarks and attractions in Aquitaine

1/7

1

Most interesting

attractions and landmarks in

quitaine

Gatis Pvils, 31 July 2011

No.13. http://www.wondermondo.com/Aquitaine.htmImage: Paintings in Lascaux Caveaurochs.

Saa anti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
http://www.wondermondo.com/Aquitaine.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Aquitaine.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Aquitaine.htm


2/7

2

Aquitaine is one of the richest administrative regions in France regarding the wealth of landmarks andattractions. Highlights of this region are::

Prehistoric cave paintings andengravings. Here are located such masterpieces as the

paintings in Lascaux, Font de Gaume and the enigmatic

Grotte de Saint-Cirq.

Pyrenean caves. Some of the largest caves inthe world are located here.

Castles. Region is very rich with medievalcastles, often lotaced in dramatic natural setting. Many

castles have amazing history.

Arresteliako ziloa (Souffleur de Larrandaburu) Pyrnes-Atlantiques. Partly located in Spain, Navarra.

835 m deep cave, length of explored cave passages

60,943 m.

Gouffre d Aphanic Pyrnes-Atlantiques. Abyss

with 328 m deep pitch inside it. Total depth of cave

504 m.

Gouffre de la Pierre Saint Martin Gouffre des

Partages Aquitaine. Part of the cave is located also in

Spain. Very long cave system, length of explored

passages 80,200 m. Up to 1,408 m deep (17th in the world). 7 entrances in French side, 4 in Spanish side.

One of the entrances starts with very impressive 320 m deep abyss. Contains enormous underground voids,

including Salle de la Verna (10th largest in the world) and Salle de lEclipse (12th largest in the world). In the

Wind tunnel there is constant wind with a speed 11 m/s.

Gouffre de Proumeyssac Dordogne. Beautiful show cave with speleothems.

Gouffre du Bracas de Thurugne (Reseau de Soudet) Pyrnes-Atlantiques. 1,170 m deep cave system,

length of explored passages 10,340 m.

The Great Dune of Pyla Gironde. Beautiful nature monument the tallest sand dune in Europe. It is up

to 107 m high and represents a massif which is 500 m wide and 3 km long.

Powerful spotlights try to illuminate the Salle de la

Verna.Roberto Lumbreras, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

Pierre Saint-Martin Cave is one of the greatestcaves in the world with enormous role in the history

of speleology.

The length of the explored passages in Pierre Saint-Martin Cave is 80,200 m (25th in the world),known depth up to 1,408 m (17th in the world).The deepest part of the cave are 71.5 m below thesea level.

Wondermondo is unique project: it aims to describe the most interesting man made and natural attractions /

landmarks in the whole world.

Author of website www.wondermondo.com and each article in it is Gatis Pvils. Visit the site to find a lot more

information!
http://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/France/Aquitaine/PierreStMartinCave.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/France/Aquitaine/PierreStMartinCave.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/France/Aquitaine/PierreStMartinCave.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/France/Aquitaine/PierreStMartinCave.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/France/Aquitaine/PierreStMartinCave.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/index.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/index.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/index.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/http://www.wondermondo.com/http://www.wondermondo.com/http://www.wondermondo.com/index.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/France/Aquitaine/PierreStMartinCave.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/France/Aquitaine/PierreStMartinCave.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/France/Aquitaine/PierreStMartinCave.htmhttp://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/E/France/Aquitaine/PierreStMartinCave.htm


3/7

3

Abri de Cap Blanc Dordogne. Grottoe shelter with cave art from Magdalenian period, 15,000 BC.

Paintings of animals are arranged in a frieze and are done in very high quality. Rock art here adorned theliving space of humans.

Abri du Poisson Dordogne. Short, 8 m deep grottoe with prehistoric paintings. Among other works of art

it is adorned with beautiful, 1.05 m long carving of fish, possibly made 25,000 BC.

Grotte de Bara-Bahau Dordogne. 90 m long cave with prehistoric engravings. 26 engravings are located

on a single panel and show animals and symbols. Made in early Magdalenian period.

Grotte de Bernifal Dordogne. Cave ancient settlement of Magdalenian people. Inhabited 15,000

10,000 years ago. Walls adorned with 110 paintings and engravings of animals and symbols.

Grotte de Cussac Dordogne. Cave with more than 150 Palaeolithic artworks, found also remains of at least

five people. Burials made circa 25,000 years ago.Grotte de Font-De-Gaume Aquitaine. Cave with beautiful prehistoric paintings and engravings in total

230 figures. Cave was inhabited since 25,000 BC. Paintings made circa 17,000 BC. Beautiful frieze of five

bisons.

Grotte de la Mairie Dordogne. Cave with more than 40 paintings from Magdalenian period, 11,500 BP.

Dravings mostly show animals.

Grotte de la Mouthe Dordogne. Grottoe with cave art more than 200 depictions of animals from Upper

Palaeolithic.

Grotte de Lascaux Aquitaine. Group of caves with some of the best known Palaeolithic polychrome

paintings in the world. Paintings made circa 15,300 BC. Mostly drawn large animals.

Grotte de Pair-non-Pair Gironde. Small cave with some 30,000 years old drawings. Currently seen 10

drawings, earlier were visible more than 60. Shown pairs of mammoths, aurochs, deers, horses, also other

animals.

Grotte de Rouffignac Aquitaine. 8,000 m long cave system in chalk. Contains paintings and engravings

of Magdalenian period, more than 13,000 years old. One of the largest painted caves in Europe, also one of the

longest caves in sandstone worldwide. Electric train inside the caves.

Grotte de Saint-Cirq (Grotte du Sorcier) Dordogne. Cave with engravings from Solutrian and

Magdalenian periods in total 15 engravings of animals and abstract symbols. One of drawings shows also a

sorcerer. Engravings created circa 17,000 15,000 BC. This small cave has been used also as wine cellar over

the last centuries.

Grotte des Combarelles Dordogne. 237 m long cave withmore than 400 prehistoric paintings of animals.

Upper Palaeolithic settlement.

Grottes dIsturitz et dOxocelhaya Pyrnes-Atlantiques. Two connected caves (600 m) which contain

important archaeological heritage. Shelters were inhabited 80,000 10,000 BC, there are also artefacts from

Medieval times. 80,000 years ago here were living also Neanderthals. Found flutes which are 35,000 10,000

years old. Walls of caves are adorned with prehistoric wall paintings and engravings.


4/7

4

Abri de la Madeleine and Petit Marzac

Dordogne. Rock shelter, which has provided

scientifically very important and exciting finds. This cave

has given a name to Magdalenian culture. Here were

found approximately 20,000 years old carvings fromivory. In Medieval times here was built a church, partly

inside the cave, as well as a castle.

Cro-Magnon Dordogne. Cave with remnants of

prehistoric people from Upper Palaeolithic, discovered

in 1868. This discovery had huge importance on the

development of prehistoric archaeology.

La Ferrassie Dordogne. Prehistoric site a grotto

with shelter. Cultural layer is more than 10 m thick and

contains artefacts of Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian)

and later ages. Found burials of 7 Neanderthals. Cliffblocks with engravings.

La Micoque Dordogne. Site of prehistoric settlement at the river with 6 distinct archaeological layers.

Found very archaic stone tools of late Acheulian period. Inhabited circa 470,000 350,000 years ago.

Laugerie Haute Dordogne. Cliff shelter ancient settlement, which was inhabited in 22,000 13,000 BC.

Scientifically very important archaeological site a settlement of Gravettian, Solutrian, Badegoulien and

Magdalenian periods. Here were discovered interesting smal statuettes.

Le Moustier Dordogne. Prehistoric cave settlement (two shelters) of great importance to science. Here

were discovered stone tools which were made 56,000 40,000 years ago and gave a name to Mousterian

culture. Discovered also skeleton of Neanderthal, who lived here 45,000 years ago.

Pierrefitte menhir Gironde. 5 m tall menhir. This stone weighs some 50 tons and was erected circa 3000 2500 BC.

Ainhoa Pyrnes-Atlantiques. Historical Basque

village with the characteristic architecture. Mostly built

in 17th 18th century. Interesting headstones in the

village cemetery.

Domme Dordogne. Fortified medieval town in

picturesque location. In the fortress were imprisoned

Knight Templars in 1307, who left numerous mysteriousgraffiti on the prison walls.

Historic centre of Bordeaux Gironde. Exceptional

monument of the 18th century architecture and city

planning, one of the first examples of large scale city

development projects in France.

La Roque-Gageac Dordogne. Medieval village,

perched between a vertical cliff and Dordogne river. Part

of structures are hewn into the cliff.

Monflanquin Lot-et-Garonne. Fortified medieval village with dense, compact urban network. Located on

the top of a hill.

Caves in Vzre valley.

dynamosquito, Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0

Monflanquin.Bernardg, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0


5/7

5

Sarlat-la-Canda medieval centre Dordogne. Very well preserved medieval centre of historical city,

which developed around a monastery.

Chteau de Beynac Dordogne. Very well preserved

medieval castle on a cliff above Dordogne River. Built in12th century. Oldest part is a massive Romanesque keep.

Valuable interiors. Picturesque town at the foot of

mountain.

Chteau de Biron Dordogne. Large, well preserved

medieval castle. Castle built mainly in 12th century,

extended in 16th century.

Chteau de Bonaguil Lot-et-Garonne. Enormous

castle in ruins. Built in the 13th century, rebuilt in 15th

16th centuries. Masterpiece of military architecture,

never attacked.Chteau de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle Dordogne.

Massive medieval fortress castle, built in 13th century

and later.

Chteau de Commarque Dordogne. Ruins of enormous medieval castle on rocky outcrop. Initially in

12th century built as a wooden castle, extended in the time period up to the 14th century.

Chteau de Fayrac Dordogne. Well preserved medieval castle, built in 15th 19th century.

Chteau de la Brde Gironde. Gothic castle, built in 14th century. Romantic water castle. Montesquieu

lived here and created most of his works.

Chteau de la Grande Filolie Dordogne. Picturesque castle, built in 14th 16th century.Chteau de Pau Pyrnes-Atlantiques. Medieval castle, rebuilt in Renaissance style. Very ornate interiors.

Now it houses museum with important art collections.

Chteau de Puymartin Dordogne. Large, well preserved castle palace from 13th 19th century. Ghost

stories.

Chteau de Roquetaillade Gironde. Well preserved medieval castle. Built in 1306. Castle has got very

ornate interiors. The same family owns the castle for more than 700 years.

Chteau de Villandraut Gironde. Impressive castle ruins. Castle was built in 1305 1312. It had very

ornate interior.

Maison forte de Reignac Dordogne. The best preserved troglodythic castle in France a castle partly

built into the cliff.

Chteau de Hautefort Dordogne. A Renaissance palace, reconstructed in the 17th century. Beautiful

French gardens.

Chteau de Losse Dordogne. Interesting Renaissance palace, built in 16th 18th century. Fortified, with

historical furniture.

Chteau of Antoine dAbbadie Pyrnes-Atlantiques. Interesting Neo-Gothic palace, built in 1864

1879.

Chteau de Bonaguil.Philip Capper, Flickr. CC BY 2.0


6/7

6

The church in the Abbey of Sorde-lAbbaye

Landes. Ancient abbey, founded in 960. The

Romanesque church is very old as well the tower is

built in 10th century, church itself mainly in 12th

century. Valuable sculptures and mosaics.

The church in the Abbey of Saint-Sever Landes.

This abbey was an important arts centre in 11th century.

The large Romanesque church is built in 11th century

and has preserved polychrome capitels, adorned with

lions.

Cadouin Abbey and church Dordogne. A

monastery, founded in 1115. The massive Romanesque

church was consecrated in 1154. Beautiful cloister with

richly carved capitels. Abbey owned a relic a purported

shroud of Christ and thus it was a place of pilgrimage.This shroud is very old and has historical improtance but

certainly is not a shroud of Christ.

Oloron St. Mary Cathedral Pyrnes-Atlantiques. Large and interesting Romanesque cathedral.

Construction started in 1102, completed (by adding Gothic details) in 14th century. Interesting Romanesque

stone carvings.

Prigueux St. Front Cathedral Dordogne. Massive Romanesque Byzantine cathedral, built after 1120

and rebuilt in 19th century. Church has five domes.

Saint Front Prigueux Cathedral Dordogne. Largest church in the south-western part of France.

Constructed in 12th century in Romanesque and Byzantine styles. A planning of the church is typical for

Byzantine churches what is very unusual in France.Saint-Emilion monolithic church Gironde. Rock-cut church, made in 11th century. The hall is

surprisingly large.

Bayonne Cathedral Pyrnes-Atlantiques. Large

Gothic cathedral. Construction begun in the 13th

century, completed by 17th century. The original church

has been considerably rebuilt.

Bazas Cathedral Gironde. Beautiful Gothic

cathedral, designed after the great cathedrals of theNorthern France and built in 13th 14th centuries.

Especially valuable is the portal with numerous

sculptures.

Saint-Michel Basilica, Bordeaux Gironde.

Interesting Gothic church, built in 14th 16th century.

The tower stands separately from the church -it is 114 m

high. The church itself is large as well 75 m long, with

23 m high nave.

Eyrignac Manor gardens Dordogne. Some of the most beautiful gardens in France, gradually developed

and well tended since the 18th century.

Prigueux St. Front Cathedral.

Luidger, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Bazas Cathedral, adornment of portal.Ophelia2, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0


7/7

7

Jardins de Marqueyssac Dordogne. Magnificent historical gardens with amazing topiaries.

Cabanes du Breuil Dordogne. A group of

interesting dry stone buildings used as agricultural

summer houses. Possibly built in medieval times.

Cordouan lighthouse Gironde. Very old,

impressive lighthouse, built in 1584 1611. The

structure is 67.5 m tall and has features of Renaissance

architecture style, including a very rich ornamentation

of interiors.

Croix Cyclique dHendaye Pyrnes-Atlantiques. A

cross in the centre of Hendaye town. It is adorned with

mysterious alchemic symbols and has casued much

interest among people willing to decipher it. Cross was

hewn in the 17th century.Grand Thtre de Bordeaux Gironde. Large

theatre building with Neo-Classical facade, built in 1780.

Muse Bonnat Pyrnes-Atlantiques, Bayonne. One

of the best art galleries in southern France with rich collections of Spanish painting and 19th century French

art.

Cabanes du Breuil.Manfred Heyde, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA3.0

Landmarks and attractions in Aquitaine

Documents

Transcript of Landmarks and attractions in Aquitaine