🎨 Lascaux IV
Complete replica of Paleolithic painted cave, Dordogne, France
📌 Fast Facts
- Location: Vézère Valley, Dordogne, southwestern France
- Opened: December 2016
- Original cave paintings: approximately 17,000 years old
- UNESCO inscription: 1979
Lascaux IV is a museum and full-scale facsimile of the original Lascaux cave in southwestern France that preserves access to Paleolithic art while protecting the authentic site from further deterioration. The original cave was discovered in 1940 by four teenagers and has been sealed to the public since 1963 due to microclimatic damage caused by visitor presence and algae growth. Lascaux IV was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 as part of the Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves ...