FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 21, 2015 update - The replica of the Chauvet Cave [2] in the Ardèche department of the Rhône-Alpes [3], containing the world’s oldest known cave paintings, is now opened to the public on April 25, 2015. Representing 30 months of work, the replica, which is known as “The Pont d’Arc Cave,” is located less than five miles from the Chauvet Cave and will be the largest faithful replica of a prehistoric site in Europe.

"The Decorated Cave of Pont-d’Arc is an invitation to a journey back in time, a wonderful dive into the heart of humanity and a major landmark in the history of civilization," said Pascal Terrasse, President of the Cavern of Pont-d’Arc Grand Project and MP for the Ardèche. "Our ambition is to give visitors the opportunity to feel the same emotions, experience the same sensations and the surprise to discover a unique place in the world. And this crazy project in all respects - technological, artistic as well as scientific has now become reality.” He added: “Today, we can be proud to offer the world the most perfect recreation of The Decorated Cave of Pont-d’Arc, the largest cave reproduction ever created."

Dating back 36,000 years, the Chauvet cave predates the renowned Lascaux caves by 21,000 years and contains 1,000 representations, including 425 animal figures made from stone engravings, carbon designs and paintings. An exceptional testimony to the invention of art, lions, caves, bears, snow panthers, mammoths and other predatory animals are depicted, showcasing the quality of the artists’ techniques. The cave has been closed to the public since its discovery for conservation purposes. Set within a vast wooded area covering 72 acres, the Pont d’Arc Cave will feature a discovery center as well as the Chauvet cave replica, which will have a walkway with ten learning stations. Developed closely with a scientific research team to offer a truly state of the art experience, the site is expected to attract 300,000 to 400,000 visitors per year.

“Discovered nearly 20 years ago, The Decorated Cave of Pont-d’Arc elicits all sorts of superlatives,” commented Jean-Jack Queyranne, President of the Rhône-Alpes Region [3], and former minister, and Vice-President of the Cavern of Pont-d’Arc Grand Project. “This unique cave, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is not only the oldest cave decorated by man, it is also the most stunning, the largest and the best preserved of all,” he asserted.