Historical Places You Are Not Allowed to Visit
Lascaux Caves: A Complex of Caves Famous for Its Paleolithic Cave Paintings (France) Lascaux Caves is a complex of caves in southwestern France that is famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. They contain 900 of the most perfect surviving examples of Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be 17,300 years old. They primarily consist of images of large animals, most of which are known from fossil evidence to have lived in the area at the time. The caves, which have been banned to the public since 1963, have been menaced in recent years by a series of unexplained, and only partially controlled, fungal invasions. Any human presence in the caves is regarded as potentially destructive. Normally, they are entered only once a week by one security guard for a few minutes at a time. In 1979, Lascaux was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list along with other prehistoric sites in the Vézère Valley, France.