From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Padirac Cave
Padirac Cave
Coordinates: 44°51′28.9794″N 01°45′0.504″E
44.858049833°N 1.75014°E / 44.858049833; 1.75014
/
Tourism
Visitor Centre
The first tourists visited the cave on November 1, 1898,
however the site was officially opened for tourism on
April 10, 1899 by Georges Leygues, the 87th prime minis-
ter of France (then called président du conseil). Today, al-
though the cave system is made up of more than 40 km
(25 mi) of galleries, only 2 km have been opened for
tourism.
Since the 1930s, visitors can access the underground
cave system by descending 75 m by lift or stairs, and then
Padirac Chasm exploring the cave system on foot and by boat.
Padirac holds the record for the most frequently vis-
The Padirac Chasm or Gouffre de Padirac is a cave lo- ited underground tourism facility in France. More than
cated near Gramat, in the Lot département, in France. 350,000 visitors annually, and a record of 460,000 in 1991.
Features Exploration
The chasm itself is approximately 99 m (325 ft) around its The cave was first explored, in 1889, by Édouard-Alfred
rim with a diameter of approximately 35 metres (115 ft). Martel. Much of the credit for opening the cave system is
Visitors descend 75 m via a lift or a staircase before en- owed to Guy de Lavaur (1903–1986), who came to Padirac
tering the cave system. The cave, at a depth of 103 metres in 1938 and managed to penetrate 15 km (9.3 mi) of the
(338 ft), contains a subterranean river system that is passages.
partly negotiable by boat. This cave system is regarded
as "one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena of
the Massif Central".[1]
References
[1] France, Green Guide, Michelin, 2000,
Formation ISBN 2-06-000069-6
The chasm was created at an undetermined point in time
when the roof collapsed into a large internal cavern. It
External links
is known that the cavern existed in the 3rd century, and • Le Gouffre de Padirac official website
was inhabited during the 15th and 16th centuries during
which time Potassium nitrate was excavated from the
area.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Padirac Cave
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Categories:
• Caves of France
• Show caves in France
• Limestone caves
• Geography of Lot (department)
• Visitor attractions in Lot (department)
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