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Grotte Les Cuves de Sassenage
The Cuves de Sassenage are limestone caves in Sassenage, near Grenoble, at the foot of the Vercors massif. The network is about 12 kilometres long. An underground river, the Germe, flows there at a constant temperature of 12 °C. It is a resurgence linked to the Gouffre Berger. The site receives about 10,000 visitors a year and is served by public transport from the Grenoble conurbation.
The first systematic explorations date from the eighteenth century. Since the late Middle Ages, the Cuves have been among the seven wonders of the Dauphiné. According to tradition, the fairy Melusine still lives there: the historian Nicolas Chorier tells that she remained a prisoner of the place after her husband surprised her during her cursed transformation, unable to regain human form.
Some authors suggest that Dante took inspiration from these caves to describe Hell in the Divine Comedy, because of gallery names such as the Hell gallery and the spectacular flow of water. The guided tour follows a route of about a kilometre.
