Photo : V. Mourre / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Les Eyzies
Les Eyzies is a commune of the Dordogne, in the Périgord Noir, set on the left bank of the Vézère at its confluence with the Beune. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. Its former commune, Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, was nicknamed the world capital of prehistory, because of the number of decorated sites and prehistoric shelters in its surroundings. Cro-Magnon man was discovered there in 1868 in a shelter near the village.
Places to visit include the Font-de-Gaume and Les Combarelles caves, the Sorcerer's cave, the Pataud shelter, the Laugerie-Basse shelter and the Cro-Magnon site. Most of these decorated caves are inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage, under the name Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley. The National Museum of Prehistory, housed partly in the château de Tayac, at the foot of the cliff, presents rich collections of Palaeolithic objects. The village stretches between the river and the limestone walls of the valley.
