Photo : PePeEfe / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Musée de Tautavel, Centre Européen
The Tautavel Prehistory Museum, also called the European Centre of Prehistory, is on Avenue Léon-Jean-Grégory, at Tautavel, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. It is the museum of the European Centre for Prehistoric Research of Tautavel (CERPT) and bears the Musée de France label.
It was born from the discovery, in 1971, of Tautavel Man, a Homo erectus about 450,000 years old, in the Caune de l'Arago. Professor Henry de Lumley then launched the construction, on the spot, of a museum presenting the fossils uncovered.
The route retraces the history of humanity in Europe, from the first Europeans to the threshold of writing, from examples taken in the Tautavel region. Visitors have audioguides in five languages.
The museum is closely linked to the research centre, whose laboratories work on prehistoric sites around the world. It offers temporary exhibitions, activities and cultural events throughout the year, notably for families.
The site has level access, a lift and a car park.
