Grotte des Demoiselles, Show cave in Saint-Bauzille-de-Putois, France.
Grotte des Demoiselles is a show cave set in limestone cliffs near Saint-Bauzille-de-Putois in southern France, made up of several chambers arranged across different levels. The passages are filled with stalactites, stalagmites, and other mineral formations shaped by water slowly moving through the rock over a very long time.
The cave was first explored on 15 July 1780 by Benoît-Joseph Marsollier des Vivetières, but the visit that truly revealed it came in 1889, when speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel entered; the descent was perilous at the time. Development for visitors began in 1931, and the cave has been open to the public since then.
The name "Grotte des Demoiselles" comes from old Occitan stories in which fairies lived in underground chambers. This legend is still part of how people in the region talk about and relate to the cave today.
The cave can only be visited on a guided tour, and booking ahead is a good idea during the summer season. Inside, temperatures are noticeably cooler and the air is damp, so a light jacket and shoes with a good grip will make the visit more comfortable.
The 160-metre access tunnel was begun in 1926 for a funicular that climbs to the cave entrance at a maximum gradient of 36 percent. It is a funicular, not a cable car, and it spares visitors the steep walk up the Thaurac plateau.
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