On Saturday, France opened a stunning new visitor attraction: a 100% reproduction of the famed Lascaux Cave, with its pre-historic paintings that opened a whole new view of early human society.
The original cave was found by 4 teenagers in 1940, and has been closed to visitors since 1963 to prevent damage and exposure to the art. A replica opened shortly after, called Lascaux 2, reproduced only part of the cavern, and was so close to the original, far up a hill, that a new copy was called for.
Called Lascaux 4 because there's a traveling exhibit called Lascaux 3, is, according to Jean-Pierre Chadelle, anm archaeologist with the Dordogne regional authority, "the first time that we've reconstructed the entire Lascaux cave. Unlike the previous version, it's located in the village, with adequate facilities for visitors. The new reproduction of the site took a team of 30 workers four years to complete at a cost of 66 million euros ($70 million).
One visitor for the opening had a special interest: he's the last survivor of the 4 boys who found the original. Simon Coencas, now 89, joined President Hollande at the opening.
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