Aven d'Orgnac is a

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

located near

Orgnac-l'Aven Orgnac-l'Aven (; oc, Ornhac de l'Avenc) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas re ...

, in the

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'', France. it was discovered in 1935 by

Robert de Joly Robert-Jacques de Joly (, Paris – , Montpellier) was a famous French caver and speleologist. Considered by some as the successor to Édouard-Alfred Martel (the "father of modern speleology"), de Joly was a leading figure of French speleology ...

and has been open to the public since 1939. It is one of the most visited attractions in the area.

Bibliography in French

External links

Official website
Limestone caves Show caves in France Landforms of Ardèche Tourist attractions in Ardèche Caves of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Vivarais {{Ardèche-geo-stub