Aven Armand

It started as no more than a little hole in the ground!
Soon enough though, it turned out to be 33 to 49 ft wide and 13 to 23 ft deep...
Who would have thought that, just like an iceberg, two thirds of it was concealed below!
What appears from ground level to be no more than a crater 33 to 49 ft wide and 13 to 23 ft deep actually marks the point above a huge gaping pit 246 ft deep that opens into a massive oval-shaped room: the 'grande salle' (great hall).
This impressive space, 393 ft long by 197 ft wide, falls sharply to a point 367 ft below the hole in the surface, filling a total volume of 261,590 cubic yards. Although much of the upper part is covered in scree, the lower part is a forest of stalagmites (measuring between 3 and 100 ft) that has been dubbed the 'Forêt Vierge' (virgin forest).
The crater, which remained unexplored for several millennia, has been the source of many worries, fears and legends. For a long time, the local population believed this natural monument to be the devil's throat, swallowing herds of animals and even the odd lost traveller.
Of course, when Louis Armand explored Aven for the first time after discovering it, with Edouard Martel, the pioneer of speleology, on 19th September 1997, what he found was nothing like a bone yard.
Instead, what he found, and what mankind saw for the first time, was the 'Forêt Vierge' in all its splendour:
"[...] There are at least 100 columns. The highest must be 80 foot high. I've never seen anything like it. Come down and have a look. »
Over the years that followed, Louis Armand and, in particular, Edouard Alfred Martel, returned to explore Aven on several occasions, and during the fifth visit, on 26th May 1926, Edouard Alfred Martel measured the size of their discovery, stating that "nothing like it has ever been discovered underground before".
In the meantime, three entrepreneurs from Toulouse, a Mr. Pins, Mr. Tondut and Mr. Paul, founded the 'Société Anonyme de l'Aven Armand' limited liabilities company on 25th August 1925, to try to develop tourism at the site. The first work to this end began on 1st June 1926, and involved first connecting the RN586 to the entrance of Aven before digging a tunnel at a gentle gradient (682 ft in length) down to the 'grande salle'. Next, stairs had to be created to allow visitors to move smoothly through the cave, and finally, pathways were marked around the stalagmites.
Today, thanks to these people (Edouard Alfred Martel, Louis Armand, Mr. Pins, Mr. Tondut and Mr. Paul), visitors can make the trip in a funicular that takes them more than 328 ft underground. When they arrive at their destination, they find themselves in the 'Forêt Vierge', a room easily large enough to hold Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral. Visitors are guided the space decorated with 400 stalagmites, the most impressive of which have evocative names like 'le Palmier' (the palm tree), 'les Draperies' (draperies), 'les Méduses' (jellyfish), 'le Chou-Fleur' (the cauliflower) and 'la Machoire du Tigre' (tiger's jaw).
Grotte de l'Aven Armand
Aven Armand - 48150 Meyrueis, France.
Tel.: +33 (0)4 66 45 61 31.
Open daily from 20th March to 11th November.
Opening hours:
March, April, October, November: from 10:00am to 12:00pm and from 1:30pm to 5:00pm.
May, September: from 10:00am to 12:00pm and from 1:30pm to 5:15pm.
June: from 10:00am to 12:00pm and from 1:30pm to 5:00pm.
July and August: from 9:30am to 6:00pm.
Adult price: ?8.30.
Child price (5 to 15 years): ?5.70.
Youth price (15 to 20 years): ?6.70.
Reduced price: ?7.50.