Grotte de la Devèze
Musée Français de la Spéléologie
Useful Information
| Location: |
Courniou les Grottes, near Saint-Pons.
E80 exit Vendres/Béziers, D64 north, then N112 for 55km.
In the village at the abandoned railway station.
(43°28'26.27"N, 2°42'50.21"E)
|
| Open: |
Cave:
JAN closed.
FEB to MAR Sat, Sun, Hol 14-17.
APR to JUN daily 14-17.
JUL to AUG daily 10-18.
SEP daily 14-17.
OCT to DEC Sat, Sun, Hol 14-17.
Museum:
JAN closed.
FEB to MAR Sat, Sun, Hol.
APR to JUN daily 12-18.
JUL to AUG daily 10-19.
SEP daily 12-18.
OCT to DEC Sat, Sun, Hol.
[2007]
|
| Fee: |
Cave with Museum:
Adults EUR 6.50, Children (7-14) EUR 3, Children (0-6) free.
Groups (10+): Adults EUR 5.50, School Pupils EUR 2.
Museum:
Adults EUR 2, Children (7-14) EUR 1.
Groups (10+): Adults EUR 1, School Pupils EUR 1.
[2007]
|
| Classification: |
 Karst cave.
Marble.
|
| Light: |
electric.
|
| Dimension: |
|
| Guided tours: |
D=60min.
|
| Bibliography: |
|
| Address: |
Grotte de la Devèze, 34220 Courniou les Grottes. Tel: +33-467-970324, Fax: +33-467-973348.
E-mail: 
Joëlle et Patrick Pallu, 8, rue Camille Robert, 77700 Coupvray, Tel: +33-609-346193, Tel: +33-603-165639.
E-mail: 
|
| Last update: | $Date: 2008/07/01 20:22:45 $ |
History
| | |
| 1886 | Bédarieux/Mazamet railroad built, cave discovered. |
| 09-JAN-1893 | explored by E.A. Martel, Bourguet and Armand. |
| 1928 | intensive exploration by M. Milhaud and his team. |
| 1930 | Milhaud discovers the upper level. |
| 1932-1933 | developed as a show cave by the Spéléo-Club de la Montagne Noire et de l'Espinouse. |
| 1939 | equipped with electric light. |
| 1939 | inauguration by the famous French speleologist Norbert Casteret. |
| 1971 | speleologic museum founded at Gagny (Seine-Saint-Denis). |
Description
The Grotte de la Devèze is famous for its extraordinary
speleothems, fragile needles, transparent or of white colour consisting of
calcite and aragonite.
This is why the cave is also called le palais de la fileuse de verre (the
palace of the glass spinner).
The most magnificent speleothems can be seen in the Salle G. Milhaud,
almost at the end of the tour.
The cave was discovered during the construction of the Bédarieux-Mazamet
railroad in 1886-87.
This original entrance is today a circular hole in the northeast corner of the
railway station, seven meters above the yard.
Rail workers first poked through the cave, devastating the concretions.
But the first real exploration was carried out by
E. A. Martel,
Bourguet and Armand in 1893.
Bourguet drew the first map of the cave with a vertical
cross-section the same evening.
Then the cave was forgotten until M. Milhaud and his
team started the exploration in 1928.
They discovered the upper level with its beautiful concretions in 1930.
Subsequently the cave was developed as a show cave by the
Spéléo-Club de la Montagne Noire et de l'Espinouse, cavers
from Mazamet and nearby Saint Pons.
Soon after it was equipped with electric light, and then officially opened by
the famous French speleologist
Norbert Casteret.
The yard of the now abandoned railway station is also the location of the
Musée Français de la Spéléologie (French
Speleologic Museum).
Although there is no offical ranking of speleologic museums, they claim to have
the National museum.
Anyway, this museum is rather big and well done, it is officially approved and
controlled by the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris (Natural
History Museum of Paris) and supported by the Fédération
Française de Spéléologie (French Speleologic Society)
and the Parc Régional du Haut-Languedoc (Regional Park of the
Haut-Languedoc).
The museum is maintained by the speleologists
Joëlle and Patrick Pallu.
It was originally created by the Équipe Spéléo
Centre-Terre in 1971 at Gagny (Seine-Saint-Denis).
The exhibits include the most important collection of documents, devices and
equipment from the heyday of French speleology.
It was supported by
Norbert Casteret,
Pierre Chevalier,
Haroun Tazieff,
Guy De Lavaur, Bernard Geze,
and the widow of
Robert de Joly.
The topics of the exhibition are the history of caving, great cavers, geology,
speleobiology, cave protection and local caving.
See also
