Grotte de Roland

Useful Information

Location:	4 km north of Montcuq, Departement Lot. (44.366681, 1.193754)
Open:	closed. [2011]
Fee:	closed. [2011]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	L=1,700 m.
Guided tours:	L=410 m, D=60min
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Grotte de Roland, Nicole et Louis Vignoles, Roland, 46800 Montcuq, Tel: +33-565-229990. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1949	discovered by Fernand Vignoles, the owner of the land, while exploring a small natural sinkhole.
1971	cave opened as a show cave and operated by Fernand Vignoles.
1990	cave closed for renovations to meet safety standards.
1993	reopened by Louis and Nicole Vignoles.
31-DEC-2011	permanently closed.

Description

The Grotte de Roland (Cave at Roland) was discovered in 1949 when a well was sunk. The cave was once open naturally and inhabited by Cave Bears (Ursus spelaeus) which left claw scratchens on the walls. Beneath the bones of cave bears, some bones of cave lions were found. During the Iron Age, in the Hallstatt Era (~700 BC), the cave was used as a cemetery. So the guided tours explain three different aspects of the cave, the geologic situation, the palaeontologic remains and the archaeological findings.

Grotte de Roland is named after its location, Roland is a small village, consisting only of half a dozen farms, located north of Montcuq. At Montcuq centre take the D653 northeast towards Cahors, at the last houses of the village turn left towards Roland.

Unfortunately Grotte de Roland was permanently closed 2011. The owner, Louis Vignoles, explained that necessary improvements on the surface and in the cave were necessary. This included renovating the restrooms, meeting accessibility standards for people with disabilities, renewing the trails and the railings, building safety nets, and installing a new light system with LEDs. The main problem was, that the cave only had 5,000 visitors per year, and so there was actually no money for financing such improvements. This area, southern Quercy, is not a tourist area. So the only show cave in this area is now closed.