A history of the cave 1813 : youths from Arbois entering the cave discover Bronze Age graves 1904 : first exploration, with the advent of speleology; all the dry galleries currently known are exposed and the first topography of the cave is created 1936 : opened to the public 1946-1947 : works resumed after the Liberation of France first giant pot-holes in the fossil gallery exposed 1974 : discovery of a link through a well between the upper entry hole and the main gallery 1975 : archaeological site is revealed In 1935, Emile Bonnivard, grandfather of the site's current operator, undertook the first development works outside the cave: purchasing land leading from the village to the cave, opening up a road and damming the Cuisance. Inside the cave, wooden walkways were installed after digging a channel between the "Great Auditorium" and the top of the waterfalls outside to lower the water level. After the Liberation, the fossil gallery was cleared to unveil the giant pot-holes. The current layout of the visiting gallery dates back to the 70s when the entire site was vetted. |
