The glory of Montignac is associated primarily with the Paleolithic caves of Lasko, which are located closest to the town. It is here that you can buy tickets, and from here you can also go on excursions to the caves. Meanwhile, in itself Montignac is a very pretty medieval town and even more than just some standard village. The location on the river Weser makes the city beautiful and interesting to visit in any case. There are castles, embankments, historical buildings, the ancient bridge

How to get to Montignac

It's quite difficult to get to the city by public transport, but there are many good highways from different directions, and in Montignac there are no problems with parking. So it's most convenient to get here by traveling to Perigord on a car.

A bit of history

The local places were inhabited since the Paleolithic times, as evidenced by the famous caves in District. Later, the Romans arrived, who built two villas, which have not reached our time. In the Middle Ages, a fortified castle was built in Montignac, but it has been almost destroyed since 1825. The castle stood on the shore of Weser, in its smallest place, where later, in the middle of the 18th century, a bridge was built of stone. The bridge has survived to this day and is called the Old.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions Montignac

Weser divides Montignac into two parts, the right-bank and the left-bank. The first, something like a sleeping area, has preserved the traces of the Middle Ages in the form of narrow streets and houses, the oldest of which date back to the 14th century. Here, on the shore, there are several pile houses and picturesque half-timbered buildings, and also an old system of reservoirs with public laundries. The left-bank part of Montignac became the center of religion and commerce: there was a river port and a priory with the abbey

The first thing you notice in Montignac is, of course, the bridge and the houses with balconies on the embankment . The original bridge was burned by Protestants and in its present form a beautiful arched construction with remarkable ice-floes . Tourist office is located in the old building of the Apostle John's Hospital . Pay attention to the building opposite - St. George's Prior . Now there is a covered market of handicrafts and ornaments .Another noteworthy place is the 18th century nunnery, from where you can enjoy pleasant views of the river and houses with half-timbered upper floors .

Walking along winding streets, you will somehow get out on a small hill, to the ruins of the castle. In the 9th century, the castle was built to withstand the Norman invasion, and was rebuilt many times in the 12th and 13th centuries. Today, here, to a greater or lesser extent, only the tower and several fragments of the wall are preserved.

Montignac's main street, Pegerie, is still built up in the 14th century houses, then lived and kept their shops prosperous merchants . Here is also a pretty half-timbered house, and the house number 1 is believed to belong to Jeanne d'Albret, the mother of King Henry IV . In the church square it is worth spending a few minutes to visit the Catholic Church of Sen -Pierre, quite impressive building 16 with a remarkable bell tower . Inside is a valuable canvas "The Death of Saint Bruno," written in the 17th century, is believed to be by Juan Sanchez-Cotán, one of the founders of Spanish realism . And near the church is a beautiful Arms Square built in the 14th century, 18 centuries .

Carnot square near the church - the place of traditional markets on Saturday (more) and on Wednesday (smaller). From here depart some very picturesque alleys with pretty houses with shutters painted in blue. Attractive from the tourist point of view, the block is located near the bridge near the Merilu quay, on Lafitte Street. There are many cafes and restaurants here, where it is very pleasant to sit with a view of the river.

Culong Castle is believed to have been built as part of a single system of fortifications designed to protect the Montignac priory during the Hundred Years War . @ It is located about 3 km straight from Montignac, in the heart of the small Laurence valley . Every couple of centuries since the 13th century the castle passed from hand to hand and at the end of the 20th century was opened for public visit . Restoration occupied about 10 years and was very difficult . But today you can not either Only to inspect the chateau outside with fortifications, bastions, 17th century chapels and towers (around the circle around the circle takes about 20 minutes), but also go inside to see weapons, sentry, halls with bows, armor and artillery pieces, and walk along the wall and look into the chapel .

Neighborhood Montignac

Near Montignac there are many interesting places to visit. First of all, these are the most famous caves Lasko. The caves are distinguished by the most interesting rock paintings, which are perfectly preserved for their age (at least 7,000 years). The pictures are surprisingly carefully executed and colorful

Loss Castle is located 5 km from the city on the bank of the Weser . It is small but charming in its own way . This fortress belonged to the Loss family for centuries from the 11th to the 12th century, when the first representatives of the family moved here from Flanders . In the 16th century, at the site of the medieval castle, another Loss built a palace in the style of revival - although not forgetting about the requirements of the defensive capability . The castle together with the gardens was open to the general public in 1928 . In its interiors preserved Renaissance me spruce and utensils, and in the corner turret-chatelet an exposition of earlier objects was created . Also there are two very attractive villages that are considered one of the most beautiful in the region . The first is Saint Amand de Coley, famous for its fortified church, one of the most beautiful in Perigora . The village is named after a saint who lived as a hermit in one of the local caves in the 6th century . Monastery b l built here in the 12th century and in the 14th the church was turned into a kind of fortress with reinforced thick walls, battlements and blind stairs that ended in dead ends to deceive potential precipitating .But behind all these terrible details is the beauty of the old Romanesque design with its simple and clean lines .

The second village is Saint-Leon-sur-Weser, whose alleys and streets are paved beautiful local stone . What is noteworthy for the village in this area, Saint-Leon was almost not built up by new houses and not even restored: rather, it is carefully maintained in the original medieval state . Even the roofs in the majority remained old, with traditional stone Masonry . Little C The village was placed in the place of a Roman villa, and traces of this can be seen from the side of the river . In addition, it was located on a pilgrimage route from the abbey of Wesele to Kadouin: this route is generally known for the numerous small churches located on it .

And about 60 km north-west of Montignac is the most important tourist center of the region - Perigueux. It is worth to go there: the city has more than 40 historical and architectural monuments. The main one is the beautiful cathedral of Saint-Fron. In Perigueux there are as it were two groups of attractions: the medieval and Roman times, so the trip here in order to fully inspect everything in no way takes less than a day. To get to Perigueux from Montignac, you can, for example, take a shuttle bus.