Page 114 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Northern Spain

112  NOR THERN SP AIN REGION B Y REGION

f Museo de Altamira

In 1985, the Altamira Cave near Santander was added to
UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The magnificent paintings,
the earliest of which date back to 36,000 BC, depict
herds of bison, horses, deer and anthropomorphic
figures in black contours. The animals are painted with
remarkable accuracy that was evidently based on close
observation. To protect the works, public entry to the
cave is restricted to five people once a week, but the
on-site museum contains replicas of the cave and the
paintings, with additional exhibitions. Painting of a Bison
On the ceiling of the cave is a herd
of bison painted with amazing realism
and expressiveness; some of the bison
are standing still, others are running
or kneeling, still others have fallen
to the ground.

Bears made a lair of the cave
once it had been abandoned
. Final Gallery by humans. The skeleton
In the final section of the new cave, a replica of part of of a bear that perished in
the original cave, one can admire the lesser-known but the winter can be seen in
still beautiful paintings. a shallow oval cavity on
the floor of the new cave.

. Cave with Paintings
Most of the depictions of animals
were painted on the ceiling of a
chamber in the main section of the
cave, which measures 100 sq m
(1,076 sq ft).
Entrance to the
Key
new cave
New cave
Cave with paintings
Palaeolithic campsite
Archaeological dig
Painter’s workshop
Final Gallery
Permanent exhibitions Archaeological Dig
In the new cave,
Auditorium
fragments of tools used
Terrace by Palaeolithic hunters
Activities area can be seen near the dig.
For hotels and restaurants see pp204–5 and pp217–19

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