History of the National Prehistory Museum

November 28, 2007

Les Eyzies Castle before reconstruction To say how long cliff dwellings have existed at Les Eyzies may be an obvious statement to make, but it is nevertheless necessary. The privileged position of its upper cliff terrace, overlooking a vast hunting ground and a main passing through place for reindeer, was, without a doubt, the first reason that Magdalenians chose this exact spot 12,000 years ago.Traces of their settlings can still be seen, lodged between the the castle?s two main buildings, where excavations were carried out at the beginning of the XXth century. But what happened in between these two eras? After a medieval intermediate period, of which little is known, even today,(the numerous scars in the rock:- sockets for posts and beams,chanelling for water and man-made cavities probably date from this period),the history of Les Eyzies? castle needs to be traced. Contrary to assertions in local litterature, this solid structure was built relatively recently and the private family history of the Lords of Beynac involved in its origin.

The castle was mentioned for the first time in 1585, in Jeanne de Campnac?s act of donation to her youngest son Jean-Guy de Beynac. Several years before, on 11th December 1578, Jean-Guy was given the right to build a fortified house wherever it suited him. We owe Les Eyzies? castle, therefore, to this highly colourful character who appears to have come from a swashbuckling novel..He was part of a league and compromised during the Duke of Bouillon?s conspiracy, condemned to death, then pardonned by Henry the IVth. Jean-Guy had certainly measured the srategic position of Les Eyzies, both well sheltered and exposed , at the confluent of the Beune and the Vézère, which were almost obligatory communication routes in this region of thick forests. A quarter of a century after it was built, the castle was very nearly razed to the ground by decision of the private Council in March 1606 ,but Turenne intervened and had the threat suspended. After Jean-Guy?s death, around 1615, his heirs only modified the building very slightly and the family was not to be spared by the fate of arms, for 3 of their sons died on Louis X1Vth battle fields.

In 1748, the castle and grounds fell, by marriage, to Elisabeth de la Borie de Campagne who lived there until she died. Her grandson, Géraud wanted to renovate the building, but the Revolution put an end to that and he was forced to emigrate.By a tragic irony of fate,François Lassudrie bought the castle in the year X1…..and turned it into a stone quarry! This is when dismantling began- to be carried on by his heirs, till ,in the year 1846, the Esclafer family saved it through their purchase. It was high time too, all that was left of the ruins were a few cyclopean walls some mullion ribs and the base of a watchtower. Inside, two vaulted rooms and two monumental fire places had managed to escape damage. At the turn of the XXth century, the future of the castle became that of the archeology museum, but there lies another story……

The Museum today

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