Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc (Valon) is a village in southern France in the Ardèche Department. The village is a gateway to one of the most beautiful tourist sites in France, the Ardèche Gorges, where the Ardèche river has carved a dramatic canyon through a limestone plateau. The village is named after the Pont d'Arc, a natural rock arch, which has been classified as a Great Site of France.
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
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- Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
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Etalab API Découpage administratif · Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
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Overview
Overview
Also the location of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the decorated cave of Pont d’Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, and its replica, Chauvet Cave 2. The cave contains some of the earliest known prehistoric paintings in the world and constitutes an exceptional testimony of prehistoric cave art. In the center of the town is a château built in the 17th century, now the town hall, which is decorated with Aubusson tapestries, as well as the place couverte or old grain square, and the place du Verger.
Documentary record
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc appears in the authority records of the Etalab API Découpage administratif and the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names as a place. The authority records of the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names record Vallon-Pont-d'Arc as an inhabited place. Etalab API Découpage administratif records Vallon-Pont-d'Arc as a commune. The authority records of the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names record Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as the administrative unit of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. Etalab API Découpage administratif records Ardèche as the administrative unit of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. Etalab API Découpage administratif records Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as the administrative region of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. Etalab API Découpage administratif records France as the country of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. The area of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc is 2,910.97 hectares, according to the Etalab API Découpage administratif. The Etalab API Découpage administratif records the postal code 07150 for Vallon-Pont-d'Arc.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Vallon-Pont-d'Arc • Commune Status — Commune • Arrondissement — Largentière • Canton — Vallon-Pont-d'Arc • Insee — 07330 • Postal Code — 07150 • Mayor — Guy Massot • Term — 2020–2026 • Elevation M — 118 • Elevation Min M — 60 • Elevation Max M — 434 • Area Km2 — 28.62
Sights
Sights
• Illustration — Ardèche River in Vallon-Pont d'Arc • The Pont d'Arc • The Chauvet Cave is not open to the public. In 2015, a replica Chauvet Cave 2 was opened to the public, which is the largest decorated replica cavern in the world. Chauvet Cave 2 is also a conference center and hosts workshops and cultural activities relating to prehistoric art and civilization. • The Gorges de l'Ardèche • Departure point for the river descent by kayak or canoe of the Gorges de l'Ardèche (from Pont d'Arc to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche). • The Château or Hôtel de ville (a castle constructed in 1630-1639 under Louis XIII) houses seven Aubusson tapestries showing the crusades, exhibited in the Salle des Mariages. • Chastelas outside the village • Library • Contemporary art gallery Galerie du Bourdaric • Nearby, the art studio of Anselm Kiefer La Ribaute. • Nearby, the Grotte de la Madeleine in Saint-Remèze • Nearby, the contemporary art gallery in Lagorce Galerie Mirabilia • Nearby, the Aven d'Orgnac Nearby there are other beautiful villages, including Salavas, Saint-Montan, Labastide de Virac, Barjac, and Balazuc. For more information, see Gorges de l'Ardèche.
Events
Events
The town is peaceful and quiet in the winter, but extremely lively during the tourist season in the summer. There is a nocturnal market on Tuesday evenings and a market on Thursday mornings. Each spring takes place the Raid nature; in June, L'Ardéchoise, a cycling event, and the Alunna Festival; in August, the Documentary Film Festival in the nearby town of Lussas; and in November, the Marathon in the Gorges. For conferences relating to prehistoric art and civilization, see the calendar of Chauvet Cave 2.
Prehistory
Prehistory
Numerous caves in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in Ardèche testify to the human presence in the area for over 30,000 years: Caves that are registered as historical monuments include: • Grotte du Bouchon • Grotte de la Vacheresse • Chauvet Cave with its replica Chauvet Cave 2.
Personalities
Personalities
• Artist René Aberlenc (1920-1971)
Climate
Climate
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification.
Administration
Administration
List of mayors • Period — Name — Party • 1989–1995 — Jean-Pierre Ageron — PS • 1995–2001 — Jean-Pierre Ageron — PS • 2001–2008 — Pierre Peschier — DVD • 2008–2014 — Claude Benahmed — PS • 2014–2020 — Pierre Peschier — DVD • 2020–present — Guy Massot
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, revision 1340591003 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 September 2026.
Elsewhere in General
22,760 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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