Facilities and organization of the Prehistory Welcome Center in Les Eyzies

The Welcome hall
This hall will function as an information and orientation center dedicated to prehistory. It will provide personalized services that will act as an interface with the sites and museums and offer all of the needed documentation on tourist activities related to prehistory.


Presentation area
A 300 m² space will be devoted to the presentation of the prehistory of the Vezere Valley. It will include a large 3D model of the region localizing all of the prehistoric sites. Films projected on a big screen will present the different species of human ancestors, their ways of life and their natural environments. The ensemble will be completed by information stations and touch-screens available to the visitors.

The documentation and reading room
A documentation center destined for the general public will provide access to books, reviews and multimedia documents. This reading and study room will include a public computer center dedicated to new technologies and Internet access.

The auditorium
This large, 230 seat auditorium will be dedicated to the showing of films and documentaries, and to providing a facility for conferences, colloquia and seminars, as well as concerts, plays and other manifestations on the theme of prehistory.

The temporary exhibit hall
This 100 m² exhibit space will be primarily devoted to educational exhibits on the subject of prehistory.

The education service
A 700 m² space, composed of a reconstruction of an archaeological site in the process of excavation, field laboratories and study rooms, will receive school groups and other groups of adults and children wishing to learn about prehistory. This scenario-based ensemble, integrating the principal archaeological data of the Vezere Valley, will also offer training courses for guides and teachers on the subject of prehistory.

The  parking lot
A new parking lot with 130 spaces will serve the needs of the Welcome Center and the National Museum of Prehistory.


This ensemble of facilities will be completed by a boutique and cafeteria.