Grotte de la Luire, l'hôpital des maquisards du Vercors

Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors

Under a great limestone porch of the Vercors opens a cave that the official sheet ranks among the largest in Europe. It is also a place of memory. In June and July 1944, during the battle of the Vercors, the maquisards set up an improvised hospital there, which received wounded and refugees. According to a specialised website, an aeroplane spotted a red-cross flag and sent German mountain troops to the spot. On 27 July 1944 they took the cave. Wounded men were killed, two doctors and a chaplain, the theologian Yves de Montcheuil, were shot later in Grenoble, and seven nurses were deported to Ravensbrück. The sources do not agree on the detail of these killings: the official sheet speaks of two wounded men shot in a neighbouring field, another source of wounded killed in the cave. The site was listed on 20 May 1946 for its interest as a place of memory and its geological value. Underground, a first exploration attempt dates from 1896; in 1945 the surveys revealed halls, an underground river and galleries. In the salle Decombaz a shaft plunges to −370 m, towards an underground watercourse. In exceptional floods the water rises through this shaft up to the porch. A stele recalls the tragedy and ceremonies are held every year.

Getting there: Paying entrance, guided visit by lantern of about 1 h (no electric lighting). Prices noted: about €10 (2023) to €11 for an adult according to the page read, to be checked. The DREAL sheet (2009) indicates opening from April to October, off-season on request; it has not been updated. About ten minutes' walk from the road (RN 518) by a good path from the hamlet of Les Chaberts. Address: route de la Luire, 26420 Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors. Coordinates from OpenStreetMap (cave entrance). Not accessible by wheelchair.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound