Circuit des crêtes

Puits à balancier ou puits cigogne est un appareil à bascule utilisé pour puiser l’eau. Les villages de Pers et de Mandat se trouvent dans le cratère d’impact dû à la chute d’une météorite il y a 200 millions d’années.

Overlooking the Graine and Vayres valleys, the Château de Rochechouart has been home to the Musée d'art contemporain de la Haute-Vienne since 1985. Landscape, history and the imaginary are the three main themes behind the creation of this institution by the Conseil départemental de la Haute-Vienne. In a remarkable 15th-century building, the dialogue between heritage and contemporary creation has led to the creation of an international contemporary art collection, as well as the production of works more specific to the site. In 1989, with the creation of the Raoul Hausmann collection (comprising 600 works and numerous archives), the Museum found its tutelary figure in the famous Dadaist.

An extraordinary event in the planet?s history took place in the Rochechouart, Chassenon region? 200 million years ago. An asteroid measuring one and a half kilometers in diameter completed its journey at 72,000 km/h. The Espace Météorite Paul Pellas is a permanent exhibition space, with a range of activities focusing on a number of themes: the solar system, meteorites, the effects and consequences of falling objects, impact craters around the world, and the French Astroblème de Rochechouart-Chassenon crater. In an area of around 150 m², rock and meteorite samples, educational panels, models, computer terminals and video projections help you to better understand the subjects, and on your way out, you can stop by a small store.

Rochechouart has preserved traces of the fall of a meteorite 200 million years ago. The Maison de la Réserve (museum) is dedicated to protecting these rocks, which can be seen in many of the town's buildings. Its name is linked to the family of the Viscounts of Rochechouart, who reigned for over 800 years. The family's roots are to be found in the château, built on the rocky outcrop from the 13th century onwards. Since 1985, it has housed the departmental museum of contemporary art. The ancient fortified town boasts an exceptional built heritage: the church with its torso spire, houses built of impactite, the 15th-century Maison des Consuls? Costume tours on reservation during school vacations from April to November (see calendar) and tours for groups. Discover the astroblème (natural meteorite reserve) at the Maison de la Réserve.