We know how much popular legends have enriched the history of France. The Gouffre de Padirac is no exception in the lands of the old province of Quercy...

There is nothing more troubling than this hole in the surface of the earth, and there is nothing like it to let the imagination respond to this troubling enigma, to which people ascribed mystic powers and terrifying names: Devil? Treasure? The trace of a divine gesture? All those suppositions and more have been called forth.

The most well-rooted of them includes one that was told by a great many people in the Lot Department, the tale of flames emerging from the Gouffre to defend a treasure hidden by the English at the end of the Hundred Years' War.

Another legend speaks of Lucifer who, in defiance of Saint Martin, is said to have created the Gouffre with a swipe of a talon. He asked the saint to cross the abyss in exchange for the souls of condemned peasants that he was getting ready to lead into Hell... a fateful exchange that pushed Saint Martin, guided by his faith, to spur on his mule to jump across the Gouffre! That tremendous leap , it is said, left the imprint of the animal's hoof in the rock, still visible today.

Defeated and humbled, the Devil then disappeared forever into the depths of the Gouffre...

But more was needed to impress Édouard-Alfred Martel. Taking no notice of legends, he decided to go further with the adventure and set in motion that daring exploration.

An expedition of the type planned by Édouard-Alfred Martel is not a day out in the country. It calls for thorough consideration as well as generous funding for optimum levels of safety and information-seeking, for that exploration obviously had a scientific focus.

Édouard-Alfred Martel certainly lacked money to implement his project, the objective of which was to make this fantastic place accessible to the public. That is how it is with great passions, which come alive only when they are shared.

And just as if a star had shone upon Édouard-Alfred Martel, Providence came to his aid just when he most needed it…

Here is the tale: our enthusiast was in Paris, in a carriage that was carrying him along the cobbled streets. At the end of the ride, he left the carriage and saw, just as it was disappearing into the distance, that he had left in it his bag containing the maps of the Gouffre and his plan to open it to the public.

The next passenger was George Beamish, heir to the Irish brewing family of the same name. He found the bag, opened it, and marvelled at discovering Édouard-Alfred Martel's mad project. He immediately fell under its spell, found Édouard-Alfred Martel, contacted him, and decided to accompany him.

The great adventure of the Gouffre de Padirac could at last get under way!

There followed long months given over to thinking, designing, carrying out works, and laying out the venue. On 1 November 1898, the first visitors began their descent into the Gouffre!

The official inauguration was held on 10 April 1899 in the presence of several personalities.
One year later, the Paris Universal Exhibition enhanced the fame of the Gouffre de Padirac.