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Origin and history

Trabuc Cave, located in the north of the Gard department on the town of Mialet, has been known since Antiquity but has mainly served as a refuge from the end of the seventeenth century. It owes its name to "trabuc", a tromblon used by bandits who hid there in the 19th century. During the Cevennes war, the Camisards also found refuge there. His systematic exploration began in 1823 with Nicod and Gallière, who organized three-day underground expeditions.

In 1889, Entomologists V. Maget and G. Mignaud discovered a rare species of beetle, Bathysciola linderi subsp. Mialetensis. Félix Mazauric, a collaborator of Édouard-Alfred Martel, published a detailed description of the cave in 1899, followed by a map of the galleries in 1920. In 1945, Georges Vaucher and his sons discovered the "New Trabuc", opening the way for the first tourist visits in 1952, with improvements added in 1974.

The cave is famous for its "100 thousand soldiers", limestone concretions unique in the world, whose origin remains mysterious. Unlike classical stalagmites, no water trace is observed there, and biological theories (bacteria or fungi) have not been confirmed. This formation evokes the terracotta soldiers of Emperor Qin's mausoleum, hence his nickname.

The current tourist entrance is artificial, while the natural entrance, called "estrangladou", was used in the past. The cavity extends over 10,500 metres of development, with an elevation of 215 metres, and forms in contact with Hettangian dolomies and sinemurian limestone (Lias).

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