Grottes Schmerling

#347 among destinations in Belgium

Nature, Natural attraction, Cave

Gallery (5)

Map

Gallery

Facts and practical information

The Schmerling Caves are a group of caves located in Wallonia on the right bank of the stream called the Awirs, near the village of Awirs in Flémalle, Belgium. The caves are notable for their past fossil finds, particularly of hominins. They were explored in 1829 by Philippe-Charles Schmerling, who discovered, in the lower cave, the remains of two individuals, one of which, now known as Engis 2, was a fossil of the first Neanderthal ever found; the other was a Neolithic homo sapiens. Also known as Trô Cwaheur or Trou Caheur, this lower cave has since collapsed. A third cave was destroyed because of work on the adjacent quarry, the Ancienne Carrière des Awirs. ()

Alternative names: Discovered: 1829Length: 56 ftCoordinates: 50°35'23"N, 5°24'30"E

Location

WallonieBelgium

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Day trips

Grottes Schmerling – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Château de Jehay, Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Fort de Hollogne, Lyell Cave.

3.8 miW
Architecture, Monuments and statues, Forts and castles
Château de Jehay, Amay
98 min walk • Jehay Castle or Jehay-Bodegnée Castle is a castle situated in the municipality of Amay in Liège Province, Wallonia, Belgium.
3.9 miSE
Historical place, Cemetery
Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neupré
101 min walk • Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial is a Second World War American military war grave cemetery, located in the village of Neuville-en-Condroz, near the southeast edge of Neupré, some 20 km south-west of Liège in Belgium.
4.6 miNE
Museum
Fort de Hollogne
119 min walk • The Fort de Hollogne is one of twelve forts built around Liège, Belgium, in the late 19th century. The overall Fortified Position of Liège was a constituent part of the country's National Redoubt.
0.8 miS
Prehistoric site
Lyell Cave, Hermalle-sous-Huy
21 min walk • The Lyell Cave, formerly called Grande caverne d'Engihoul, is located near the ancienne commune of Éhein, municipality of Engis, Liège Province, Belgium.
2.8 miNE
Historical place, Museum
Fort de Flémalle, Flémalle
71 min walk • The Fort de Flémalle is one of twelve forts built around Liège, Belgium, in the late 19th century. The overall Fortified Position of Liège was a constituent part of the country's National Redoubt. Fort de Flémalle was built between 1881 and 1884 according to the plans of General Henri Alexis Brialmont.
5.3 miE
Museum
Fort de Boncelles, Seraing
137 min walk • The Fort de Boncelles is one of twelve forts built around Liège, Belgium, in the late 19th century. The overall Fortified Position of Liège was a constituent part of the country's National Redoubt.
1.7 miW
Forts and castles
Castle of Warfusée
44 min walk • Castle of Warfusée is a castle located in the municipality Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, Wallonia, near Liège, in Belgium. One of the loveliest castles in the area, Warfusée was completed in 1754 as a replacement for an earlier Renaissance structure.
3.9 miSW
Monastery
Flône Abbey
99 min walk • The Abbey of Flône is located in Wallonia on the left bank of the river Meuse at Flône, in the province of Liège. It was founded in 1075.
3.1 miSW
Museum
Gourmet Museum and Library
78 min walk • The Gourmet Museum and Library is a museum dedicated to the history of gastronomy, located in Hermalle-sous-Huy, province of Liège, Belgium.
5.3 miNE
Area
Grâce-Hollogne, Liège
137 min walk • Grâce-Hollogne is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality is effectively a part of the greater Liège conurbation, separated from Liège city centre by the municipality of Saint-Nicolas.
5.1 miE
Monastery
Val-Saint-Lambert Abbey, Seraing
130 min walk • Val-Saint-Lambert Abbey was a Cistercian abbey in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. It is situated in Wallonia in the city of Seraing on the right bank of the Meuse, in Belgium, about 13 kilometres southwest of Liege.