Rock of Solutré
| Roche de Solutré | |
|---|---|
The Rock of Solutré | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 493 |
| Coordinates | 46°17′57″N 4°43′9″E / 46.29917°N 4.71917°E |
| Geography | |
| Parent range | Monts du Mâconnais |
The Rock of Solutré (French: Roche de Solutré) is a limestone escarpment 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Mâcon, France, overlooking the commune of Solutré-Pouilly. It is an iconic site in the department of Saône-et-Loire, in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
Protected by the French law on sites naturels classés and currently at the heart of a grand site national operation, the outcropping is notable in several aspects: as a rare geological phenomenon of the region, as a prehistoric site of the eponymous Solutrean paleolithic culture, and for the natural environment at its summit, the pelouse calciole grassland of Mâcon, with its distinctive flora and fauna. Occupied by humans for at least 55,000 years, it is also located in the heart of the Pouilly-Fuissé wine appellation. It has attracted media coverage since the 1980s, when French President François Mitterrand began his annual ritual ascent of the peak.