Although famous throughout the world, the Carnac megaliths remain no less spectacular and mysterious. These 3,800 menhirs date from the Neolithic period, between 4,500 and 2,000 years before Christ, and are thus among the world’s earliest examples of architecture.
An inexhaustible source of legends, the various megalithic sites at Carnac remain, to this day, a complete mystery from a scientific point of view.
The Kerlescan site comprises a total of 555 menhirs, arranged in 13 rows. At its western end stands a cromlech consisting of 39 stones.
Just a short walk away, in the coastal forest, small menhirs are grouped together to form ‘the Quadrilateral of Manio’ and lead the way to a prehistoric gem, ‘the Giant of Manio’, a menhir over 6 metres high.
There are 1,029 stone circles at Kermario, arranged in 10 rows. Arranged, one might say, in ascending order, they include the finest specimens to be found at Carnac.
The Ménec stone alignments site is the largest, with 1,169 ‘standing stones’ arranged in 11 rows.
Hidden away along the paths in the commune are also dolmens such as the Kercado dolmen and its burial mound, the Mane Kerioned dolmen and the Moustoir dolmen.
The fact that these megalithic sites are visited by hundreds of thousands of people has led to the introduction of measures to manage visitor numbers, particularly with a view to protecting the monuments by restoring the vegetation at their bases. With a view to a complete reorganisation, the Ministry of Culture is leading a project to enhance the visitor experience at these sites.