Carnac stones

About

The Carnac alignments are a set of four megalithic sites (Kermario, Le Ménec, Kerlescan, Petit Ménec), located in the communes of Carnac and La Trinité-sur-Mer. Composed of menhirs and megalithic enclosures associated with individual (megalithic tumulus) or collective (dolmens) tombs stretching over more than four kilometres, these megalithic alignments, erected around 4,500 years before J.C., are the most famous megalithic ensembles in France and the most impressive of this period, with nearly 3,000 raised stones. While each site now appears isolated from Neolithic, visual continuity existed between these different alignments.

In the face of the destruction observed, alignments were protected as historical monuments in 1889. As a result of their success in tourism, the sites will be subject to strict planning and regulation by the National Monuments Centre in the early 1990s. In July 2025, alignments were included on the UNESCO World Heritage list in the benefit of the Carnac megaliths and the Morbihan banks.