Schmerling Caves

Schmerling Caves
Grottes d'Engis, Engis Caves
Valley of the Awirs with the Schmerling Caves
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Location	Near Awirs and Engis, in Flémalle, Belgium
Coordinates	50°35′32″N 5°24′32″E / 50.592222°N 5.408889°E / 50.592222; 5.408889
Length	17 metres (56 ft), formerly at least 29 metres (95 ft); 5 metres (16 ft) wide
Height variation	4–5 metres (13–16 ft), formerly at least 15 metres (49 ft)
Elevation	approx. 111 metres (364 ft)
Discovery	1829
Geology	Limestone
Entrances	At least three, but some collapsed
Hazards	Unstable; at least two chambers have collapsed
Access	Protected as a heritage site
Registry	Cultural Heritage of Wallonia (1979); Exceptional Cultural Heritage of Wallonia (2013)

The Schmerling Caves (also known as Grottes d'Engis, meaning Engis 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.

The caves have been classified on the list of Cultural Heritage of Wallonia [fr] sites since 1978,^[1] as well as Exceptional Cultural Heritage of Wallonia [fr] since 2013,^[2] because of the Neanderthal fossil.