Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the county of Wiltshire, and one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world.
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Stonehenge is located about 3.2 km (2 mi) west of Amesbury and 13 km (8.1 mi) north of Salisbury. To visit Stonehenge is easy, it is located just off the A303 /A344 and taxi fares to Stonehenge from Amesbury or Salisbury are competitive. The Wilts and Dorset bus company operate a Stonehenge tour from Salisbury. Stonehenge attracts over 800,000 visitors per year.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric, mysterious circle of upright stones. Construction of the great monument began some 5,000 years ago, and the famous stones that still stand today were put in place about 4,000 years ago. Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. The stones themselves came from two sources: the smaller bluestones from the Preseli Mountains in South Wales, and the larger stones, weighing up to 26 tons each, from the Marlborough Downs some 32 km (20 mi) away. It remains a mystery how such huge stones could have been moved from the quarry at North Wiltshire by a supposedly primitive people, and more so since what we see today is only half the original monument.
When Stonehenge first became open to the public it was possible to walk amongst and even climb on the stones, however this ended in 1977 when the stones were roped off as a result of serious erosion. Visitors are no longer permitted to touch the stones, but are able to walk around the monument from a short distance away. Access are though permitted during the summer and winter solstice, and the spring and autumn equinox. A visit to Stonehenge begins across the highway from the monument, at the large and efficiently run Visitor's Center. Admission is free and includes an optional audio guide. A pedestrian passageway leads under the road to Stonehenge itself, where a designated path allows for views from all sides.
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