Caves in Slovakia
Caves are real natural gems. Some Slovakia caves are interesting by their rich and unique decoration, others by archaeological excavations. You will be awed by geomorphologic cave structures: stalactites, stalagmites, tufa cascades and curtains, pillars, mounds, pea like and lake formations or soft tufa and eccentric formations.
Slovakia is extremely rich in caves. 5,450 is the total number of our known caves in Slovakia, but new caves are being discovered constantly. Most of them are situated in Slovak Karst, Low Tatras and Spis – Gemer Karst (Slovak Paradise and Muran Plain), Great Fatra, Western, Eastern and Belianske Tatras. There is no other such concentration of caves with so high representative value located in the karst region of the mild climate zone as in Slovakia.
12 Slovakia caves are opened to public
Bystrianska Cave
Demanovska Cave of Liberty
Demanovska Ice Cave
Dobsinska Ice Cave
Domica Cave
Gombasecka Cave
Harmanecka Cave
Jasovska Cave
Ochtinska Aragonite Cave
Vazecka Cave and Driny Cave are the only two caves accessible in western Slovakia. Cave of Dead Bats, Bad Hole Cave, Krasna Horka Cave and Bojnice Castle Cave are tourist-accessible on request only. The Cave of Dead Bats belongs among the world’s rarities. Speleologists consider it to be a burial site of bats coming from all European territory. The oldest bone discovered in the cave is about six thousand years old.
Demanovska Caves is the largest cave-system situated in Low Tatras, Slovakia. It is 34km (21.1mi) long. Ochtinska Aragonite Cave has an exceptional magnificent decoration. It belongs among the only three opened aragonite caves in the whole world. The main attraction of the cave is so-called Milky Way formed by white clusters, twig and bush-formations. Gombasek Cave is characteristic by as long as three-metre developed stalagmites and stalactites. The cave is also used for ‘speleotherapy’. It serves as a sanatorium focused on airway diseases.
Tourist attractive is an underground cruise along the Domica Cave situated in Slovak Karst. The Domica Cave is characteristic by its tufa peaks and barrels. Dobsinska Ice Cave belongs among Slovakia caves with permanent ice occurrence. The ice volume reaches as much as 110,132 m³. Belianska Cave was the first Slovak cave with lighting system. It has been electrically lit since 1896. Musical performance at the end of each tour in one of the halls with unique acoustics certainly leaves a great impression on every visitor. “Music Hall” is the place of regular august concerts of reproduced music.
Slovakia movie makers have also taken advantage of the beauties of the Slovak caves. The movie version of an original Slovak Pavol Dobsinsky’s fairy tale “Salt More Than Gold” was made up in Domica Cave. “Perinbaba” was made in Demanovska Cave of Liberty (Demanovska jaskyna slobody ).
Caves in Slovakia offer suitable living conditions and are home to more than 500 kinds of genuine cave as well as other animals. Many of them are endemic; mostly there can be found various invertebrates. Caves are also important in housing bats during the winter season. Just to name some: Domica Cave, Jasovska Cave, Drienovec Cave, Devil’s Hole, Dobsinska Ice Cave, etc.
All Slovakia caves opened to public were declared as a National Natural Heritage Sites of Slovakia. Ochtinska Aragonite Cave, Domica, Gombasek Cave and Jasovska Cave have been part of the World Natural Heritage since 1995. Dobsinska Ice Cave joined them in 2000.
Due to the exceptional number of caves and their unrepeatable natural and aesthetic value Slovakia has been assigned among important cave countries.
Before you visit a cave, it is important to know that the temperature inside fluctuates between 0-10°C even in the summer. So when visiting caves in Slovakia do not forget to take some warm clothes.