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DEMÄNOVSKÁ
ICE CAVE
NATURAL NATURE MONUMENT
Cadastral area: Demänovská Dolina
District: Liptovský
Mikuláš
Reqion: Žilina
Demänovská Ice Cave is situated on the right‑hand slopes of the
Demänovská Valley in the northern part of the Low Tatras National Park.
Entrance to the cave is in the cliff called Bašta (Bastion), 840 meters
above the sea level.
It was formed in the Middle Triassic
Gutenstein limestones of the Križanský nappe along the tectonic faults
by the former underground flow of Demänovka at three developmental
levels. It represents the former spring part of the Demänová Cave
System. The cave is 1750 meters long.
Ice filling occurs in the lower parts of the
cave filling from the entrance down to the depth of 40 to 50 meters.
Ground ice, ice columns, stalactites, and stalagmites are present.
A long known place where bones of various
vertebrates including cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) that were erroneously
taken for dragon bones were discovered in 18th century.
The cave has been known since
immemorial times. First written mention of the cave is in the Estergom
Chapter bill from 1229. J. Buchholz Jr. surveyed it in 1714-1724.
Numerous inscriptions on its walls (the oldest from 1714)
and a lot of preserved literary resources
from the 18th century are evidence of a great interest of the
contemporary scientists and the general public.
The
cave was open to the public in the eighties of the 19th century and
reopened in 1950-1952. Currently, 650 meters are accesible.
GO
TO SLOVAKIA'S CAVES
Published in the Slovak Heritage Live
newsletter Volume
12, No.4, Winter 2004
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 2004
3804 Yale Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
The above article and photographs may not be copied,
reproduced, republished, or redistributed by any means including
electronic, without the express written permission of
Vladimir
Linder. All rights
reserved.
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