History
The Jasovská cave was inhabited in the Neolithic (Bukovo Hora culture), the Bronze Age, the Hallstatt Age (Early Iron Age) and the Roman Age. Rare archaeological finds also point to a possible short-term Paleolithic settlement.
It is said that the cave (its upper parts) was discovered by one of the monks of the order of Premonstratensians in Jasova. The first mentions of the existence of the order date back to the 12th century. The inhabitants of the village and the monastery used it as a shelter. Many old inscriptions and drawings have been preserved in the cave. An inscription from 1452 records the victory of the troops of Jan Jiskra of Brandýs. The date 1576 in the Bat Dome proves that some lower parts of the cave were already known in the 16th century. A dagger with a chiseled ornament was found in the cave, which probably dates from the time of Turkish expansion. The cave was made accessible thanks to Alojz Richter, the superior of the order of Premonstratensian canons in Jasova, in 1846.
In 1923, they discovered the Tiger Corridor (J. Tenjak, J. Koval), the spaces above the Tiger Corridor (V. Blum with the help of A. Štangler and S. Prát), the spaces behind the Great Dome (J. Zikmund and colleagues) and the upper floor with inscription from 1452 (J. Zikmund). The East Slovak Karst Research Section reopened the cave to the public after modifications in 1924. The cave has been electrically lit since 1926. The Czechoslovak Tourist Club opened the Bludisk section in 1931 and opened the lower entrance. In 1935, the upper floor with the inscription from 1452, the carved tunnel from the Great Dome and the surroundings of the White Dome became accessible. The length of the accessible part of the cave is 550 m.
It is formed in Mesozoic Middle Triassic gray Gutenstein dolomites and light Steinalm limestones and dolomites. The Jasovská rock is significantly disturbed by fault faults and numerous fissures, which determines the prevailing direction of the corridors and, to a large extent, the number of corridors in the cave. The Jasovská cave reaches a length of 2811 m and a vertical span of 55 m.
Underground spaces were created gradually in several development phases from the highest corridors to the lowest parts of the cave, depending on the development of the Bodva river valley. High meandering corridors with a ceiling trough in the upper and middle part of the cave were created by the corrosion and erosion of the former submersible waters of Bodva. In the lower parts there are domes, halls and corridors with wall notches and leveled ceilings, which correspond to the stagnant stages of the former water level. The lowest parts of the cave with leveled ceilings were formed by the dissolution of limestone in conditions of slowly flowing or stagnant water.
Fluctuations in the groundwater level result in flooding of the lowest parts of the cave, including part of the tour route. The lowest level of the lake in the cave is 7 m below the level of the surface flow of the Bodva, whose waters no longer flow through the cave. The occasional flooding of the lower parts of the cave currently does not correspond to the fluctuation of the Bodva water level.
Several parts of the cave are decorated with rich sinter filling. Pagoda-like stalagmites, stalagnates, "stone" waterfalls, drums, straws and other forms attract attention. The air temperature in the cave reaches 8.8 to 9.4 °C, relative humidity 90 to 98%.
Among the remains of former animals, bones of a cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) and a cave hyena (Crocuta spelaea) were found in the cave. The Jasovská cave is a very important chiropterological site. Up to now, up to 19 species of bats have been discovered, which stay in the cave mainly in the winter. The most numerous are the large horseshoe crab (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) and the small horseshoe crab (Rhinolophus hipposideros). Jaskyňa is one of the most important wintering grounds of large horseshoe bats in Slovakia. Eukoenenia spelaea is rare among small invertebrates.
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