Belianska cave

History

The entrance to the cave has been known for a long time. The entrance parts of the cave were already known to gold miners in the first half of the 18th century, as evidenced by the inscriptions of their names on the rock walls. However, they remained secret for many years. The entrance hole was found again by L. Gulden and the gold digger Fabry in 1826, but they did not penetrate deeper into the cave. In 1881, the opening to the underground was accidentally found by J. Husz and J. Britz. In a few days, they decided to enter the unknown underground spaces. A. Kaltstein, I. Verbovszky and J. Britz participated in further discoveries up to the Dome of the Ruins in 1881-1882. With the financial support of the city of Spišská Belá, thanks to A. Kaltstein, the cave was made accessible through the original entrance as early as 1882 in the section up to the Palm Hall, and at the end of the year, the present entrance was opened. In 1884, it was made accessible as far as the Dóm trosek, from where a tunnel was cut into the side passage from Rázcestia in 1885, and the tour route became circular. It has been electrically lit since 1896. In 1926, K. Piovarcsy, G. Gabriel and other members of the Carpathian Association discovered new premises in the vicinity of the Bandits' Chamber and the Music Hall. The boulder passage, the pillared dome and the opening of the Peklo abyss were discovered by P. Klepáč in 1935. The exploration of the abyss was organized by V. Benický in 1939. Extensive reconstruction work in the cave was carried out in the 1950s, and in 1979-1980 the tour route was modified with a barrier between the Clay Corridor and the Rubble Dome.

In recent years, the cave has been used for convalescent speleoclimatic stays. At present, more than 1000 ms are made available with an elevation of +125 m.

It is formed in the Mesozoic Middle Triassic dark gray Gutensteinian limestones of the Krížňany mantle. The emergence of cave spaces was caused by interlayer surfaces, less tectonic disturbances, along which water penetrated and flowed into the deeper parts of the underground. The original cavities were completely filled with water, which, in addition to corrosion, also acted as a slow pressure flow. Massive domes and smaller boiler-like recesses were modeled on the ceilings.

The original cavities of the cave were probably created in connection with the dismemberment of the originally larger plateau of Kobylieho vrch above the cave, as well as with the subsequent deepening of the Bela valley. The largest underground spaces were already created before the main Quaternary glaciation of the Tatras. The waters penetrating the cave at the time of the retreat of the ice ages only partially remodeled the previously created underground spaces. Currently, seepage waters from rainfall are concentrated in the lowest parts of the cave, where they form occasional streams.

The length of the cave is 3,829 m with a height difference of 168 m. The entrance parts, accessible through a pierced tunnel, open from the chimney spaces leading from the upper, original entrance, located 82 m above the current entrance. The ascending and descending parts of the tour route, conditioned by interlayered areas of limestone, rise from Rázcestia and in some places are extended by rushing into dome-shaped and hall-like spaces (Crowned Dome, Dome of Ruins). Oval shapes of water modeling have been preserved in several sections (Pubular Dome, Long Corridor, Chasm Corridor). The considerable vertical fragmentation of the cave is completed by chasms (Hladová abyss, Hell) and chimneys.

The length of the cave is 3,829 m with a height difference of 168 m. The entrance parts, accessible through a pierced tunnel, open from the chimney spaces leading from the upper, original entrance, located 82 m above the current entrance. The ascending and descending parts of the tour route, conditioned by interlayered areas of limestone, rise from Rázcestia and in some places are extended by rushing into dome-shaped and hall-like spaces (Crowned Dome, Dome of Ruins). Oval shapes of water modeling have been preserved in several sections (Pubular Dome, Long Corridor, Chasm Corridor). The considerable vertical fragmentation of the cave is completed by chasms (Hladová abyss, Hell) and chimneys.