History
The cave was discovered by A. Král with the help of A. Mišur and other explorers through the dry lowest dive of Demänovka in 1921 and named it the Temple of Freedom. In 1922, the Commission for the Publication of the Demänovské Caves was established, which began the work of making them accessible. In 1923, they installed temporary electric lighting. The part of the cave from the Marble River through the Great Dome to the Golden Lake was made accessible in 1924.
In 1925, the Society of Demänovské caves was established, which continued the work of the Commission. In 1926, an expedition led by A. Králo discovered the Jánošík Dome, the Virgin's Corridor, the Corridor of Suffering and the Red Gallery. V. Benický and A. Lutonský discovered in 1927 the Magic Corridor and the Purple Dome, in 1929 the Halls of St. Vitus, and a year later the Halls of Miracles. In 1928, a new entrance to the cave was dug in the Točište valley, and it has been in operation since 1930. In 1931, definitive electric lighting was installed and the accessible route was extended to the Ružová siena and the turnoff to Hviezdoslav's Cathedral. In the same year, J. Zelinka discovered the Medvedia corridor and discovered its communication with the surface. In 1933, a new exit from the cave was excavated from Medveda chóda, which changed the tour route. The upper parts from Hviezdoslav's dome became accessible in the years 1931 – 1933. In the years 1948 – 1955, the caves of the Demänovská dolina were investigated and comprehensively targeted by A. Droppa. In 1951, under his leadership, they connected the Demänovska Cave of Freedom with the Empty Cave, in 1983, speleologists V. Žikeš and Ľ. Kokavec was connected with the Vyvieranie cave. After unsuccessful attempts in 1952, 1968, 1974 and 1983, at the turn of 1986 and 1987, its natural connection with the Demänovská cave of peace was achieved. Cavers from the SSS Demänovská Dolina regional group discovered its upper floors by climbing the wall of the Great Dome in 1986, and later in 1989 they reached the connection of the cave with the Cave under the Cliff and the Valley Cave. In 1991 under the leadership of Ľ. Holík penetrated the 1.2 km long Cave of Ruins and then connected it to the Cave of Freedom. Also later, from 2004, they discovered the 1.6 km long Demänovská bear cave (J. Šmoll and the team), which eight years later became part of the Cave of Freedom by digging through a clogged passage just a few meters from the concrete path of the tour route. Since 2009, detailed measurement work has been carried out in the cave under the leadership of P. Herich, after further discoveries, the cave has grown to today's more than 11 km, exploration and measurements are still ongoing.
It represents the most morphologically diverse part of the Demänovská cave system. It was formed in the Mesozoic Middle Triassic dark gray Gutensteinian limestones of the Krížná nappe along tectonic faults by the submersible flow of the Demänovka and its lateral suspended submersible tributaries. The length of the cave is 11,117 m with a height difference of 130 m, together with others it forms the largest cave system in Slovakia with a length of more than 40 km.
The lower, river-modeled corridors represent several horizontal development levels (Marble River, Clay Corridor, Dry Corridor, Ground Floor, King's Gallery). In some places, they are extended by rushing (Great and Gargoyle Dome, Pink Hall, Pekelný Dome). Steeply descending corridors lead to the cave levels in a suspended position, especially from the current entrance and exit of the cave. In addition to smaller oval corridors (Suffering Corridor, Virgin's Corridor, Medvedia Corridor, Klenotnica) they also include larger spaces (Spherical Dome, Parachutists' Chasm, Jánošíkov and Hviezdoslavov Domes, Hlboký Dome). The Miraculous Halls, Magic Corridor and Stone Vineyard have a fissured character without significant signs of river modeling. From the rich sinter filling, there are unique sinter water lilies and other lake forms (sponge-like, coral-like, grape-like) and eccentric stalactites. Massive sinter waterfalls and stalagmites, spherolitic stalactites and many other forms attract attention. There is a strong hint of white soft sinter in the Great Dome.
The underground stream of the Demänovka flows through the cave, which originates under the main ridge of the Low Tatras in non-karst territory and sinks underground in Lúčky. It reaches the surface through the Vyvieranie cave north of the Demänovská cave of freedom. There are many lakes and ponds in the cave, in inaccessible parts the largest of them - Veľké (Těsnohlídkove) lake is 52 m long, 5 to 12 m wide and more than 7 m deep. The air temperature in the cave system is 6.1 to 7.0 °C, relative humidity 94 to 99%.
Bones of a cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) were found in the Medvedá hodba. The discovery of the shrew Eukoenenia spelaea represents one of the northernmost occurrences of a representative of this family of arachnids, making the Demänovské Caves one of the biospeleological sites of European importance. Of the small invertebrates, the millipede Allorhiscosoma sphinx (endemic to the caves of central Slovakia), the centipede Synurella intermedia and Niphargus tatrensis are also important.
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