Up until the early 19th century, when the inner parts of the cave were discovered by Luka Čeč on 14 April 1818, the cave was left open, without any protection, lighting or regular guiding services, and tours of the cave were possible on foot only. The discovery of »the new world, the paradise« gave rise to large numbers of visitors and also resulted in the construction of a bridge across Pivka River, new footpaths inside the cave and illumination.

In the first half of the 19th century, when the Austrian Southern Railway between Vienna and Trieste was being constructed, the idea of a section of the railway line to run through Postojna Cave was considered. The idea was rejected, it did however generate another one. Because of a growing number of visitors, the need for some sort of transport around the cave arose. On 11 March 1857, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I and the Empress Elisabeth came for a visit and to avoid them having to do a lot of strenuous walking around the cave, three sedan chairs had been constructed for the empress and her ladies-in-waiting.

The empress saw a larger part of the cave on foot, but the sedan chairs were later available for hire for all other visitors. In 1872, the railway tracks were laid, along which waggons were pushed by cave guides. The entrance station was at the dripstone called Prižnica, as it was because of the terrain characteristics not possible to lay the railway track over the Great Dome. The tracks in the total length of 1534 metres were laid as far as the foot of Cavalry. The route through the cave did not have many ascents or descents, so a single cave guide was able to push waggons along the tracks on his own.

The Emperor Franz Joseph I, who visited the Postojna Cave again in 1883, used the first underground railway himself too. However, with the increasing number of visitors the small manually-operated railway no longer sufficed. The cave management started considering motor-driven carriages and the locomotive called »Montania« usually used in mines, with a petrol engine, and four-seat carriages were thus ordered in 1914 from the Orenstein & Koppel factory. Because of the outbreak of the First World War the delivery of the locomotive was considerably delayed, so the first ride around the cave with the »Montania« locomotive was not possible until 1924, after the renovation work and the final cave railway set-up was completed. The locomotive did four rides daily and in the course of the first year – between August 1924 and June 1925 – 15,588 visitors were taken around the cave with it. A new, more powerful locomotive »Montania«, which also had a petrol internal-combustion engine, but was a three-axis one, unlike the first two-axis one, was acquired in 1925. New carriages with six seats were also purchased.

During the cave ride, the train made a ten-minute stopover at the old post office, where cave visitors had the opportunity to send postcards featuring the cave postmark. In 1928, the platform at the entrance into the cave and the administrative building with the railway station were also completed. The cave visit system that had been in force ever since the engine-powered railway was introduced (i.e. cave tours possible either by train or on foot) was maintained up until the year 1963, when walking tours were done away with completely. After the Second World War, there was a rapid increase in the number of cave visitors, but the petrol engines used until then were old and worn-out, and were also the cause of heavy pollution, so two new battery-powered »Emam« locomotives were acquired in 1957.

As the number of visitors was on a constant increase, two other locomotives were added at a later time, in 1959 and in 1964. Visitor capacity at the time was 2,160 visitors a day. The biggest issue was locomotives turning on the single-track railway line, so only three locomotives could be inside the cave simultaneously. In 1959, the cave management thus commissioned the project of setting up a double-track circular railway line. The double-track line with a loop at the cave entrance and the terminus station at the end of the line, which represents the first stage of the railway modernisation, was opened on 20 June 1964.

The circular line, which was completed in 1967, is 3,700 metres in length. With its three platforms and tunnels in the total length of approximately 500 metres it is capable of taking over 14,000 visitors around the cave in a day, and can depart every half an hour. Up until the year 1978 there were twelve battery-powered locomotives in the cave, and by 1988, another six were acquired to replace the eight clapped-out ones.

By 2018, when the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the cave will be celebrated, the aim of the company Postojnska jama is to renovate the cave transportation system. Solutions will be sought among technologies that would reduce noise inside the cave, and preferably an automated transportation system will be chosen.

Postojna Cave First Trolley from 1872

Postojna Cave Train outside before WW2

Article and pictures were delivered by Postojna Cave.

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The purpose and the significance of the nativity scene, and in particular the depiction of the life of Christ, most often his birth, have throughout time undergone a highly diverse development and depictions.

It needs to be mentioned that depictions of the birth of Jesus Christ, in particular in fine art, date back to the time of ancient Christianity – in catacombs there are some preserved images depicting the Three Wise Men and the birth. Depictions have later been present in all art movements, but these were not yet proper nativity scenes.

The Christmas crib, what is today referred to as the nativity scene, did not emerge until the 16th century, when the Jesuits in their college in Coimbra, Portugal, set up the first church nativity scene.

Today, there is an endless number of different versions of the nativity scene – all in accordance with the creators’ ideas and artistic sense. The most significant distinction of the nativity scene is that the scene is not limited to the birth of Christ only, but is focused on the happening prior and after the birth as well.
What makes the living nativity scene inside Postojna Cave so special is that it has been set up according to what is written in the Bible – as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke; it starts with the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist and there are number of other scenes too: The Revelation of Joseph, Mary Visits Elizabeth, Population Control, Revelation to the Shepherds, etc.

All of these scenes are set up among the magnificent one-of-a-kind natural creations of the Karst underground world and are made even more enticing through music and lights. In addition to the choirs that will make the Biblical story an experience to remember for years to come, there will also be two young singers performing songs by the nativity scene.

The Living Nativity Scene in Postojna Cave will be open to visitors on:
25, 26, 29 and 30 December 2012; 5 January 2013;
on all of the days at 14.00, 15:00 and 16:00

Music aficionados can look forward to another special event, which will take place by the nativity scene on Saturday, 5 January 2013: a performance by Perpetuum Jazzile, an internationally renowned vocal group, which will make it all an even more unforgettable experience.

More info: www.postojnska-jama.eu / Pictures delivered by management of Postojna Cave.

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Brilliant stalagmite – the symbol of Postojna Cave, Slovenia

A century and a half of the cave railway and electric lighting

This is the only cave in the world large enough for visitors to be taken around by an underground train. The railway was laid in the cave 140 years ago and nowadays the double-track circular line, along which the electric train takes visitors to the most beautiful parts of the cave, transports up to several thousand visitors daily. The train ride is followed by a pleasant walk along a footpath, which reveals the most beautiful corners of the underground world and presents them in all of their beauty illuminated by electric lighting, which has been available since 1883 (i.e. three years longer than electric illumination in London).

Train in Postojna Cave, Slovenia

The underground world easy accessible to all visitors

The entire tourist trail around the cave is just over five kilometres in length, of which approximately one kilometre is a footpath, but without any steps or strenuous uphill walking, which means that the cave can be visited by almost any visitor. During the underground walk visitors can listen to cave guides providing information in Slovene, English, German or Italian languages or opt for an audio guide available in 15 different world languages.

Postojna Cave, Slovenia

More than 150 prominent visitors

The most significant milestone for the development of modern-age tourism was without doubt the year 1818, when a large inner area of Postojna Cave was discovered by Luka Čeč, a local of Postojna. Already a year later, on 17 August 1819, the footpaths around the cave were in good enough condition for the locals to take around the cave the first esteemed visitor – the then Austrian heir to the throne Ferdinand I, and foundations for cave tourism were thus laid. Ever since, Postojna Cave has been visited by more than 150 country presidents and prime ministers, kings, emperors, scientists and artists, who have written down their impressions in the Golden Book of visitors to the Postojna Cave; the first to sign their names in the book were in 1856 the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I and the Empress Elizabeth. In decades to follow, many other eminent guests joined in their enthusiasm for the underground beauty of the cave, such as: King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III, King Milan Obrenovi of Serbia with his son Alexander, King Paul I of Greece and his wife, as well as the former President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito, who brought along his guests on a number of occasions, including the then Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union Nikita S. Khrushchev, Shah of Persia Reza Pahlavi and the first Prime Minister of independent India Jawaharlal Nehru. In the last twenty years, Postojna Cave was also visited by all Presidents of Slovenia: Milan Kuan, Dr Janez Drnovšek and Dr Danilo Türk, who loved showing the cave to their guests from all around the world, including the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the President of Czechoslovakia Vaclav Havel, the President of the Republic of Macedonia Branko Crvenkovski, the President of Finland Tarja Halonen, the Queen of Denmark Margaret II, Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and many others.

Trails in Postojna Cave, Slovenia

For stamp and coin collectors

Before getting back on the train at the end of their Postojna Cave tour to be taken to the exit, visitors can have a look at another cave attraction located inside the Concert Hall (which has a surface area of 3,000 m2, a volume of 50,000 m3 and can accommodate up to 10,000 guests at the same time): an exhibition of the history of the oldest underground post office. Postcards were sent from here as early as 1899 and even today postcards sent off from here receive a special postmark. The Concert Hall has in the past been the venue of a large number of events: musicians of the world-famous La Scala from Milan have performed here, as has the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra; it has also hosted theatre performances and eye-catching acrobatic performances.

Postojna Cave had been welcoming visitors long before the railway was laid in the cave, which is attested by visitors’ signatures in the Passage of Old Signatures in the east part of the cave. The year 2013 marks 800 years since the oldest known signatures were made, an occasion that will be commemorated together with the Bank of Slovenia, which is going to issue a special two-Euro commemorative coin.

White Hall, Postojna Cave, Slovenia

Proteus Vivarium, the Proteus Cave – learn about life in the underground world

Although scientist for a long time believed that life without the sun or the seasons was not possible, numerous animal species that inhabit the underground world of Postojna have proven the contrary. By far the best known inhabitant of the Postojna underground world is undoubtedly the proteus (proteus anguinus), often called the human fish, it is however not the only one at all. More than 100 cave-dwelling animals have been discovered in the underground world of Postojna, and the Postojna cave system is thus considered to be the cradle of speleobiology, the study of organisms that live in the subterranean world. In terms of biodiversity, the underground world of Postojna ranks very high on the worldwide scale, which is proof of the environment being well preserved. Visitors learn about the diversity of the underground life, and about its characteristics and special features, in the part of Postojna Cave called Proteus Vivarium, the Proteus Cave, another world-famous attraction where visitors can also see the animals.

White Hall, Postojna Cave, Slovenia

The cave is open throughout the year

Tourist tours of Postojna Cave last approximately an hour and a half and the cave is open throughout the year. For visitors looking to experience the underground world of Postojna in a somewhat different, more adventurous way, there are a number of special adventure tours. As part of these tours the cave is visited in small groups and participants use caving equipment, which gives them the feeling that they are the first ones to enter this underground kingdom.

Spaghetti Hall, Postojna Cave, Slovenia

The temperature inside Postojna Cave remains the same throughout the year: around 10°C. Comfortable footwear and warm clothing is recommended, but no other special equipment is needed. Warm raincoats are available for hire at the entrance to the cave.

This unique article along with the pictures have been delivered by Postojna Cave Management. You can find more information on Postojna Cave official website https://www.postojnska-jama.eu

A family enjoying a visit to Postojna Cave, Slovenia

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Author: dysiu

Mylna Cave is situated at an altitude of 1098 metres above sea level. Its total length is 1630 metres, but only 300 metres is open to the public. The temperature in the cave in summer is around 5 °C and in winter drop below freezing. The cave consists of several tunnels that lead into different cavities. Some corridors had to be artificially extended, so the visitors could pass through. There is a small stream flowing through the cavity, which is a home to a unique troglobite – a blind shellfish – Niphargus tatrensis.

It is possible to get to the cave by following the marked hiking trail that leads through the valley up to the cave entrance. If you plan to visit the cave, you must have a reliable flash light. The cave is not lighted, and it happened already several times that the visitors get lost in the dark. Prepare for the narrow passages (sometimes you even have to crawl), slippery rocks and mud in some areas. It is definitely not recommended to enter the cave with large backpacks. You should really wear good shoes and warm clothes. The tour is without guide and takes you about 30 minutes. The arrangement of the corridors is quite complicated, so they are carefully marked. You certainly should not abandon the route. Once you decide to visit a cave, you should also not enter alone or in such case at least let someone know that you intend to visit the cave.

Mylna Cave is accessible throughout the year.

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In 1998, the French-English team got to a depth of 1626 meters after staying underground for almost 103 hours and the cave at that moment became the deepest cave in the world. New measures and explores have been done on January 2003, and the depth of this cave has been increased to 1733 meters. This makes it the 3rd deepest cave in the world (after the Krubera (Voronja) Cave in Georgia – 2191m and Illyuzia-Mezhonnogo-Snezhnaya Cave in Georgia – 1753m) and the deepest cave in Europe.

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The cave has three surface holes. The inlet lies at an altitude of 740 m, 90 m above the flow Demänovka. The upper floors are ice-free, with weathered limestone ornamentation. You can see the ice only in the front part of the very bottom floor.

Demänovská Ice Cave is one of the first known caves in the world. It was mentioned already in a document Ostrihom Chapter of 5th December 1299. It was first explored and described by Juraj Buchholtz jr. in 1719. Since then, it was well-known and sought out by scholars in the whole world. In 80′s of the last century, the cave was open also to public.

The basic admission is €7. Cave is open from May to September every day except of Mondays, however the opening hours are changing. For further details please check the official website of Demänovská Ice Cave.

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There were built routes and electric lighting. The total length of cave is 2811 meters, of which about 550 meters are available to the public. Jasovská cave has a rich sinter decoration. You can admire Virgin stalactites and waterfalls. At the top floor there is also interesting sign written in black letters in 1452 and which talks about the victory of the Hussites in Lučenec.

The cave is a home to 19 species of bats, which live in the cave especially during winter. Since 1995 Jasovská cave is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list as a part of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst site.

The air temperature ranges between 8.8°C to 9.4°C, relative humidity from 90% to 98%. The cave is open daily – except of Mondays – from April 1 to October 30. Basic admission fee is €5.

See pictures of Jasovská Cave on flickr.com

For further information you can visit official website of Slovak caves www.ssj.sk.

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Fingal’s Cave was discovered by an English naturalist Sir Joseph Banks in 1772, during his expedition to Iceland. However the cave was known much earlier and is surrounded by many legends.

It is available either by ferry from the nearby island of Mull, or from the Scottish mainland.

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Gouffre de Padirac cave has a depth about 100 meters and is more than 100 m wide. Visitors can see impressive underground lakes here, as well as beautiful formations of stalactites and limestone waterfalls. The tour through the cave takes about 1.5 hour and it is divided in both walking and partially on boat. The huge number of visitors during the summer season is quite a big disadvantage.

Gouffre de Padirac cave is best accessible by car or by train. The nearest train station is located about 10 km west from the cave. Till now, more than 20 million visitors saw the cave.

Gouffre de Padirac is open daily from April to November. Basic admission fee is €9.40.

For more information about the cave, please visit official website here.

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Arta Caves have not just beautiful natural decorations, but also a rich history. The biggest natural attraction of the caves is 22 m high stalagmite. Caves are divided into several areas as called Inferno (Hell), Purgaturio (purgatory) and Paradisio (Paradise). The special lighting creates really magical and impressive look.

It is interesting that in the past the Arta Caves served as haven for pirates and smugglers. Among the most popular visitors of the Caves were such as Jules Verne, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and Sarah Bernhardt. Jules Verne’s even reportedly got the inspiration for his story “Journey to the Center of the Earth”.

Arta Caves are open all year round. From May to October, are open daily from 10 to 18 hours. From November to April is also open daily from 10 to 17 hours. Basic entrance to Arta Caves costs 11 €. Children under 6 are admitted free.

Tours of the caves takes about 30-40 minutes and are conducted in English, Spanish, French and German.

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