Demänovská Cave of Liberty - Demänovská Cave of Liberty

Type: Interesting

Description:
Demänovská Cave of Liberty is a karst cave in the Low Tatras in the Demänová Valley. It was discovered in 1921 by Alois Král and his local helpers Adam Mišura, Ota Hrabal and Jarmila Vránová. Demänovská Cave of Liberty is the most visited tourist-accessible cave in Slovakia. The Cave of Liberty has the richest dripstone decoration among the known Demänová caves. The artificially dug entrance hole lies on the western slope of Demänovská Poludnica at 870 m above sea level, about 50 m above the Demänovka stream level. It has been accessible since 1924. From the total length of 8897 m (together with Pustá cave), about 1600 m is accessible to the public. The cave consists of domes, halls and corridors created in six cave levels that formed during the Pleistocene. The underground flow of Demänovka currently passes through the lowest level. The cave spaces are decorated with living dripstone formations colored yellow to red by iron and manganese compounds. On the ceiling appear glassy helictites and thicker stalactites, on the bottom more robust stalagmites and stalagnates, on the walls there are dripstone waterfalls. Depressions in the cave floor are filled by Coral, Golden, Grape and Lily lakes. A rarity of the Cave of Liberty are moonmilk stalactites in the Treasure Room and cave pearls - pea-like balls - on the bottom of the lake in the Great Dome. That dripstones grow very slowly can be seen for example on the glassy helictite in the Great Dome, which grew only 2 mm in 10 years (1958–68).

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Video length: 08:19