For the territory that Slovenia occupies, some features are characteristic, thanks to which the country can boast an abundance of caves. Dissolution of rocks and the formation of voids - these processes and led to their appearance. According to statistics, there are more than 6 000 thousand of them across the country, but only three are the most famous and frequently visited. We are talking about caves: Vilenica, Shkotsian and Postoinskaya . Each of them is interesting in its own way, so they should all be included in the tourist itinerary.
Cave Vilenica
If tourists have not visited the Vilenica cave, they will not be able to make a full impression of these sights. It is one of the oldest caves in the country, and also one of the first that has become accessible to visitors. In the 17th century travelers came here and paid for the entrance. The total length of the cave is 1300 m, but only 450 m are available for tourists. But they are more than enough to admire the splendor of karst formations.
After entering the cave, tourists enter the first underground hall, which is called "Ballroom". It is located right at the foot of the stairs, very close to the entrance. It is often used in Slovenia to organize various dance festivals.
Going to the last hall, the guests enter the "fairy hall". This name he got for a reason, since a legend is associated with the Vilenica cave, which says that good fairies dwell here. In this room, travelers can stand on the balcony, inspect huge stalagmites. The largest of them reaches up to 20 m in height and 10 m in length at the base.
Shtockian caves
The most famous caves on the territory of Slovenia is the Shkosian. They are located in the south-west of the country on the world-famous plateau Kras and are a true miracle of nature. The Shkotian caves are inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List some 30 years ago.
Every year more than 100 thousand people come here to see firsthand the systems of tunnels and halls. They stretched almost 6 km underground. Caves were formed many years ago due to the flow of the river with the interesting name River. It paved its way through the junctions of sandstones and limestones, resulting in the emergence of cavities and canyons.
The largest of them is as follows: length is 12.5 m, and height is 130 m, so tourists who enter the canyon seem to have no end.
The excursion path takes several kilometers and consists of 500 stairs. On the way tourists will see underground waterfalls (there are about 26 caves in the system of caves), a large hall, giant stalactites and stalagmites, reaching up to 15 m in height and many other river creations.
In the Shkotian caves there is the famous Martel Hall, which is the largest underground grotto in Europe. It reaches a height of 146 m, a length of 300 m and a width of 120 m. In addition to the cave should visit the canyon of the river, which will make an unforgettable impression.
The tourist route is built in such a way that guests pass over the river along the Church bridge , which is located at a height of 45 m above the river plain. The bridge was formed in a natural way - once it was part of the arch of the cave, but in 1965 the arch completely sank under the water due to flooding.
Postoinskaya cave or Postoinskaya Pit
Postoinskaya Pit, or cave is one of the most visited sights of Slovenia . This is a system of karst caves, which stretches for 23 km along the Kras plateau. In these places, people lived in the glacial era, as evidenced by the remains of prehistoric people, discovered by scientists.
Postoinskaya cave was created by the underground river Pivka and is a unique natural phenomenon. On the tour, tourists will take no more than 1.5 hours, during this time it will be possible to survey 5.3 km. In the cave all year round, the temperature is about 10 ° C, so tourists are invited to rent a felt cape at the entrance.
Annually more than 1 million people visit the Postojna cave, and if you calculate how many guests were here since the opening, you will get more than 40 million tourists from around the world. Visitors here are carried on the legendary colorful train for 140 years.
The main sights of the cave are the five-meter stalagmite "Brilliant", as well as the oldest underground post office and a unique underground animal - the "human fish".