The Bathory Cave () is a cave located just below the top of (Great Linden Hill), on the northeast side of the mountain. It is located within the
Danube-Ipoly National Park
Danube-Ipoly National Park is one of the most diverse national parks in Hungary.
Background
In 1997, the park was created from Pilis and Börzsöny national parks, with the addition of part of the floodplain of the River Ipoly. This park encompa ...
László Báthory
László Báthory de Császár () ( – 27 February 1456) was a Pauline monk and the first translator of the Bible into Hungarian.
Background
Báthory (also Báthori or Bátori) was born around 1420 in Nyírcsászári. Little is known of his ...
who used the cave as a hermitage for twenty years.
Background
Geothermal springs
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by cir ...
carved the cave from
Dachstein limestone
The Dachstein Formation or Dachstein Limestone (German: ''Dachsteinkalk'') is a geologic formation in the Alps and other Tethyan mountain ranges in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, Slovakia and Slovenia. It preserves fossils dated t ...
probably during the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58 The upper portions of the cave extend into the
Hárshegy sandstone
This is a list of types of sandstone that have been or are used economically as natural stone for building and other commercial or artistic purposes.
Trans-regional
(across state borders)
*'' Cornbrash Sandstone'': North Rhine-Westphalia, Lowe ...
. The cave consists of several
cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout.
The word derives, via Ital ...
-like carved from the stone. There are horizontal passages connected by steep shafts. There are
speleothem
A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation made by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depen ...
formations of various shapes and colors, and a small number of
stalactite
A stalactite (, ; , ) is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension (chemistry ...
s are found inside. There are formations of
hematite
Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...
and
limonite
Limonite () is an iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron(III) oxide-hydroxides in varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as , although this is not entirely accurate as the ratio of oxide to hydroxide can vary qu ...
inside the cave. Names of the cave halls and passages include the Great Stairs, Pyramid Branch, Tavas Hall, Hall of Loyalty, Hármas termi, Saint Laszlo Hall, Dome Hall, Triple Hall, Small-Staircase, Y-branch, Vortex Corridor and Pauline Hall.
The cave has been in use by people since the
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
age, and the bones of both the
woolly rhinoceros
The woolly rhinoceros (''Coelodonta antiquitatis'') is an extinct species of rhinoceros that inhabited northern Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch. The woolly rhinoceros was a member of the Pleistocene megafauna. The woolly rhinoceros was larg ...
and
red deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...
have been found inside. The
limonite
Limonite () is an iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron(III) oxide-hydroxides in varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as , although this is not entirely accurate as the ratio of oxide to hydroxide can vary qu ...
in the cave has been mined for the gold and silver contained in the ore.
Seeking solitude to focus on his work, Pauline monk
László Báthory
László Báthory de Császár () ( – 27 February 1456) was a Pauline monk and the first translator of the Bible into Hungarian.
Background
Báthory (also Báthori or Bátori) was born around 1420 in Nyírcsászári. Little is known of his ...
left the
Monastery of St Lawrence at Buda
The Monastery of St Lawrence at Buda, also known as the Pauline Monastery of Budaszentlőrinc (), is a former monastery belonging to the Pauline Order. Destroyed by the Ottomans, the remains of the monastery grounds are in an area called Szépj ...
and used the cave as a hermitage, where he lived from 1437 to 1457. The cave was sealed after his death. The cave has been forgotten and rediscovered several times. The cave was formally named in his honor in 1911.
Located in the 2nd district of Budapest, the area is popular to outdoor enthusiasts and is accessible from the and of the
Budapest Children's Railway
The Gyermekvasút () or Line 7 is a narrow gauge railway line in Budapest, which connects, via six stations, and Hűvösvölgy and is long. It is one of Budapest's transport attractions located between the 2nd and 12th districts, most notable ...
. Access to the cave is now controlled by the
Danube-Ipoly National Park
Danube-Ipoly National Park is one of the most diverse national parks in Hungary.
Background
In 1997, the park was created from Pilis and Börzsöny national parks, with the addition of part of the floodplain of the River Ipoly. This park encompa ...