Krka Cave () is a horizontal

karst cave Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...

and an occasional source of the Krka River in

Dry Carniola Dry Carniola (, ) is a small area in the northwest part of Lower Carniola. Geography Dry Carniola is centered around the town of Žužemberk, its largest settlement. The Krka River flows through the area, and Regional Road 216 (R1-216) passes th ...

, central Slovenia. It lies in a pocket valley between the villages of Trebnja Gorica to the east and

Gradiček Gradiček (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 100.) is a small settlement northwest of Krka in the Municipality of Ivančna Gorica in ...

to the west, north of the village of Krka. Water flows into the cave from the

Račna Karst Field The Račna Karst Field (; ) is a karst field in the northern edge of the Lower Carniolan karst area, south of Grosuplje, Slovenia. It has rich natural and cultural value. Because of its ecological significance, it is anticipated that a nature par ...

south of the town of

Grosuplje Grosuplje (; )''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 108. is a town in central Slovenia, in the northwest of the traditional region of Lower ...

and emerges a few metres below the cave's main entrance in the

karst spring A karst spring or karstic spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring (exsurgence, outflow of groundwater) that is part of a karst hydrological system. Description Because of their often conical or inverted bowl shape, karst springs are also known i ...

of the Krka. The cave, which is of archaeological and historical significance and features great fauna diversity, is open to announced tourist visits in the presence of a guide and also used as an event venue.

Description

Entrances

The main entrance lies on the southern side of the cave and is secured with grates. Stone stairs lead to it from the source lake of the Krka. Due to the frequent flooding of the cultivated Račna Karst Field, it was widened with explosives in 1937 to ease the water outflow. In heavy downpours, the Krka bursts through it and flows in a torrential waterfall over the steps in front of the cave. Up in a wall next to it, there is a small side entrance.

Interior

The dry part of the cave has a length of and a width of . Its central part serves as a canal in heavy downpours. At the end of the dry part, there is a -long

sump Sump may refer to: * An infiltration basin used to manage surface runoff water and recharge underground aquifers * Sump (cave), a permanently flooded section of a cave, where an underground flow of water exits the cave into the earth such that t ...

lake continuing into a system of tunnels. The total explored tunnel length is . The cave decoration is rather scarce; much of it has been destroyed due to earthquakes and vandalism. For this reason, the cave has since 1995 been locked and is accessible only in the presence of a guide. Dripstones are rare; the ceiling is formed by rock layers and remains of

flowstone Flowstones are sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleothe ...

s. Numerous

pareidolia Pareidolia (; ) is the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus (physiology), stimulus, usually visual, so that one detects an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. Pareidolia is a specific bu ...

s can be seen.

Biodiversity

Krka Cave is home to over 30 animal species, including

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

s and

olm The olm () or proteus (''Proteus anguinus'') is an aquatic salamander which is the only species in the genus ''Proteus'' of the family Proteidae and the only exclusively cave-dwelling chordate species found in Europe; the family's other extant g ...

s. The 19th-century writer found a hitherto unknown beetle in it, and the crustacean '' Typhlocypris cavicola'' is endemic to the cave.

History

As evidenced by the 1956 finding of the Lengyel ceramics, the cave was already frequented in 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 ...

. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the locals hid there during the Ottoman invasions, as described in the story ' (1864) of the 19th-century Slovene writer

Josip Jurčič Josip Jurčič (4 March 1844 – 3 May 1881) was a Slovene writer and journalist. He was born in Muljava, Austrian Empire (now part of the municipality of Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia)Levec, Fran. 1881. Josip Jurčič. ''Ljubljanski zvon'' 1(6) ...

, born in the vicinity. In the 17th century, the cave was visited by the polymath Valvasor. For the first time, it was surveyed by Jan Vladimír Hráský in 1887. Since 1927, it has been registered in the cadastre of Slovenian caves under number 74. Today, it occasionally serves as a concert venue for renowned Slovenian and Croatian musicians, e.g. choir singers at Christmas,

Siddharta Siddhārtha is the male given name of the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha. Siddhartha, Siddartha, or Siddharth may also refer to: Books * ''Siddhartha'' (novel), about a fictional contemporary of the Buddha, by Hermann Hesse * ''Siddhartha ...

(2008), or

Zlatan Stipišić Gibonni Zlatan Stipišić (born 13 August 1968), also known as Gibonni, is a Croatian singer-songwriter and composer. He is one of the most successful and awarded recording artists from Croatia, receiving record-high 43 Porin music awards for his album ...

(2010).

References

External links

Official site
Krka Tourist Society. {{Ivančna Gorica , state=collapsed Caves of Slovenia Municipality of Ivančna Gorica Limestone caves