Harmanecká Cave

The later discovery of the cave in 1932 wasn’t a result of a chance but a goal-directed heavy work of 18 years old Michal Bacúrik, who after 14 day dug out a narrow opening – now the Discoverer’s Pas­sage and entered the snow white hall later called the Discoverer’s Dome. It is interesting that the discoverer was fined for this because he didn’t have the permission from the town forest office to enter their forests.

In 1944 during the World War II, the cave served as a shelter for local people. The cave was opened to the public for the first time six yars later. The length of accessible part is 720 m.

It reaches the length of 2,763 m with vertical span of 75 m. Except for voluminous collapse spaces (Dome of Pagodas, Tall Dome, Stray Dome and others), there are horizontal and inclined passages with irregular oval shapes, however without typical signs of underground river modelling. We can also find distinct collapses and spiral abysses.

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The initial cave spaces were formed by corrosion of slowly flowing and almost stagnant water, when they were completely flooded. The cave is known by abundant occurrence of white soft sinter – moonmilk. From among the sinter fills, mainly the mighty pagoda stalagmites, wall flowstone waterfalls and draperies catch your attention. There are two pagodas twelve meters high with three meters in diameter in the Great Dome.

Access to cave
You will get to the Harmanecká Cave from the parking place at the state road Harmanec – Turčianske Teplice to the northwest from Banská Bystrica. Cave entrance, which is 260 m above is accessible by serpentine path. The ascent lasts 40 min. There are educational boards installed along the path.

How to get there:

Car
From Banská Bystrica direction Turčianske Teplice, Martin through Harmanec – 13km
From Ružomberok direction Banská Bystrica through Donovaly, Staré Hory, Harmanec – 50km
From Turčianske Teplice through Šturec direction Banská Bystrica – 20km

Bus/Train
www.cp.sk – Harmanec cav (train)

Plane
www.ryanair.com – Bratislava

Accommodation
www.slovakia.tra­vel.sk

More info: www.ssj.sk

Author: SSJ
Photor: Ing. M. Rengevič

Audio/Video

harmanecka jaskyna

Photogallery