Moravský Kras

Moravský Kras, or, as it is also called, Karst, is a system of caves in the Czech Republic with a total length of about 25 km, one of the largest in Europe. The natural complex is located in the eastern part of the country, north of Brno, near the town of Blansko. In total, there are more than 1100 caves in Moravský kras, but only 5 of them are accessible to tourists. In fact, this is quite a lot: it takes at least two days to fully explore the halls and corridors open to the public. During the excursions guests will see the lakes and a river lying at the bottom of the abyss, see giant stalactites and stalagmites, learn all about the work of a secret underground factory, and if you are lucky, you will get to a chamber music concert.

.

Video: Moravian Kras

Contents

History of Moravian Kras research

The first daredevils descended into the caves of Moravský Kras in the early 17th century, when the spacious halls of Vypustek were explored. The remaining sections accessible to tourists today were first traversed a century later. Of course, there were no scientific expeditions yet, but the simplest measurements of cave dimensions were made. Speleologists began systematic studies of the Moravian Karst in the twentieth century, when the Macocha Chasm and the Punkvennye Caves leading to it were traversed. Since then, research has not stopped, and in 1956 the cave system was declared a state reserve.

.

Tourist routes

‘ class=”fancybox” >Map of the reserve

Excursion routes have been developed for tourists to the Moravian Kraš for the Punkvennye caves with the Matsocha Abyss, the Stolb-Szoszów subsystem, the solitary caves of Katěřínská and Balcárka. In the last decade, the Wypustek Cave, previously given to the military, has also become accessible.

.

Punctuated caves and the Matsokha Abyss

The system gets its name from the Punkve River, which flows through the bottom of the Matsocha Chasm, the deepest in Central Europe. It is 138 meters deep and 76 meters wide. It can be accessed through the Punkve Caves, located 2 km from Skalisty Mlyn – the main information point of Moravian Kraz. At the entrance, guests are greeted by the Front Hall with the Sentinel stalactite. After viewing the outlandish figures, the guide leads the group through a dry corridor-siphon to the Clay Halls and the Middle Cathedral, through the upper vaults of which runs the impregnable Crystal Corridor. After the Back Cathedral, the dry part of the route ends and the Wet Road begins, which is traveled by boat. Guests float through underground lakes to the Fairy Cathedral with picturesque natural sculptures and continue their journey through the Punkwa.

.

It is also possible to look into the Matsohu Abyss on your own without joining a group. First, you need to use the cable car and get to the viewing Upper Bridge on the cliff at the abyss. The bottom is even better viewed from the Lower Bridge from a height of 92 meters – from there you can even see the thickets of rare rye, which blooms from May to July with purple bells. Both bridges were built in the 19th century, when the tourist potential of the Moravian Kras became obvious – the Upper Bridge in 1882 and the Lower Bridge in 1899. The river forms two underground lakes, the smaller one, 13 meters deep, can be seen from the bridge, the 30-meter deep lake is hidden in the traces of the landslide that formed Macocha.

.

Baltsarka Cave

In Balcarca, located in the northern part of Moravian Kras, nature has created the most spectacular stalactites. In addition, many Stone Age artifacts have been found here – weapons made of flint and bone, tools created about 15,000 years ago. The entrance to the cave is the Grand Portal, which leads to the Wilson Rotunda. From the Great Cathedral, guests ascend to the Gallery. In the Cathedral of Doom, a stalactite waterfall awaits them. The scary name is due to the collapse of the cave ceiling, which resulted in the beautiful figures. In the Cathedral of Exploration, the walls are covered with a milky-colored patina formed by cave microorganisms.

.

Katerzhinskaya cave

Half a kilometer east of Rocky Mlyn is Katerzynska Cave, famous for its stalagmites. Its Main Cathedral, the largest in Moravian Kras, is so large that it hosts musical concerts. The Bamboo Forest, a cluster of large stalagmites, begins further on. The Katerzynska Cave got its name in memory of a young shepherdess. The girl wandered into the cave in search of a lost sheep, wandered through complicated passages for a long time and died of cold and fatigue. Single tourists are not allowed to enter the Katerzhinskaya cave to avoid repeating the terrible fate of the shepherdess, because it is very easy to deviate from the route without an experienced guide.

.

Stolb-Szoszów Caves

The complex is located in the south of the village of Slope, which means “pillar”, which is why in Russian the system is called both Slope-Szoszowska and Stolbsko-Szoszowska. The second part of the name is derived from the town of Szoszówka, which lies to the east of the complex. One of the system’s halls is equipped as a concert hall for chamber music. Among the most spectacular sections are the Eliština Cave and the 90-meter-deep Nagelova Chasm with the Stolbska River at the bottom. The total length of the explored part of the caves is about 4 km, tourists have access to 0.9-1.7 km, depending on the chosen route.

.

Vypustek Cave

The last of the 5 tourist sites in Moravian Kras opened to the public only recently, in 2005. Before that Vypustek was a regimented military site. Archaeological excavations show that people lived here 15,000 years ago. In 1936, the military appreciated the protection of the cave and organized an arms depot in it, in 1944 – a workshop for the production of aircraft engines for the Germans. In the 1960s, the headquarters of the Czechoslovak Army settled in Vypustek. It is the most man-modified Moravian Kras cave: its spacious cathedrals were turned into conference room and well-ventilated bedrooms with a total length of 170 meters.

.

Tourist information

Tourists visit Moravian Kraz all year round, but the peak of visits is in the summer when all routes are open. At this time, it is recommended to book tickets in advance to guarantee getting in. The main information center is located in Blansko, on the Rocky Mill, or Mlyn, with restaurants and souvenir shops open nearby.

.

It takes 2 days to fully explore the cave system. Tourists who come without an overnight stay have to limit themselves to 2-3 routes. The territory of the reserve is closed to motorized vehicles, but for tourists there is a cable car and environmentally friendly train, the cost of a round-trip ticket for which is 80 crowns. Inside the caves it is cold, not more than +8 ° C, warm clothes and comfortable shoes are required. Navigating through the passages of Moravian Kras does not require special preparation, Stolbsko-Szoszów Caves and Vypustek Caves are accessible to visitors in wheelchairs.

.

Opening hours and cost of visit

In low season, from October to March, the Moravian Kras Nature Reserve is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; in high season the last group enters the caves at 16:30. Baltsarka and Katerzynska cave are closed for the winter, in the others the number of excursions is limited to 3 per day. The length of the routes ranges from 600 to 1700 meters, and the excursion time ranges from 40 to 180 minutes.

.

Full tickets to Baltsarka and Katarzynska caves cost 100 CZK, Sloup-Schošuv caves 110-140 CZK, Vypustek caves 120 CZK, Punkvennye caves 110 CZK by dry route, 160 CZK with boating on the underground river. An adventurous route in a group of up to 10 people over 10 years of age through the Stolb-Szoszów Caves costs 500 CZK per tourist. Students and pensioners get a 20-25% discount on standard routes, children from 6 to 15 years old get a 40% discount.

.

How to get there

The closest cities to Moravian Karst are Brno in the south and Blansko in the north. From Brno to Skalisty Mlyn is about 30 km, many tourists get to Blansko directly from Prague in 3.5 hours by train. Buses stop at the point “Skalisty Mlyn”. Travelers by car should drive from Prague to Brno on the E65 highway, then take the local road E461, turning off at 379 to the sign for Skalisty Mill, where you can park.

.