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 encomp ...
László Báthory
László Báthory de Császár ( hu, Császári Bátori László) ( – 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 Nyírcs ...
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 ...
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58 The upper portions of the cave extend into the Hárshegy sandstone. The cave consists of several
cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome.
The word derives, via Italian, fro ...
-like carved from the stone. There are horizontal passages connected by steep shafts. There are
speleothem
A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation 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, depending ...
formations of various shapes and colors, and a small number of stalactites are found inside. There are formations of hematite and limonite 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 period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
age, and the bones of both the
woolly rhinoceros
The woolly rhinoceros (''Coelodonta antiquitatis'') is an extinct species of rhinoceros that was common throughout Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene epoch and survived until the end of the last glacial period. The woolly rhinoceros was a me ...
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, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...
have been found inside. The limonite 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 ( hu, Császári Bátori László) ( – 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 Nyírcs ...
left the
Monastery of St Lawrence at Buda
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
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. 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 encomp ...