The Domica cave is situated on the south-western border of the ''Silicka planina Plateau'' south-east of Plesivec in the

Rožňava District Rožňava District (''okres Rožňava'') is a district in the Košice Region of eastern Slovakia. Until 1918, the district was mostly part of the county of Kingdom of Hungary of Gömör és Kishont, apart from the area in the south-east around ...

of the

Košice Region The Košice Region ( sk, Košický kraj, , hu, Kassai kerület; uk, Кошицький край) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. The region was first established in 1923 and its present borders were established in 1996. It c ...

in southern

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

and in combination with the

Baradla cave The Baradla Domica cave system in Hungary is one of the longest researched, visited for centuries for its speleothems. As part of the Aggtelek Karst, the cave system extends more than and includes the Domica cave. The cave has a natural entranc ...

represents the most significant section of the ''Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst'' cross-border cave network that continues into the ( Aggtelek National Park) in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. These vast limestone passages, that had formed during the Middle

Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...

and are rich in

speleothems A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposition (geology), 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 ...

were discovered in 1926 by Ján Majko. A section of its total length of is publicly accessible since 1932. As an element of the ''Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst'' the site has been induced into the

UNESCO World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

list in 1995.

Exploration

The site belongs to a complex variety of formations that include 712 caves, many of which were well known among the local population for centuries. Bartholomeides, a priest from Ochtiná documented his first systematic excursions into the ''Certova diera Cave'' in 1801. His conclusions that a number of local caves are simply parts of a bigger entity were corroborated by the explorer I.Vass, who surveyed the Baradla cave in 1821. E.Nyari took up archaeological work in 1881 and suggested a connection of the ''Certova diera'' and ''Baradla Cave'' as did K. Siegmenth in 1891. Only the extensive work of Jan Majko in 1926 confirmed the interconnection of several local caves and lead to the discovery of the Domica cave on October 3, 1926. J. Majko penetrated from its bottom through a 15 m deep abyss into large underground spaces in 1926 where plenty of archaeological discoveries were made later.

Description

The Domica Cave is situated in the

Slovak karst The Slovak Karst ( sk, Slovenský kras) is one of the mountain ranges of the Slovenské Rudohorie Mountains in the Carpathians in southern Slovakia. It consists of a complex of huge karst plains and plateaus. Since 1973 it has been a protected ...

and consists of light limestone of the Middle

. The passages were shaped by the waters of an underground river, called ''Styx''.

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 on ...

decoration is omnipresent and very impressive, including cascades of stalactite lakes, variously shaped stalactites domed temples and notably

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". 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 bi ...

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

, that had diffused into sinter crusts accounts for unique forms and textures of surface decoration.

Karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

processes have over tens of millions of years created diverse structures and habitats that date back to the Late Cretaceous. Subsequent periods of temperate, glacial, subtropical and tropical climatic conditions excellently demonstrate karst formation under varying conditions. Biologists, geologists and paleontologists are confronted with a rich set of various conditions, that affect sedimentation, evolution and fossilization in a geological time frame.

Gallery

File:Domica - areal.jpg, Entrance File:Domica Cave 05.jpg,

s File:Domica Cave 13.jpg,

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cascades File:Domica Cave 50.jpg, Stalactites

Human occupation

Jaroslav Böhm directed excavations during the 1930s. Human presence has been documented dating back to the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...

. The cave had presumably been a casual refuge for the oldest

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 parts ...

inhabitants of Eastern Slovakia. However, the cave has been frequented by Neolithic humans of the

Bükk culture The Bükk Mountains () are a section of the North Hungarian Mountains of the Inner Western Carpathians. Much of the area is included in the Bükk National Park. Geography Although Kékes, the highest point in Hungary, is not here but in the n ...

, who might even have manufactured their distinct thin-walled pottery inside the cave. The original entrance of the Domica Cave was blocked by debris after Paleo-humans had abandoned it and the cave became inaccessible. Post holes from dwelling objects and fireplaces were discovered in several places of the cave. More than 200 reconstructed containers from sherds as well as a terrace-dug slope in a fine-grained loam on the Styx bank with imprints of stone axes are evidences of ceramics manufacture in the cave. Irons, awls, arrows, the oldest comb in Europe, ring, decorated cylinder bracelet and fishhook represent the peak of Neolithic processing of bones. Also pendants from shells and animal teeth were preserved.

References

External links

WHC Nomination Documentation

Domica Cave
at Slovak Caves Administration
Domica on the Slovak Caves Association page
{{Authority control 1801 archaeological discoveries Show caves in Slovakia World Heritage Sites in Slovakia Geography of Košice Region Tourist attractions in Košice Region Archaeological sites in Slovakia Ramsar sites in Slovakia Triassic Europe Paleolithic sites Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst