Grotta Gigante ("Giant Cave", sl, Briška jama or ''Jama pri Briščikih''), also known as ''Riesengrotte'' or as ''Grotta di Brisciachi'', is a giant

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

on the Italian side of the

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

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 ...

(''Carso''), close to the village of Borgo Grotta Gigante or Briščiki in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Sgonico. Its central cavern is high, wide and long, putting it in the 1995 ''Guinness Book of Records'' as the world's largest show cave. This record was broken in 2010 when La Verna cave in the south west of France was opened to tourists, measuring .

Overview

The cave contains many large

stalactites A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

and

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

s, many of exceptional beauty. A feature of the stalagmites is their "dish-pile" appearance, formed by water dropping from up to above and depositing calcium carbonate over a wide area. The enormous hall is high, long and wide. A steep path with atmospheric electric lighting allows the visitor to spend about 45 minutes in this underground space, with its rich calcite concretions, the highest of which is no less than high. Its available space and the constant temperatures throughout the year have led to the placement of scientific instruments, including the two

Grotta Gigante horizontal pendulums The Grotta Gigante horizontal pendulums are a pair of tiltmeters used for monitoring Earth movements, mounted in the Grotta Gigante in Italy. The horizontal pendulums, installed by the geodesist Antonio Marussi in 1959, are sensitive to deviations ...

which hang down from about , and are the longest geodetic pendula in the world.

History

The cave was first explored by Antonio Federico Lindner in 1840. At the time, the

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 ...

behind Trieste was being searched for underground water from the

Timavo The Timavo River, known in Slovene as the ' or ', is a two-kilometre stream in the Province of Trieste. It has four sources near San Giovanni ( sl, Štivan) near Duino ( sl, Devin) and outflows in the Gulf of Panzano (part of the Gulf of Triest ...

River so as to be able to plan the city's aqueduct. In 1897, it was fully mapped by Andrea Perko, properly equipped for guided tours in 1905 by

Club Touristi Triestini Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

, and inaugurated in 1908. After World War I, ownership went to the

Julian Alpine Society Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (give ...

. Tourism only really began in 1957, when electricity was installed, unveiling new perspectives and details.

Museum

The Museum of Speleology is near the cave, and besides the various speleological, geological, and paleontological finds, it also includes some valuable archeological pieces and a poster collection of the cave. Two wide parking lots are available on the outside. Visits are scheduled at regular intervals throughout the day with expert guides. A guided walk through the cave takes about an hour.

References

External links

Official Grotta Gigante website
{{authority control Gigante Show caves in Italy Limestone caves Landforms of Friuli-Venezia Giulia Province of Trieste Tourist attractions in Friuli-Venezia Giulia Museums in Friuli-Venezia Giulia Natural history museums in Italy