The Macocha Abyss, also known as the Macocha Gorge, is a

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

in the

Moravian Karst The Moravian Karst ( cs, Moravský kras) is a karst landscape and protected landscape area to the north of Brno in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It encompasses a number of notable geological features, including roughly 1100 cav ...

cave system of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. The sinkhole is deep, which makes it the deepest of its kind (light hole type) in

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

. It is a popular

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

for casual visitors to the region, in addition to

caver Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...

s and advanced

technical diver Technical diving (also referred to as tec diving or tech diving) is scuba diving that exceeds the agency-specified limits of recreational diving for non-professional purposes. Technical diving may expose the diver to hazards beyond those normally ...

Location

Macocha Abyss is located in the Vilémovice municipality in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region ( cs, Jihomoravský kraj; , ; sk, Juhomoravský kraj) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia (an exception is Jobova Lhota which trad ...

, north of the city of

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

. It is part of the

Punkva Caves The Punkva Caves (Czech: ''Punkevní jeskyně'') are a cave system of the Czech Republic located north of the city of Brno, near the town of Blansko. The Punkva River flows through it. Part of it is the Macocha Gorge, its sinkhole is about 138.7 me ...

and the

Punkva River Punkva is a long river in South Moravia, Czech Republic. It is a Subterranean river in the Moravian Karst and a left tributary of the Svitava. It is the longest underground river in the Czech Republic. The river forms underground as a confluenc ...

flows through it.

Description

The abyss is long and wide. It is deep to the surface of Dolní Lake. Below the surface of Dolní Lake are other underground spaces, so far explored to a total depth of . The dimensions of the abyss allow for its overall daylight and therefore it is classified in the "light hole" abyss category. At the beginning of the Pustý Žleb (Desolate Canyon), below the town of Sloup, the waters of the Sloupský Brook, one of the tributaries of the subterranean river Punkva, helped to form an extensive system of underground passages, domes and abysses, measuring approximately 6,500 meters, known as the Sloupsko-šošůvské jeskyně (Sloup-

Šošůvka Šošůvka is a municipality and village in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. Geography Šošůvka is located about northeast of Blansko and northeast of Brno. It lies in the Draha ...

Caves). At 3,000 meters long the viewing circuit is the longest underground trail open to the public in the Czech Republic.

Etymology

The name Macocha is derived from ''macecha'', i.e. "stepmother". According to a popular

folk story Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...

, the abyss got its name after an evil stepmother who married a widowed farmer from a nearby village. The farmer had a son whom she accepted until she gave birth to her own son. Knowing her child wouldn't inherit anything, she decided to lure her step-son to the abyss and throw him into it. Once she realized what she's done, she decided to end her own life by jumping into the very same abyss. Surprisingly, her step-son survived and was eventually saved by his father and other villagers. Another version of the story says that the step-mother didn't commit suicide but was in fact thrown into the abyss after the villagers learnt what she's done to her step-son.

References

External links

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Information on ShowCaves.com
{{Authority control Caves of the Czech Republic Blansko District Geography of the South Moravian Region Sinkholes of the Czech Republic

Location

Description

Etymology

See also

References

External links