The István Cave ('' St. Stephen's Cave'') is a

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...

Lillafüred Lillafüred (Miskolc-Lillafüred) is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary. Officially, it is a part of Miskolc, though it is almost 12 kilometres away from the city, in the Bükk Mountains. Lillafüred is a tourist resort. Hi ...

, Northern

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

. The cave was formed in the

Triassic The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...

period and is about 710 m long. It was discovered in 1913. According to local legend, a dog fell into a 15-metre deep shaft, which was the cave's only natural opening. People found the cave when they rescued the dog. Cavers began to explore the cave in 1927. Another entrance was made for the tourists, and in 1931 the cave was opened to the public. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the cave was damaged, with many of the

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; ; ) 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 composed of calcium carbonate, but may consist ...

s and

stalactite A stalactite (, ; , ) 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 and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension (chemistry ...

s were broken by people seeking refuge from air raids. The lighting was repaired only in 1955, and the cave was opened to the public again. The cave is still being explored, but only a part can be visited. Its deepest known area is named ''Hell''. The most beautiful dripstone structures are the ''Mammut's Mouth'', ''Fairyland'', ''Column Hall'' and ''Concert Hall''. Due to water filling the cave in 1958 and 1974, the inner caverns are presumably connected with water drains. Because of the lighting,

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

has appeared in the cave. This problem was solved by installing a different kind of lighting. The air in the cave is very clear and has a high humidity. Patients with respiratory illnesses are treated here.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Istvan Cave Geography of Miskolc Caves of Hungary Limestone caves Show caves in Hungary Tourist attractions in Miskolc