Medieval slavania crack#

Once he knows there is something beneath, he digs around the crack to widen it and alerts fellow cavers to help gain access.Īn ancient aquatic salamander that can live up to 100 years is among the species to have been found in the Postojna cave system. The 'ideal time for cave searching is the winter' when the air above ground is cooler than that in the caves. 'Astronauts know that the Karst world is exceptional, in a similar way to the environment in space: you don't know what to expect at your next step,' said Skocjan Caves supervisor Tomaz Zorman.īut for Husu, it's the hunt which proves most rewarding. The Vilenica cave, which Slovenes have been exploring since 1633, is known for the annual eponymous literary prize awarded in its interior.Īnd the UNESCO-listed Skocjan system was where the European Space Agency sent some astronauts to prepare for life in space. The cave, situated some 50 kilometres south of the capital Ljubljana, was also home to the world's first cave tourist train, which began transporting visitors in 1872.Įlsewhere in the Karst region, the cave systems are of historical, cultural and even extraterrestrial interest. Glazar sid Postojna is one of the richest caves in the world 'in limestone formations, with a dense concentration of stalactites, columns, pillars'. Stanislav Glazar, a Postojna cave guide and speleology enthusiast, told AFP that more than 150 species have been discovered in the system.Īmong them is the Proteus anguinus or 'little dragon', an ancient aquatic salamander that can live up to 100 years and was previously considered living proof that dragons had once existed.Ī cave-dwelling beetle -– the slender neck beetle or Leptodirus hochenwartii-was also found here, reputedly by Cec. Seasoned caver Ludvik Husu, 63, has found a new, 60-metre (196-foot) deep limestone cave in Slovenia's dramatic Karst region. The Postojna system extends for 24 kilometres (15 miles) and has offered up valuable finds for biologists. When local lamplighter Luka Cec decided to explore a hidden crack while scouting out the Postojna area for a visit by Austrian Emperor Franz, he is reputed to have said that he had stumbled on 'a new world. Perhaps best known is the Postojna cave system, the longest in Europe, unearthed by another amateur enthusiast two centuries ago. One even houses an entire castle and another was used by the European Space Agency to help train astronauts. The tiny Alpine nation is unusually rich in caves, which are a major tourist attraction. The 63-year-old had come across a new, 60-metre (196-foot) deep limestone cave, a discovery that made the headlines this summer in a country that prides itself in its 14,000 underground grottoes. all the signs pointed to something beneath' as he felt the air current push up from below. The seasoned cave enthusiast, with more than 50 years' experience, told AFP that 'the conditions were perfect.

Medieval slavania