Cave in the Slovak Paradise

Dobšinská Ice Cave

A realy beautiful and unique cave situated in the Spišsko-gemerský kras (Spiš-Gemer karst). A 1350 meters long way leads from the village Dobšinská ľadová jaskyňa, through an educational path with the height difference of 130 meters. The intrance of the cave and it's periphery was known among the villagers for ages under the name Ice Hole. The major part of the cave has been discovered in the year 1870 by speleologists. Since then it became the subject of remarkable interest and climatic research.

It had been opened for public from the year 1871 thanks to town Dobšiná. In the year 1887 had the cave been electrified as the first in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was visited by many prominent persons. The interesting thing about this cave is that since 1946 public ice-skateing was allowed in there throughout the whole year. In the 50's a well-known figure skater Karol Divín and a company of speed skater soldiers have been practising there. The cave is formed by Middle Triassic bright Steinalm and Wetterstein limestones along the tectonic erosions and crossbanding planes. The great calm junction of a huge mass of ice under the stone dome, on which a one centimeter thick frost can be found at the beginning of summer, gives us a realy unusual experience.

The cave Sightseeing pathway

Length: 515 m
Duration: 30 min

The average temperature in the parts covered by ice:
from -3,9 to -0,2°C
The average temperature in the parts without ice:
from 0,8 to 3,5°C