Chapter 29 - Ice Caves in Slovakia

Abstract

Ice caves belong to the significant natural phenomena in Slovakia. They occur mainly in mid- and high-mountain areas, and several of them are filled by ice only seasonally (during the winter season to the summer). Based on existing data, 45 caves are permanently filled with ice. The well-known Dobšinská ľadová jaskyňa Cave (Dobšiná Ice Cave) presents a typical descending sack-like cavity with the largest ice volume in the world (despite the fact that it is located in the mid-mountain position, below 1000ma.s.l.). Its ice body is an important natural archive with paleoclimatic evidence of approximately the past 1000 years. The Silická ľadnica Cave (Silica Ice Cave) is the lowest situated perennial ice cave, up to a 50 degrees north latitude, in the temperate climate zone. Both caves (together with the Snežná diera Cave) are included in the World Heritage List within the Slovak-Hungarian site named Caves of Aggtelek and Slovak Karst. Two ice caves (Dobšinská ľadová jaskyňa Cave and Demänovská ľadová jaskyňa Cave) are open to the public. The Dobšiná Ice Cave is one of the first electrically illuminated show caves in the world. But the development of both caves for tourism has resulted in some negative human impacts. At present, the caves are used as educational localities under the supervision of the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic. All caves in Slovakia are protected as natural monuments (the most significant caves as national natural monuments, including several ice caves).