History of the Domica Cave exploration

The chasm-like caves Certova diera (the Devil's Pit), Licsia diera (Fox's Cave) and now called Stara Domica (the Old Domica Cave) were well known near to the today's Domica Cave for a long time. Bartholomeides (1806) wrote that it was spreading various legends about the Certova diera Cave. An interest in this phenomena increased when the question of the origin of the subterranean stream Styx in the Baradla Cave began to be studied. In order to find L. Bartholomeides, a parish priest from Ochtina, visited the Certova diera Cave on July 10,1801. He called it as the Budosto Cave and as the first he pronounced an assumption that the Certova diera, Licsia diera and Stara Domica were only an entrance to many larger passages, the second entrance to the Baradla Cave.

The cruise on the underground river Styx (66kB).

One of its greatest explorers and pioneers I.Vass came to the same conclusion at surveying the Baradla in 1821. E.Nyari (1881) who carried out with other specialists extensive archaeological works in the Baradla Cave on the foundation of the same surface and subterranean rivers at Smradlave jazierko (Stinking Lake) supposed that between both caves were larger underground passages. K. Siegmenth (1891) at the occasion of a visit to the Certova diera cave mentioned about huge heaps of bat's droppings in the cave. The connection between the Certova diera and the Baradla they only suspected.

Nobody of the explorers of the time tried to get over two water siphons separating the Baradla from the Domica Cave of today. An exploration of underground passages of the Certova diera which headed eastward was carried out. A discovery of the Domica Cave was not by a change, but a result of relentless and enterprising activity of Jan Majko. He and his companions got into the new passages through the Stara Domica Cave on October 3,1926 and later proved their connection with the Certova diera and the Licsia diera.

The Japanese tea-room (89kB).

Spaces of the Domica Cave were open to the public in advance in 1930 and new entrance they broke open in 1932. A connection of the Domica Cave with the Baradla Cave is ensured by a siphon about 250 m long, which was from the Hungarian side for the first time vanquished by H.Kessler on August 28, 1932, and from Slovak side by V.Benicky on September 6,1932. It demonstrated that both Baradla and Domica Caves are parts of the one long system.

More archaeological, paleontological, biospeleological, hydrologic and other investigations took place in the cave in recent. Papers with some their results are listed on page Bibliography about the Domica Cave. A Short information about results of the archaeological investigation is presented on page Archaeology in the Domica Cave and some biospeleologic knowledge can be found on page Cave fauna in the Slovak karst.

SLOVAKIA CAVE SERVER prepared by Eduard Kladiva (Old Cave Dog) from Speleoclub CASSOVIA . Please send all comments, notes and corrections on e-mail kladiva@saske.sk.