Protection of the Gombasecka Cave

The reasons for protection of the cave

The Gombasecka Cave is still permanently geologically living cave. The unique adornment represented by the spaghetti stalactites of the length up to 3 m is remarkable and rare. A growth of the dripstone decoration is continued all the time. The Gombasecka Cave made accessible from 1955 begins to be one of the most visited caves in Slovakia. There had been successful used the speleotherapeutic methods in the cave more twenty years. There is desirable a conservation of the microclimatic conditions and the sterility of the air in the cave.

The impairs of the original status

There is a large carrier on a canyon slope, what is opposite to the cave. Blast firings of the rock in the carrier represent a main peril for the cave decoration, namely for the long and thin spaghetti stalactites. The agreement was concluded for excluding of the most dangerous gopher-hole blasts. The straw and spaghetti stalactites are very sensitive to the microclimatic conditions in the cave. An unsuitable draught can set oscillations of the frangible sinter straws to their shattering.

The protection steps

The Gombasecka Cave is a Nature Protected Phenomena proclaimed by the Amendment of the Ministry of Culture of SSR No. 9279/1972-OP from the December 28, 1972. From 1995 the Act on Environment Protection took effect that all caves are the National Monuments. Protection of the cave is ensuring by organizations: The Management of the Slovak karst Protected Landscape Area, The District Administration for the Environment of the Roznava district and The Management of the Slovak Show Caves.

The cave is closed by steel doors. A part of the cave is shown for public. An access in the other parts is possible with a permit of the Management of the Slovak Shown Caves only. The exploration works can't be realized by a blasting. The research of the hydrologic conditions, the microbiologic measurements of the air in cave for a speleotherapeutics and physical research of the sinter development were realized in last time. Protection of the cave is ensured also in the frame of the Protected Landscape Area of the Slovak karst, which was in 1977 included into the international network of biospheric reservations.

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.