Postojna Cave, now in its second century of attracting throngs of admirers from all over the world, was also a challenge for the bold explorers of the underworld who, with patience and perseverance, penetrated ever deeper underground. It is thanks to the far-sighted managers of the cave that the newly discovered sections were quickly made suitable for mass visits.
The visitor's curiosity is satisfied by facts about the formation of caves, a guided visit through passages and chambers and, above all, by observing the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, the stalagmites growing up from the floor, the pillars formed when stalactites and stalagmites meet, the folds of calcite curtains and the other sequences of fantastic shapes and forms.
The desire for knowledge has also prompted experts in karst phenomena and life in the karst to research the special geological features of the cave, the formation and development of speleothems (the generic term for calcite formations in caves), and the living creatures that are found in caves – both those that have strayed underground by chance and those that have adapted to life in eternal darkness.
A visit to the cave lasts an hour and a half. Visits are scheduled at regular intervals throughout the day. No special equipment is necessary. Capes are available for hire. The trail begins at the cave railway station. The train first carries visitors through an artificial tunnel built during the renovation of the railway line 40 years ago. The journey lasts ten minutes. The first natural passage, known as the Upturned Ship, is black and sooty – the result of a fuel dump explosion during the Second World War.
Next comes the Gothic Hall, rich in stalactite decoration, where the remains of Ice Age animals have been found. The Conference Hall, previously known as the Ballroom, has been the venue for dances and concerts for 180 years. It also hosted the international speleological conference from which it takes its name. Many of the speleothems along the route have names that reflect their peculiar shapes.
The most famous are: the Turtle, the Cone, the Palms, the Charcoal Heaps, the Curtain, the Dwarf. While the visitors admire these natural sculptures, the train carries them to Great Mountain, where they alight and continue the visit on foot in groups led by guides. The trail takes them past characteristic cave formations to the Russian Bridge and the Beautiful Caves, then into the White Hall, the Red Hall, the Tiger Hall and the Winter Hall, all the way to the Brilliant Passage, the home of the Brilliant, the most famous stalagmite of all and the symbol of Postojna Cave. Visitors then reboard the train by the Conference Hall and return to the surface.
The distance from Postojna to Predjama, the hamlet below Predjama Castle, is 9 kilometres. There are many interesting sights along the way, including the Black Cave, the Pivka Cave, the Island Cave and Betalov Spodmol, where Palaeolithic artefacts have been found. Predjama itself retains something of an antique character in its buildings, which were once part of the castle's economy (the granary) or served religious purposes (the little Gothic church of Our Lady of Sorrows).
But the main objective of the visit is the castle perched high up in the cliff, whose owners and inhabitants have spread its fame far and wide. In its present Renaissance form, the castle dates from the 16th century, but some features of the old cave castle from past centuries still survive. Among them is the section which according to legend contained the living quarters of the robber knight Erazem.
every day at 10.00, 12.00, 15.00
1. - 24. April, October
every day at 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00
25. - 30. April
every day at 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00 , 14.00, 15.00, 16.00, 17.00.
May
every day at 9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00 , 14.00, 15.00, 16.00, 17.00.
June, July, August
every day at 9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00 , 14.00, 15.00, 16.00, 17.00, 18.00
every day at 9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00 , 14.00, 15.00, 16.00, 17.00.
The visit lasts a maximum of one and a half hours. All visitors to Postojna Cave are accompanied by a guide. Languages available: Slovene, English, German, Italian.
Slovenia
Slovenia
Sunshine
9 days/8 nights