The Postojna Caves are a classic example of karst and are located in Slovenia, on the outskirts of the city of Postojna.
Although the caves were already known from prehistoric times, in 1818 they were again "discovered" by Luka Čeč.
At the time it was believed that the worst evils and demons were hidden in the dark, and this was the reason why many people refused to explore them.
Luka Čeč instead, gathered all his courage and went into the caves, remaining there for more than 3 hours making his colleagues, who were waiting for him outside, think he was dead.
However, after more than 3 hours, he went out again declaring that he had found paradise inside.
Shortly afterwards, following further exploration, the caves were opened to the public.
In 1872 they built a narrow-gauge railway network inside them, but since there was still no electricity, everything was pushed by hand.
Only in 1884, with the arrival of electricity, the caves were illuminated, and the train no longer needed people to push it.
The Postojna Caves are the only caves in the world equipped with a railway system within them.
Later on, three additional caves were discovered connected to the first, and to allow tourist visits, a wooden bridge was built initially, but it wasn't very suitable for the conditions of high humidity, and for this reason it was then replaced by a bridge made of more modern and resistant materials.
Here are some features of the caves:
- altitude: 680 m s.l.m.
- depth: 115 m
- length: 20.570 m
- average temperature: 8 °C (slightly rising in summer, slightly decreasing in winter).
Although the caves were already known from prehistoric times, in 1818 they were again "discovered" by Luka Čeč.
At the time it was believed that the worst evils and demons were hidden in the dark, and this was the reason why many people refused to explore them.
Luka Čeč instead, gathered all his courage and went into the caves, remaining there for more than 3 hours making his colleagues, who were waiting for him outside, think he was dead.
However, after more than 3 hours, he went out again declaring that he had found paradise inside.
Shortly afterwards, following further exploration, the caves were opened to the public.
In 1872 they built a narrow-gauge railway network inside them, but since there was still no electricity, everything was pushed by hand.
Only in 1884, with the arrival of electricity, the caves were illuminated, and the train no longer needed people to push it.
The Postojna Caves are the only caves in the world equipped with a railway system within them.
Later on, three additional caves were discovered connected to the first, and to allow tourist visits, a wooden bridge was built initially, but it wasn't very suitable for the conditions of high humidity, and for this reason it was then replaced by a bridge made of more modern and resistant materials.
Here are some features of the caves:
- altitude: 680 m s.l.m.
- depth: 115 m
- length: 20.570 m
- average temperature: 8 °C (slightly rising in summer, slightly decreasing in winter).
For those interested, here is the link to their site: https://www.postojnska-jama.eu/it/
