Slovenia : Karstic land.

 

Postojna Cave is the most visited cave in Europe so don’t expect to be on your own there. For more than 140 years a railway has been taking visitors to the center of the earth. Driven by human power at first then in 1914 it was replaced by a gas train. The electric one in operation today was added in 1959.

To visit the cave don’t forget to bring an extra layer. Even if it is hot outside, the temperature inside the cave is constant all year long (8-10°C). It is even too cold for bats that cannot be found in this subterranean area.

Indoor concert held in “Concert Hall” several times per year where classical and jazz concerts are presented. The Proteus is blind but developed its other senses, maybe he is one of the biggest fans of this kind of events.

The little (30 cm) snakelike salamander was once believed to be the proof of the Dragons existence and the cave in Slovenia the place where the Dragon’s keep their offspring. They can live without any food for up to 10 years.

Fact : One of the first chamber you will go through with the train have a “blackish” roof. This is due to a large amount of petrol being destroyed during the Second World War (1943). The German were using the cave as a natural warehouse to protect it from the air raid. A group of Slovenian men led by a Polish soldier created a fire that burnt for an entire week.

Located at less than 10 km from Postojna cave is the Predjama Castle built in the rock above the village of Predjama. You can buy a combined ticket to visit both for 36 €.

It is the largest cave castle in the world and I’ll have to say it has been restored beautifully. The audio guide will give you useful information, you follow the 28 different signs in a chronological order through the castle for about an hour. It was by far the best Castle we visited while in Slovenia.

The cave was supposedly visited since the prehistoric times it was then used to store the castle’s wine supply after it was built during the Renaissance (13th century).

The place is, of course, famous for its majestic castle but also for his former owner.  Erazem of Predjama the Slovenian Robin Hood. Pursued by the imperial troops after killing one of the Emperor of Austria relative Erazem took refuge in the castle. It was so well constructed that the only solution was to starve him and his men out.

Only he and his companions knew about the secret cave network permitting them to exit from the cave and collect some food. It has been said that he even did throw an entire roasted pig to his opponents while eating cherries. Water was not an issue as it filtered down into the castle through an ingenious collecting system.

While most of the castle seems impossible to attack, it took a corrupt servant for Erazem to fall. The toilet was the weak spot. The servant according to the story, left a candle in the window, signaling when Erazem was “vulnerable”. He eventually breathed his last while in the toilet, in the most unfortunate death.

About Škocjan Cave, there is unfortunately not much we can show you. In prehistoric times people used to live there and it remarkably resembles the description of the doors to the Kingdom of Shadows in Homer’s epic poem (Odyssey and Iliad almost 3000 years ago).

The cave entered UNESCO list back in 1986 and it is easy to imagine what the first people that studied it at to go through. Some of the old path remains visible along the ridge of the canyon going through the various chamber (one of the caverns is physically large enough to contain St Peter’s Basilica). This same canyon is one of the largest underground canyons in the world. Crossing the 50m-high bridge is an experience you can not miss.

Taking photos is forbidden for a couple of reasons :

• As you will be visiting the Cave as a group you want everybody to stay together and not to fall behind because of some shot taken.
• There are many stairs (more than 500) and if any visitors get hurts it would be a pain in the ass to get him out.
• Flash will be used and this would dramatically affect the cave ecosystem.

We did found Škocjan Cave way more impressive than Postojna Cave but would definitely recommend doing both if possible. Our group was divided in 2 with one guide for each. One giving information in Slovenian and German while the other one was speaking in Italian and English.

Postojna Cave : Open from 10 AM to 05 PM with a visit almost every hour.

Website : www.postojnska-jama.eu

Telephone : +386 5 700 01 00

Predjama Castle :

A free audio guides comes with the ticket and the free of charge shuttle bus service between Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle is available in July and August for guests who buy a combined ticket for both attractions.

A visit of the cave under the castle is only possible during the summer months as the bats inhabiting the area cannot be disturbed during hibernation.

Skocjan Cave :

Timetable by Months :

	January	10:00			13:00		15:00
	February	10:00			13:00		15:00
	March	10:00			13:00		15:00
	April	10:00		12:00	13:00			15:30
	May	10:00		12:00	13:00			15:30
	June	10:00	11.00	12:00	13:00	14:00	15:00		16:00	17:00
	July	10:00	11.00	12:00	13:00	14:00	15:00		16:00	17:00
	August	10:00	11.00	12:00	13:00	14:00	15:00		16:00	17:00
	September	10:00	11.00	12:00	13:00	14:00	15:00		16:00	17:00
	October	10:00		12:00	13:00			15:30
	November	10:00			13:00		15:00
	December	10:00			13:00		15:00

Entry Fee :

	( 1 ) Through the underground Canyon	( 1 + 2 ) Through the underground Canyon / Following the Reka River underground
Adults	16,00 EUR	21,00 EUR
Seniors, students (<26 years)	12,00 EUR	16,00 EUR
Children	7,50 EUR	11,00 EUR

Address : Information Centre, Matavun 12, SI-6215 Divaca

Telephone : +386 5 7082 110

Hotel : If you are like us driving from Italy through Gorizia and Gradisca and need a hotel night before/after your visit, you should consider Hotel Paquito as a great option on your way to the cave (40€ for a double room with breakfast).