Tito's Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Drvar
Open:
Fee:
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	V=200,000/a [1990]
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

25-MAY-1944	Operation Rösselsprung airdrop near the cave.
1992	closed with the begin of war.
25-MAY-2006	reopened.
2019	cave closed after landslide destroyed wooden shelters at the entrance to the cave.
2020	new electric light system, protective nets installed, hut at the entrance rebuilt.
DEC-2020	cave reopened.

Description

Tito's Cave is a small cave of little speleological interest. There is a path from Drvar, with many steps, up the hill to the cave entrance. The cave has a nice view across the city of Drvar. During spring there is a cave river flowing out of the cave, so it is impossible to visit the cave during snow melt. The rest of the year the cave is dry.

The great importance of this cave is its history. It was the hideout of Tito (Josip Broz) and his communist partisans at the end of World War II. During Operation Rösselsprung (Knight's Leap) the Germans attacted Dvar. It was one of three occasions where the Germans were close to kill Tito. However, despite the massive attack they could not catch him. A legend tells he was saved by his loyal dog, who sacrificed himself.

Later in communist Yugoslavia this cave was a sort of national shrine and a popular tourist destination. During this era the town Drvar, where it is located, was renamed Titov Drvar. During the war the cave was abandoned and almost forgotten. Now, in the attempt to intensify tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the cave was refurbished and reopened. The renovation was made by Drvar authorities, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

There is another Tito's Cave on the Island Vis. Tito went there after he had to flee Drvar.