Jeskyně Na Turoldu

Na Turoldu Cave

Useful Information

layers of calcite covered by bulbous calcite form huge rocks in the cave.

Location:	Near Mikulov. Located at the border to Austria, border crossing Mikulov-Drasenhofen. South of Brno. From D2/E65 Brono-Breclav use exit 41 Podivin (from south) or exit 25 Hustopece (from north). Follow parallel road in the same direction to the turnoff of road 421 to Mikulov. (48.8164105, 16.6403764)
Open:	MAY Tue-Sun 9-16:30. JUN to AUG daily 9-17. SEP to OCT Tue-Fri 10-16, hourly on the hour, Sat-Sun 9-16:30. [2010]
Fee:	Adults CZK 80, Children (6-15) CZK 40, Children (0-5) free, Students CZK 40, Disabled CZK 40, Seniors CZK 60. Photography Permit CZK 30, Video Permit CZK 100. [2010]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	T=8-9 °C, L=1,100 m.
Guided tours:	L=300 m, D=40 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:	Jirí Gaisler, Josef Chytil (2002): Mark-recapture results and changes in bat abundance at the cave of Na Turoldu, Czech Republic, Folia Zoologica vol. 51 no. 1, pp 1-10 (2002) pdf-file
Address:	Správa jeskyně Na Turoldu, Jirí Kolarík, U Lomu 54, 69201 Mikulov, Tel: +420-607-202861. E-mail:
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

1669	first mentioned.
1958	start of bat monitoring.
1999	start of development.
2004	opened to the public.

Description

this is a so-called **fault plane**, two blocks of rocks were moved along this fracture which caused parallel lines.

Jeskyně na Turoldu is the newest show cave of the Czech Republik. It was opened in 2004. The cave is located in the Jurassic limestones of the Palavske vrchy hills. It is part of the Pálava UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The landscape along the Austrian-Czech border is a fertile plain, a renowned wine growing area. And right north of the border lies a sort of mountain called Kocici skala (Cat's mountain), limestoen hills raising 530 m asl from the plain at about 200m asl. The southernmost hill is called Turold and contains the Jeskyně na Turoldu. The hill was quarried for the limestone which was used to build the houses of the village Mikulov and around. During the quarrying a cave was discovered, but later it was destroyed by the continuing quarrying.

The ticket office of Na Turoldu lies on the northern end of the village Mikulov, close to the open air theatre and the police station. It was built at the entrance to the abandoned quarry. A short walk leads to the far end of the quarry, where quarry floor was used to create a sort of geologic trail or rock trail. All kinds of rocks from the area were placed here, including crystalline rocks and basaltic columns. This is a good place to spend the waiting time for the next tour.

The cave is entered through a steel door, and soon the typical character of the cave becomes obvious. It is very dry, almost dusty, and it is a series of steep clefts and stairs. The cave formed obviously by a combination of tectonic forces and solution. There was never a cave river, there are no stalactites or stalagmites. But the cave was filled by carbonate rich water for a very long time, and so huge layers of calcite crystals formed. Walls are covered by crystals, by bulbous calcite and sometimes by moonmilk.

The water level is the karst water level, which is connected to the surrounding plains. It seems it was much lower when the cave was first developed as a show cave, as the lowest part of the tour is not guided any more. The risen water level is only one reason for this, the other reason is a lake of carbon dioxide. This gas is heavier than the normal air and collects at the bottom of the cave. Unfortunately the gas, while not really dangerous or poisonous itself, does not contain any oxygen, so people etering the cabon dioxide lake soon suffocate while still breathing. The gas is produced deep below the cave, and rises through the fissures in the rock. This is one of the caves which were not created by surface carbon dioxide, but by carbon dioxide from below.

This cave is the largest known bat hibernaculum in the territory of the reserve. Bats are monitored since 1958. The total number of species found in the cave is 15.

Jeskyně na Turoldu Gallery