Jama Baredine

Baredine Cave - Baredine Pit


Useful Information

photography
Entrance of Jama Baredine. © Jama Baredine
Location: In Nova Vasthere (Nova Vas), near Porec. On the Istrian Peninsula.
Open: APR daily 10-16.
MAY to JUN daily 10-17.
JUL to AUG daily 10-18.
SEP daily 10-17.
OCT daily 10-16.
Tours every 30 minutes.
[2020]
Fee: Adults HRK 75, Children (5-15) HRK 45, Children (0-4) free, Students HRK 60, Seniors (65+) HRK 65.
Groups (20+): Adults HRK 55, Children (5-15) HRK 40.
[2020]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension: VR=132 m, T=14 °C.
Guided tours: D=40 min, L=300 m, VR=60 m, V=50,000/a [2005]. Hrvatski - Croatian Italiano - Italian Deutsch - German English русский - Russian
Photography:
Accessibility: no, too many steps
Bibliography:
Address: Jama Baredine, Gedići 55, 52446 Nova Vas, Poreč-Parenzo, Istra-Hrvatska, Tel: +385-95-421-4210, Mobile: +385-98-224-350. 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

1926 first exploration by a team of speleologists from Trieste to a depth of 80 m.
1973 start of exploration by the Proteus Speleological Society.
1974 complete exploration of the cave by Silvio Legovic and a team of speleologists from Porec. Survey.
1976 caving club Proteus founded.
1986 cave was declared a Natural Monument.
1990 start of development.
1995 opened to the public.
2003 Speleolit founded.

Description

photography
Stalagmite in the third chamber. © Jama Baredine
photography
Stalaktite and Stalagmite almost met. © Jama Baredine

Jama Baredine is a rather new show cave maintained by the Proteus Speleological Society. It has exceptional formations, for example a curtain which is ten meters long and high. The tour shows five huge chambers with numerous speleothems. The biggest chamber is 200 m long, 100 m wide and 60 m high.

In Baredine cave several Biologytroglobite species live. Most famous are, of course, the human fish, BiologyProteus anguinus. Other endemic troglobionts of the cave are crabs and insects, especially the common BiologyNiphargus. Cave guests are bats and doves in the cave, and toads which are found in the entrance area.

The cave plays an important role in a 13th century legend.

A nobleman from Poreč named Gabriel, fell in love with Milka, a beautiful milkmaid from Nova Vas. But Gabriels mother was against this love and tried to stop it. Nothing helped, so she payed three gold pieces to robbers to killMilka secretly. But the robbers did not kill Milka, but hijacked her and threw her into a cave (Baredine, obviously!). When Gabriel heard this, he took his horse and tried to save her. Later his horse was found, but near another cave nearby. It seems, the two both got lost, but in different caves.

The Speleo galerija i geološki stup (cave museum and geologic profile) is an exhibition about karst geology and speleology. There are numerous interesting object, minerals and fossils on display, and some more explanations to troglobionts. The museum is completed by a geologic profile outside, which show the sedimentary layers of Istria up to 165Ma old. The specialty here is: its not a drawing, its built from the original rocks.

There is also a new exhibition on site, which is called tractor story. It is an exhibition about the agriculture on Istria in the last centuries. The mine exhibit are 50 historic traktors and various agricultural machines. Also the cultivation of the Mediterranean trilogy - bread, olive oil and wine - is documented from antiquity to the present day.

The cave offered cave trekking tours, which were discontinued. Instead there is now Speleolit, a separate cave trekking tour operator which offers cave trekking tour into Baredine and other nearby caves. They also offer climbing and caving educational courses. Participants are first tested at a special training site inside a small pothole. The company is operated by Alen, a speleologist with many years of experience. Tours must be pre-booked.


Jama Baredine Gallery