Jama Pekel

Pekel Cave - Hell Cave

Useful Information

extraordinary speleothems in the Jama Pekel.

Location:	Zalog pri Šempetru, 3311 Šempeter v Savinjski dolini, Slovenia. 5 km north of Šempeter. From Ljubljana follow highway 10 to the northeast, at Locica follow A10 east, exit Polzela/Šempeter. (46.2902418, 15.1332609)
Open:	MAR to mid-APR Sat, Sun, Hol 11, 13, 15. Mid-APR to mid-JUN daily 11, 13, 15. Mid-JUN to mid-SEP daily 10, 12, 14, 16. Mid-SEP to SEP daily 11, 13, 15. OCT Sat, Sun, Hol 11, 13, 15. [2024]
Fee:	Adults EUR 14, Children (4-15) EUR 8, Children (0-3) free, Students EUR 12, Seniors EUR 12. Groups (15+): Adults EUR 10, Children EUR 7, Students EUR 500. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	VR=40 m, A=314 m asl., T=10 °C.
Guided tours:	L=1,159 m, D=60 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Turistično Društvo Antični Park Jama Pekel, Tourist Office Šempeter, Ob Rimski metropoli 2, 3311 Šempeter v Savinski dolini, Tel: +386-3-7002-056, Tel: +386-31-645-937. Jama Pekel, Šempeter 52, 3311 Šempeter, Tel: +386-3-5702-138.
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

1860	cave first explored and made accessible with wooden bridges by Dr. Tavber from Žalec, opened as a show cave.
1866	explored by Anton Franz Reibenschuh, a professor from Graz.
1890	explored by Ivan Kač, a municipal secretary in Žalec.
1969	explored by cavers from Prebold and Ljubljana, caver Anton Suwa dies during the exploration.
1970	cave renovated by the Tourist Association Šempeter v Savinjski dolini with new trails and light system.
1972	cave reopened as a show cave.
1997	cave trekking tour started.
1998	Ponikva Karst protected as a regional park.

Description

Jama Pekel is the biggest cave in this part of Slovenia. It is east of Ljubljana, far from the classic karst areas, near Šempeter in the Ponikovski kras (Ponikva karst area). This part of Slovenia is called Stajerska (Styria=Steiermark) which gives an impression of the cultural and historic closeness to the northern neighbour Austria.

The word Pekel means hell in Slovenian. According to legend, the cave was named such because of a rock above the entrance shaped like a devil. Another says warm and humid cave air emanating from the cave entrance during the winter had an eerie effect, forming fog which resembled the smoke of the hellfire. However, the name is used widely in Slovenia for chasms, as hell is underground, and they go underground.

The cave is located in a doline, a sort of valley which was formed by the collapse of a cave. On the floor of this doline runs the Peklenščica brook. When following the path along the brook upstream, the visitor arrives at the gated cave entrance. The brook comes out of the cave, and the tour follows the underground Peklenščica brook further upstream. Some side chambers filled with nice speleothems are seen on the way to a 4 m high waterfall.

Now the tour ascends on a series of staircases to the dry upper level of the cave. This part is even richer in speleothems. The exit of the cave is an artificial tunnel, which ends 42 m higher than the entrance. A nice walk brings the visitor back to the ticket office.

While prehistoric people visited caves for various purposes, antique people used caves as temples, medieval man was quite fearful. This cave has prehistoric remains, including human and animal bones, but no remains from the Bronze and Iron Age. Probably due to the many horror scenarios in the Christian religion, caves were associated with hell. This cave too, as the name testifies, and it was avoided for centuries, although its existence was known to the locals. Attitudes towards caves changed with the Renaissance, and finally in the 19th century, cave exploration started. Its actually quite common that the first exploration of this cave was in 1860, the people had learned about caves, especially in Slovenia. But this cave was not only explored, Dr. Tavber from Žalec had wooden bridges installed making it accessible to visitors. Probably the locals wanted to have income from the cave visitors as they had seen in Postojna. And in the next decade, the popularity of the cave increased. Especially after professor Reibenschuh from Graz had published his findings in various publications in 1866. Between 1890 and 1905 Ivan Kač, a secretary from Žalec, was managing the cave. Several inscriptions from the late 19th century prove that it was a popular destination. Even some events were organized in the cave.

Its unclear when the cave was actually forgotten, or if it was closed. There is little info on the time from World War I. That the cave was explored in 1969 by cavers from Prebold and Ljubljana was nothing special and went almost unnoticed. This changed when caver Anton Suwa died during the exploration. A memorial tablet was set up and a gallery was named after him. And the cave was finally rediscovered as a tourist destination. The Tourist Association Šempeter v Savinjski dolini renovated the trails and light system and reopened the cave in 1972.

After the end of communist Yugoslavia, Slovenia opened the borders for tourists, and the cave was further advertised and developed. Cave trekking tours were offered, the infrastructure updated. Also, the regional park Ponikovski kras with an area of 40 km² was created in 1998. It includes many natural monuments, such as the Ponikvica Stream and Pekel Cave, Bezgečeva jama Cave and Tajna jama Cave.