Krystal'na

Kristalnaja pestera - Crystal Cave - Jaskinia Kryształowa

Useful Information

Location:	Gypsum karst of Podolie. Near the village of Krivche, Ternopil District.
Open:
Fee:
Classification:	Gypsum Cave
Light:	electric.
Dimension:	L=22.000m, T=10,2°C.
Guided tours:	L=2.500m.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:	Nechay (1933): Przewodnik po jaskiniach w Krzywczu
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

1745	first mentioned in a Polish scientific publication.
1933	detailed study of the cave undertaken by Nechay. Published with the title Przewodnik po jaskiniach w Krzywczu (Guide to the Krzywcze Caves).
1930s	cave developed as a show cave and soon became a huge attraction.
World War II	the entrance to the cave was destroyed.
1961	a precise topographical study was completed during a special karst expedition, headed by the famous Professor V.m. Dubliansky.

Description

Krystal'na, the crystal cave, is famous for its numerous calcite, aragonite and gypsum speleothems. With 22km of passages, it is also the largest cave of Ukraine and among the World's longest caves.

The Crystal Cavern also holds a strange secret: in 1962 an expedition found the skeleton of an unknown man. They also found severl imperial Russian 5 kopeck coins, which tells a lot about the maximum age of this person. But the story behind his death is still unknown.

The cave belonged to Poland until the end of World War II, when the borders of Poland were drawn new by the Allied. The development of the cave was very expensive, but it made the cave the most poular show cave of Poland in the time between World War I and II. At this time the cave was called Jaskinia Kryształowa in Polish.