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WHAT is probably Slovakia's best-known cave is 12 kilometres south of Liptovský Mikuláš, in the Low Tatras. Contrary to some of the country's other caves, it had to wait until the beginning of the 20th century to be discovered.
In 1921, a Czech teacher named Alois Král took advantage of the extremely dry weather and climbed through a dried-out river bed to the underground channels of the Demänovka river. There he found the cave, which was so impressive that efforts were quickly begun to protect and preserve it.
Czech composer Leoš Janáček sometimes stayed alone in the cave's underground spaces without any light to get inspiration from the dripping sounds. This eventually led to the composition of one of his symphonic poems.
This postcard shows Demänovská Cave in 1922, one year after its discovery.
Prepared by Branislav Chovan
