Belianksa Cave in High Tatras (source: Michal Rengevič)
The chart of most-visited caves in Slovakia was topped for years by the Demänovská Cave of Liberty (Demänovská Jaskyňa Slobody) in the Low Tatras. Last Year, it was beaten for the first time by Belianska Cave in the High Tatras.
2017 a successful year
Overall, Slovak caves had a successful year in 2017, as they were visited by the most people since 2008; more than 633,000 visited the caves, the My Liptov regional newspaper wrote on February 1.
The Demänovská Cave of Liberty in the Demänovská Dolina valley is called “a Slovak gem” and was visited by almost 120,000 people last year. However, the Belianska Cave was visited by 8,500 more.
The fact that Demänovská Cave was beaten does not mean that it was visited by fewer people than in the past, Ján Zuskin, head of the Slovak Caves’ Administration, told the paper.
“On the contrary, the visitors’ rate in Belianska cave increased,” he explained, adding that there were several factors behind this: better transport availability, as Belianska lies near a road corridor between the Low and High Tatras, and also the flow of tourists from Poland. Also, the opening of another nearby attraction, the tree-top path in Bachledova Dolina valley, helped, according to Zuskin.
Future plans
On the other hand, Demänovská Cave of Liberty lies in the much-visited Demänovská Dolina valley, close to another cave, the Demänovská Ice Cave. However, tourists may miss a better infrastructure and background, as there is just a single, empty hotel nearby, through which the underground space is entered.
Plans for the future include the construction of a new complex, and modernisation of lighting, Zuskin revealed. “This cave and its visitors have long deserved a new complex,” the head of the Slovak Caves’ Administration summed up for My Liptov.
