Icefall in Betliar park (source: Marcela Ballová)
Freezing temperatures last week have created a truly unique spectacle in the Betliar Manor park, southeastern Slovakia. The large waterfall in the park has transformed into a shimmering ice cascade.
At the end of last week, many visitors were making their way to park just to capture the sight before it melts. Even on Friday, February 21, the area was teeming with people eager to see it, reporty My Novohrad.
What makes this even more intriguing is that the area beneath the waterfall was once home to polar bears. They were brought to the park by Count Karol IV Andrássy, a member of the prominent Andrássy noble family.
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Karol the adventurer
Born on November 14, 1888, Karol was the eldest son of Gejza I. Tragically, the former passed away before reaching his 22nd birthday.
"But he did experience an extraordinary adventure. He took part in a costly expedition that traversed Ireland, Greenland, and Norway. Alongside Count Leopold Gyulai Edelsheim and Baron Radvánszky, he hunted polar bears and bearded seals," the SNM – Betliar Museum shared on social media.
Karol is believed to have brought back two polar bear cubs from the expedition. He placed them in Betliar Park, in the space beneath the grand waterfall, added the museum.
The tallest artificial waterfall in Slovakia
The large waterfall is one of the park's most striking features. Designed by gardener Jozef Bergman, it was built as part of a major renovation of the park in 1823. Constructed from natural stone, it is modelled after a Roman aqueduct.
"The waterfall includes dark, cave-like openings—so-called grottos. Standing at nine metres tall, it is the tallest artificial waterfall in Slovakia," the museum added, noting that ice was transported from the ice house in the nearby village of Vlachovo to the area where the bears were kept.
The private breeding of polar bears in Europe is considered to be a rarity. To this day, no other known case exists.
"At the time, the polar bears were the park's main attraction, frequently covered by the contemporary press," concluded the Betliar Museum.
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