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Entrance to the Bear Cave is c.a. 800 meters above sea level and the entrance
hall was built into it. In the hall there are the ticket offices, café.
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Tourist route
begins from the entrance lock (in the photo here), which protects the Cave’s microclimate from the exterior influence in the Bear Hall.
The route goes along the middle part of the Cave. The Cave has been properly and interestingly prepared for the visitors.
The tourist moves along a comfortable pavement, differently from the cavers who while exploring the caves are often made to crawl
in the mud or squeeze through the narrow cracks. |
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The whole Cave has been secured for the visitors comfort and
lit in such a way that the tourist can feel safe here.
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At the same time we have to be aware that we are in the middle
of a mountain and a minimum risk always exists. Especially in case of an improper
and careless behaviour of the tourists. There is a need to stop here for
a while to make the tourist realise that there are certain rules!! !
The route is c.a. 360 meters long and along the route we can view c.a. 500 meters of the Cave. It is forbidden touch the dripstones. |
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Router Plan<<Router Plan |
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Due to the unique microclimate the number of visits is limited and each of the entering groups must be maximum 15 people. |
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After passing the entrance lock a group together with
a guide goes farther towards the Great Crack. Above our heads we can see so called water ceiling – it was carved by the high pressure water which used to flow here in the past.
Looking down we view the entrance to the lower parts of the Cave (c.a. 30 meters below). We can also see the entrance to the Wrocław Old Parts, which were discovered at the very beginning
of the exploration process by Wrocław scientists (therefore the name). The parts run below the entrance hall. |
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Water Ceiling |
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>>You are here (Plan)<< |
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We move farther towards the Crack Under the Rice Threshold
(it was an object of 2 meters high and it used to cover the entrance to the other parts of the Cave so it was removed).
Behind the Crack there is the Bats Chamber (there are c.a. 200 bats living in the Cave and in order to protect
them during the winter time the Cave is closed for 2 months). There are many unjust opinions about the bats
including the one that the bats get tangled in hair, which is untrue. The bats, having the most extraordinary
echolocation apparatus, are able to precisely avoid any obstacles even in the darkness. |
Bat in the Bats Chamber |
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The chamber above
the Rice Threshold is the uppermost place in the mid parts of the Cave. . |
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>>You are here (Plan)<< |
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The stairs will lead us to the lowermost place in these parts, to the Cave Lion Hall.
A complete cave lion’s skull was found here (it was not like today’s lions – it had no mane and resembled more a tiger, but a bigger one and more muscled).
We may view here a palaeontology stand and some newly discovered bones of the Pleistocene animals. Till 3rd December 1967 the Cave was explored only to that point. |
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Passage to the Cave Lion Hall |
>>You are here (Plan)<< |
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Paleontologic Stand |
Cave Lion |
Skeleton of the Cave Bear |
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Another attraction on our route is the Hall with the Skeleton of the Cave Bear.
We can also find here a section of muddy forms. They are full of rubble-clay materials and bones.
The muddy forms are also called the Cemeteries of the Pleistocene Animals. |
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>>You are here (Plan)<< |
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We are moving forward along the so called Maze up to the place called the Camp
(it was the basis of the firs Cave explorers). On the right we can see the Corridor of the
Primitive Human, which will be also visible in the further part of our trip. On the left the Corridor of the Dead Basins catches our eye Korytarz Mis Martwicowych.
The Bear Cave is one of few where the basins remained so well preserved. At their bottoms there are different
calcite forms in the shape resembling flowers, cauliflowers or even the pearls. |
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Corridor of the Dead Basins |
>>You are here (Plan)<< |
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Dead Basins |
Fragment of the Dead Basin |
Calcite Forms at the bottom of the Basin |
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Moving farther along the artificially created corridor in the marbles,
we are getting to the Stalactite Corridor. There are outstanding stalactites here with the water dropping from the ends. This means that
the Cave is still alive and the water dripping down is still forming the calcite creating fantastic shapes. Next stage of our tour is
the Palace Hall named so after the beautiful dripstone forms which the first explorers associated with the richness of a palace. |
>>You are here (Plan)<< |
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Corridor in the Marble |
Stalactites |
Richness of the Palace Hall |
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For a minute we turn a bit to a view platform in the Cascade Side.
There are the fragments of the upper parts of the Cave there and a wonderful, 6 meter-cascade resembling a frozen waterfall.
Underneath in the Maurycy’s Chimney there is another – 10 meters high Big Cascade (unfortunately we will not be able to see it from here –
only when watching the film about the Bear Cave). |
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Cascades Side |
>>You are here (Plan)<< |
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Fantastic Dripstones |
Cascade Dripstones |
Fairy Cave Landscapes |
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We are back in the Palace Hall where we can see a unique stalagmite called Candlestick.
The stalagmite with its sticking out pointed forms resembles a candles holder covered with wax.
Above we can see the Great Curtain and many other such forms made of calcite, which look as if they were
taken from a fairy tale (e.g. a stalactite named by the malicious the Mother-in-Law’s Tongue.
Next to it, in the dead basins there are one and only calcite flowers. Some of the dripstones take a shape of the
far-east pagodas, others – the rice fields seen from above. |
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>>You are here (Plan)<< |
Candlestick |
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Palace Hall - Covers |
Palace Hall – richness of forms |
Palace Hall - Curtains |
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Towards the end of the Palace Hall we reach the Hectolite Side where
we can admire strangely twisted dripstones called hectolites.
Farther on, we will see some multicoloured covers owing their colours to the metals (iron, manganese, etc.). In one of them we can spot the sunken bat.
By the entrance to the Water Corridor we can still see the delicate wool dripstones. This corridor used to be half-flooded.
Now, when dried, it serves as a passage deeper into the Cave. |
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Bat sunken in the cover |
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After passing by the artificially created road we are coming to the lock where some 13, 000 years ago
a baby bear got stuck (its skeleton is visible there). It was probably moving down the slope of Stroma and fell
into the lock where it was doomed to stay forever. Further on we can see again the Corridor of the Primitive Human – no signs
of human life was found there, but due to the conditions in that part of the Cave which provided a proper shelter for a man,
the corridor was given such name. Now we are moving towards the Exit Drift, having the bats’ favourite place above our heads. |
Stuck skeleton of the baby bear |
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>>You are here (Plan)<< |
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Water Corridor |
The Corridor of the Primitive Human |
Exit Lock |
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The exit is closed with a thermal lock – its role is similar to the entrance one: it protects the unique microclimate of the Cave. The whole route takes some 40-45 minutes.
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>>You are here (Plan)<< |
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The above description has the aim of providing a closer look at the history of the Bear Cave for all those who have
not seen it yet, as well as for those who will not have such chance due to different circumstances.
However, it does not reflect the whole range of aesthetic excitement that we experience while walking through the darken pavements,
lit only by a delicate light which gently touches the fairy creations of water dropping in the Cave incessantly for millions of years
– time that we can hardly imagine. The Cave had many visitors, the keep coming and keep returning to see once again and admire
the powers of the nature and maybe with a little distance looping At the place of
a human being in the history of our planet which is over 4.5 billion years now. |
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