Caves are extremely mysterious forms that attract tourists. However, most of us less often decide to explore these dark, long and winding corridors on our own. Out of concern for our safety and comfort, we prefer those properly prepared for sightseeing under the supervision of a guide. Their popularity, of course, does not detract from their educational value. Thanks to them, we can learn about karst processes and see with our own eyes the unusual formation of dripstones, including some dangerous ones stalactites i stalagmityor majestic stalagnaty.
One of the most famous caves is certainly the Raj Cave located near Kielce. It was actually discovered in 1963 while quarrying stone for construction purposes on the slope of Malik Hill. After four teenagers from nearby Sitkówka entered the building and destroyed the dripstone, the entrance was filled up to avoid accidents.
However, the following year, in During summer field practices, students of the Geological Technical Secondary School in Krakow found the entrance. Bohdan Bałdun, Zbigniew Bochajewski, Włodzimierz Łucki and Wojciech Pucek informed their teacher Mirosława Boczarowa about this, and they returned to the place a few days later. After each visit, they masked the entrance, wanting to avoid further devastation of the priceless forms of underground karst. Then, Ryszard Grodziński from the Speleological Section of the Polish Society of Naturalists was informed about the discovery of the cave. Mirosław Copernicus. In October 60 years ago, the students, together with their teacher and Ryszard Grodziński, again entered the cave and carried out the cave the first photographic documentation in its history. A corridor plan was also created. Due to their extraordinary values and to contrast with the existing Piekło caves, it was decided to name the new one Raj.
Further important events happened quite quickly. The following year, the State Council for Nature Protection and the Provincial Nature Conservator were informed about the cave. The discovery did not escape the attention of the Kielce press. Unfortunately, the exact location was given, which led to uncontrolled visits and further destruction. Perhaps today we would not have anything to visit if it were not for the employees of the Świętokrzyskie Branch of the Geological Institute, who found the entrance and blocked it off with a grate. The place was officially opened to the public in 1966 (from 1972 only under the supervision of a guide), and in 1968 the cave was declared a nature reserve.
The total length of the corridors is only 240 m. The route available to tourists is slightly shorter and is 180 m. The visiting time is 45 m, during which you can see the wealth of dripstone formations, over 47.5 thousand of them in such a small area. In addition to those mentioned at the very beginning (stalactites are the most numerous), there are many things to admire drapery resembling white chocolate fondue, necrosis bowls, cave pearls Whether lakes. The cave corridors were formed in the Middle Devonian limestones, which were formed around 360 million years ago at the bottom of a shallow sea.
The cave can be visited from January 15 to November 15. This is done in groups of up to 15 people. Due to its great popularity, it is better to book your ticket in advance. The temperature inside the cave is constant, approximately 9 degrees Celsiusand the humidity is approximately 95%.
It is worth mentioning that in the winter season bats hibernate here, mainly the great bat, although a total of 9 species of these small mammals have been counted. About 50 thousand years ago, the cave was inhabited by Neanderthals of the Mousterian culture – flint tools were found in the settlements. This is one of the northernmost sites of this culture in Europe.
Source: jaskiniaraj.pl, Wikipedia
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