The Postojna Cave site represents a system of caves in Slovenia, which is 49 km from Ljubljana…
The caves were created by the action of Pivka, a subterranean river, which ruled these areas for almost two million years.
The best part of my visit to the cave was walking through the park and past the entrance where they have a boardwalk.
Tour of the old mill and meditation by the water.
Next to the entrance to the cave, there is also the Jama Hotel from 1971, which hides some of its secrets such as: rooms with wiretapping equipment, coded telephones from the communist era, etc.
You can rest here, but for me it was nicer by the water.
The cave really has something to show. But not everyone. I would start the story with the following sentence: “There were many signs.”
If you have seen the movie the Omen, this picture will tell you everything.
And this text…
“All visitors with mobility impairments and their companions are entitled to a 50% discount on tickets.” I know from experience that as soon as they won’t charge the full price, something is wrong.
“Provided they present the relevant disability certificate (only at checkout).” This last sentence hurts me the most, with which I have to prove more than a visible disability.
It was additionally sealed by the cashier with the words: “If you can’t enter, I’ll give you half your money back.”
But who should listen when the official website says this:
“For people with limited mobility who need wheelchairs and/or the help of an escort, we recommend a tour of the part of the Postojna Cave, which is done by train. Of course, you can also opt for the entire tour, but only with the help of an escort, who can help you over the ONLY cliff in the cave.”
From this, I conclude the following: that they recommend just a train, but if I have an escort, the visit is possible.
What actually happened.
The tickets were bought and I was very professionally placed in the train, which even has a place for the disabled.
I calmly awaited the next adventure.
The total length of the cave system is slightly more than 20 km.
A little more than 5 km of the cave is currently available for visitors, of which the first three can be toured by train, and the remaining two kilometers can be crossed on foot. There are no waypoints, after which there is a walk, in my case a push.
The whole tour lasts about 90 minutes, of which the car ride takes ten minutes in one direction. You move through the cave in a group.
The vehicle takes tourists to the highest point in the pit, which is 40 meters higher than the starting point. You might think it’s only downhill from there. A mistake paid dearly.
When we arrived at our destination, all the passengers got out. Two workers came and just as professionally unpacked and unloaded me from the cart and got lost somewhere.
No one asked or taught us whether we should go further or stay in the car. While we were waiting like that, not knowing what to do, the cart continued on without us.
The group was slowly moving away and we would have gone with them, but in front of us in the distance we could see a huge hill, which we didn’t know if we could overcome.
Then a guy in a uniform emerged from the darkness, who probably drew the shortest straw, and told us that he would lead us through the cave.
When asked if we will also go over this hill, he said there is a detour. There, full of trust, we left ourselves in his hands.
The website says:
“The path that leads through the cave is made of concrete, which is not slippery, there are no steps (stairs), but there is one slope approximately 200 meters long, which ascends about 40 meters and then descends approximately as much” (slope of 20%).
It looks much better written this way than in reality.
I don’t know which was more difficult, the ascent or the descent. The concrete, which is not slippery and has a good grip, is the same when you go up and when you go down. There is no sliding, but there is no pushing either. In driver’s terms, it’s like driving with a manual transmission.
The site also says this: “Of course, you are welcome to do the whole tour, however, provided that you are accompanied by a person who can help you cross the part of the path, which is inside the cave.”
I had an escort of two people plus an official and it was not enough.
And if there was at least one hill, there were many smaller ones. The best moment is when we are standing half way down or uphill because of the group. This was “fun”.
In some places there are bottlenecks and they cannot go around you, so whether you like it or not, you have to follow the rhythm of the group, no matter how hard it is. But there is no going back, only forward.
In front of us, the incredible beauties of the cave alternated.
Stalactites and stalagmites in full glory. Who can take a picture, when everyone is holding the wheelchair so that it doesn’t fly into the abyss with me.
The few pictures we took were when we were trying to catch our breath.
The hiking trail in the cave is 1.2 km long. It’s not terrible when it’s flat, but when it’s hilly like this, every meter is a pain.
You need about 1.5 to 2 hours for the whole tour. It seemed like an eternity to me and my asistents. I have never been so happy with a traincar as I was then.
As for the cave itself, it is truly an incredible natural wonder.
Since it was discovered by accident in 1818, almost 40 million people have visited it. Namely, the electrician, who was in charge of preparing the Great Hall for Franz Joseph’s visit that year, and while installing the lighting, wandered in an unknown direction from where the road opened to the entire system of new chambers.
Then they discovered that near the chamber there are real limestone pearls with formations that are 90 million years old, which can be easily calculated if we know that stalactites and stalagmites take about 100 years to grow by one centimeter.
A stalactite is created from the cave ceiling, and a stalagmite from its floor. By joining them, a cave column is formed.
The most famous cave decoration and also the symbol of the Postojna Cave is the “Diamond” (Brilliant), a five-meter-high stalagmite of white color where I proudly took a picture of myself while all my assistants were panting behind me.
The cave was already open for visitors the following year, and ever since, visiting the cave was a rather tiring undertaking. The search for a more practical solution began, so in 1872 the first cave railway in the world was opened.
It consisted of two wagons for a total of 8 visitors, which were pushed by pit employees. Poor people. The visits lasted as long as ten hours.
For the next 150 years, the railway was extended, gasoline locomotives were replaced by electric ones, and the number of tourists constantly grew.
Electricity arrived in the cave earlier than in Ljubljana in 1883, when Franz Joseph visited the cave for the second time.
Today, the so-called smart lights are used in the cave, which follows the rhythm of organized tours.
As soon as the tourists leave a hall, the light goes out, because the light is not good for the decorations, which can change their natural color. That is why it is forbidden to touch the ornaments.
Therefore, photography is allowed without the use of flash.
The temperature in the cave is constant and ranges from 8 to 10C, which favors the development of the human fish. It can only be seen in a special aquarium. The human fish is a strange creature with an even stranger appearance, which can survive for 10 years without food.
It can live up to 100 years, and reproduces only once every 5-10 years.
The visit to Postojna ends in the Concert Hall.
Over 10,000 people can fit here, and its highest height is 40 m.
There is also a cart here, which I use to return to civilization.
There is also a souvenir shop here, as well as a toilet, which is paid for and not included in the entrance fee. You can also send a postcard with a special postage stamp from here.
Conclusion
And so, it is clear to you that I will not return to Postojna. Not because the cave is not beautiful or because someone was unkind, but because they misled me that it was possible and doable.
And that’s why always read the fine print, but also between the lines, because visiting Postojna is expensive fun.
Have you visited the Postojna Cave?
Did I miss something?
Traveled and enjoyed,
Marko Velickovic
