Moravský kras means Moravian karst caves. It's a protection area occupying over 120 sq.
km. where all kinds of caves are situated, including canyons, grottos,
underground rivers and lakes, plus over 1,000 caves unique for Central Europe. The caves of Moravian Karst were built by
water flowing through the layers of Devonian limestone.
Only four of these have been open for tourists, but
since 1 May 2006
Jeskyne Výpustek, another cave, was also opened, which was used as an
anti-nuclear shelter for high military ranks of the Warsaw Pact countries
before the Velvet Revolution of 1989.
If we are to mention caves most worthy to visit, these
will be PunkevníJeskyne (Jeskyne
meaning caves) with Propast Macocha (Macoch's precipice) and Katerinska Jeskyne,
probably because of the beautiful legends related to these objects.
The world famous Macoch's precipice is 138 meters
deep, which makes her the deepest precipice of the kind in the CzechRepublic
and the entire Central Europe. It was formed
in the 17th century as a result of a "ceiling" collapse in
a large cave. Scientific studies of the caves started at that time, too. In
1723 Lazar Schopper, a monk from the Minorit Monastery, went all the way down
the precipice. He was the first to measure and study the Macoch's precipice.
Later, in 1882 and 1899, observation bridges were built, one 128 meters from
the bottos, the other one 92 meters. A little river known as Punkva flows
through the bottom of the cave, providing fresh water for two lakes, the Lower
(30 m deep) and the Upper one (13 m). You won't call these lakes when you see
them, they look more like puddles.
The story of the precipice is very sad. The name
originates from the Czech word for stepmother. There was a village of Vilemovice,
and there lived a young peasant known as Halec. Once he had to face a bitter
misfortune. His beautiful wife died, leaving him with Martin, their baby son.
Some time passed, and he got married again. His household got more and more
prosperous, and smile could be seen on his face when he looked on his young
pretty wife. She also gave birth to a son. The entire house was full with
merrymaking. However, times started getting rough for little Martin. Whatever
he did, his stepmother was angry with him. Once on a summer day Halec left for
the local fair, taking the younger son with him. The stepmother took Martin and
went to the woods to gather berries. Soon they reached places so dark and unexplored
terror gripped their souls. They saw a precipice, deep and full of darkness. A
green lake could be seen beneath, wise people used to say it's bottomless.
Martin was frightened and wanted to run away, but the stepmother had an evil
plan. She urged the boy to gather berries on the very edge of the precipice, and
soon she approached him quietly and pushed the boy over the edge. His cry was
heard for an unusually long time. The stepmother ran into the woods, but this
was too heavy for her so she returned and jumped into the precipice herself.
Meanwhile, Halec returned home with the younger son and started looking for his
wife and Martin. He roamed the forest for long hours before he heard Martin
crying. Halec managed to take Martin out of the precipice, and only a scarf was
left of the stepmother. Since then the precipice got the name of Macoch's
(stemother's), and on gloomy windy days one can hear a woman crying deep in the
soil...
You can get to this precipice through the Punkevni
caves which are separated into dry and flooded regions. This place is favored
by the tourists, because after you leave the first part of the way behind,
enjoying the beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, admiring the refined colors
from milk white to brown, a romantic journey over Punkva, an underground river,
starts. You travel through the magnificent stalactite bamboo forests, seeing
Turk cemeteries and owls guarding the cave for 380 million years. The angel
floating over your head seems to be weightless, and looking at it your forget
that there are 120 meters of rock above you. A boat journey over Punkva will be
an unforgettable experience. Watching the dazzling grottos and underground
lakes up to 50 m deep you will agree that nature is most talented artist ever.
Katerinska Jeskyne (Katerina's cave) also has a legend
related to it, quite a sad one, too. There lived a shepherd in one of the nearby
villages. He was an old man, tortured by illnesses. His only companion was his
young daughter. The shepherd tended the sheep herd and his daughter ran the
house and helped the father. Once, on a damp rainy day, the shepherd got really
sick and Katerina had to shepherd the sheep by herself. There came a storm with
a mighty rain, and the girl decided to find shelter in a cave. The rain was
soon over, she was about to leave for home with the sheep when she heard a
little lamb bleating in the dark depth of the cave. She went to help the lamb
get out of the cave and went so deep in there that she got lost. Katerine sat
on a rock to take a quick nap. Their neighbours saw the sheep without any
shepherd and rushed to find the girl. They spent plenty of time trying to find
her, but all in vain. Finally they saw the entrance to the cave, and there was
Katerine's dead body. This is what this sad legend tells about the cave. But if
we put dark thoughts aside and enter the cave through the gothic portal-like
entrance, you will see the Main Dome, the biggest underground dome in the CzechRepublic.
It's 87 m long, 44 m wide, and 20 m high. Its perfect acoustics makes it a
great place for classical music concerts. During this trip you will be able to
enjoy the acoustics, not during a concert, however, but listening to a recorded
piece. This cave is also noted for its natural sculptures: "The
Witch", "Bamboo forest", "Pagoda" and the
unforgettable "Waterfall".
Make sure your clothes are warm enough. Air
temperature is +8 C degrees with 90% humidity, like in other caves, too. Get
warn and enjoy your discoveries!
The Moravian Karst is situated 40 km away from Brno. You can get there by
bus or car. The parking costs 100 Kc per day. There is a cozy hotel with a
marvelous restaurant nearby, the prices are moderate though you might spend
quite a time waiting for your dishes. There are also plenty of souvenir shops.
You can reach Katerina's cave on foot, though Punkevni caves will probably make
you buy a train ticket, the distance is 2 km. Traveling there and back with a
rope way trip will cost you 90 Kc – it's not at all expensive and gives you
loads of fun. The tickets to the caves are from 40 to 100 Kc, depending on the
cave. There are discounts for students, kids and pensioners. You have to pay
for using a video or photo camera separately, the fee is about 100 Kc. We'll
give you a tip: if you travel with a group and some of you got cameras, hide
all of them but one into bags and pay for 1 camera. Seeing your tickets, the
guide won't remember whose camera you were paying for. Waiting to enter the
Punkevni caves, make sure you visit a little shop selling all kinds of
souvenirs carved from Moravian stones. You will surely find something nice for
yourself or as a present.
