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Interesting Places – Resavska Cave,Serbia
The Resavska cave is located in eastern Serbia, in the area of Upper Resava, some 20km from the town of Despotovac. It sits in the limestone hill of Babina Glava, on the fringe of the Divljakovac karst field, and on the altitude of 485m. . It is one of the oldest caves in the country, since the research indicates it dates back to the period before the great ice age. Here, the subterranean rivers had cut their path in the limestone terrain 80 million years ago, while the creation of the cave ornaments commenced around 45 million years ago.
The Resavska cave was discovered in 1962, although it was used even before by the shepherd who would seek shelter from the rain along with their sheep. It was opened for visitors a decade later, when out of 4.5km inside the cave, almost three kilometers were explored, while one kilometer was prepared for tourist purposes. Regardless of the season of the year, the temperature in the cave is 7 degrees centigrade, while the humidity varies from 80 to 100%.
The interior of the Resavska cave features numerous chambers, canals, galleries, columns, stalactites, stalagmites, draperies and stone waterfalls. The ornaments can be seen on the very entrance, and their colors depend on the minerals that the water had gone through. The red color comes from the iron oxide, white ornaments are of crystal calcium, while the yellow ones are from clay traces.
The visitors go through the cave on a spiraling concrete pathway, passing through various chambers on two levels (Upper and Lower gallery). The lowest point that can be reached by tourists is on the altitude of 405 meters. The Upper Gallery has four chambers – the Colonnades chamber, so-called because of the yellowish columns that fill the pace from the floor to the ceiling; Beehive chamber, where the ceiling is covered in stalactites that are still forming; the second and third chambers are connected by the canal of red breccia stones, which is the unique feature of the Resavska cave. This canal is part of the cave, and there are no ornaments. In the middle of the canal is the Slepi tunnel of 25m, explored but not adapted to sightseeing. Through the canal one reaches the third chamber – Lobby of prehistory, named that way because a stone axe and spear points were found there, along with skulls of the prehistoric fox and fireplace of a prehistoric man. Through shorter tunnels, which were drilled later, are used to approach the Pathway of stone waterfalls, an acoustic chamber with figures that remind of an elderly couple. The fourth chamber is called the Crystal chamber.
The Resavska cave has the status of a protected natural monument, including the immediate environment on the area of 11 hectares.
