Location: Táborsko, South Bohemia
Length of the route: 220 meters
Length of the tour: 40 minutes

The Chýnov Cave was discovered in 1863 during work in a quarry. In 1868, after some modifications, this became the first Czech cave accessible to the public.

The original stone staircases can still be seen and the tour around the cave is a small journey through history. The Chýnov Cave was formed gradually by erosion, which widened various fissures with the help of water running through the fissures and washing out the solid substances. The principal wealth of the cave is not its stalactites and stalagmites but its colorful walls and ceilings, where white, yellow and brown marble facets alternate with dark amphibolite fillings. These two materials create the remarkable circular shapes seen in the walls.

The steep corridors of the cave go as deep as 41 meters, to the surface level of an underground stream. The total length of the cave system, not yet fully investigated, is more than 1,200 meters, with 220 meters accessible to visitors. The areas outside the sightseeing tour are under investigation by speleologists and spelunkers.

In the 1980s and ’90s, explorations resulted in the discovery of extensive, permanently water-filled spaces with unique druses of flintstone and other minerals.

Tags: Chýnovská Cave