Driny
Encyclopedia
Driny is a limestone
cave in West Slovakia
in the Little Carpathians
Mountains. It is located around 2 km southwest of the village of Smolenice
.
The cave's entrance altitude is 399 m.
The first attempt to enter the cave was made by Prussian soldiers, who were camping nearby during the Austro-Prussian War
. It was finally explored in 1929, and in 1934 the first 175 metre route was opened. In 1950 other parts of the cave were explored and in 1959, the cave was reopened. The cave was declared a nature monument in 1968 and became part of the newly designated Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area
in 1976.
Today, of the total explored length of 636 m, 550 m are open to the public.
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cave in West Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
in the Little Carpathians
Little Carpathians
The Little Carpathians are a low, about 100 km long, mountain range, part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountains are situated in Western Slovakia, covering the area from Bratislava to Nové Mesto nad Váhom, a very small part called Hundsheimer Berge is situated south of Devín Gate in...
Mountains. It is located around 2 km southwest of the village of Smolenice
Smolenice
Smolenice is a village and municipality of Trnava District in the Trnava Region of Slovakia, on the foothills of the Little Carpathians. It is 60 km northeast of Bratislava and 25 km northwest of Trnava...
.
The cave's entrance altitude is 399 m.
The first attempt to enter the cave was made by Prussian soldiers, who were camping nearby during the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
. It was finally explored in 1929, and in 1934 the first 175 metre route was opened. In 1950 other parts of the cave were explored and in 1959, the cave was reopened. The cave was declared a nature monument in 1968 and became part of the newly designated Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area
Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area
Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area is one of the 14 protected landscape areas in Slovakia. The Landscape Area is situated in the Little Carpathians, part of the Carpathian Mountains, in West Slovakia...
in 1976.
Today, of the total explored length of 636 m, 550 m are open to the public.