Gutmanis Cave is the deepest cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

 in the Baltic countries

Baltic countries

The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...

, located on the Gauja River bank in the National Park of Sigulda

Sigulda

Other twinnings: Keila, Estonia chiatura Georgia-References:* , , , , , and -External links:*...

, Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

.

Size and legend

It is 19 meters deep, 12 meters wide and 10 meters high. The cave is connected with the old Latvian story of Maija, the Rose of Turaida

Rose of Turaida

The Maija , known as Rose of Turaida was a murdered girl whose grave, in the grounds of Turaida Castle in Latvia, is still much visited.-Story:...

 (1601-1620). According to legend she was an orphan girl discovered after a battle and raised by the staff at Turaida Castle

Turaida Castle

Turaida Castle is a recently reconstructed medieval castle in Turaida, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the opposite bank of the Gauja River from Sigulda....

. She fell in love with the gardener and they used to meet in the cave. A Polish soldier fell in love with her, but she turned him down as she was already engaged. The soldier then tricked her to the cave using a forged letter and there he planned on raping her. In exchange for letting her go she offered him a "magical scarf" that supposedly was impossible to cut through. She offered to demonstrate it and put it around her neck. The soldier cut through it with his sword killing her. According to documents in Sigulda's archives the soldier was later caught, tried and hanged for his crime.