Dobšinská Ice Cave

Dobšinská holds around a hundred and ten thousand cubic metres of ice, in floors up to twenty-six metres thick, columns and frozen waterfalls, kept by a shape that traps cold air and never lets it out. It was found in 1870 and lit electrically as early as 1887. It forms part of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst, inscribed as World Heritage in 1995 and extended in 2000 to include this cave.

What you actually see

• The ice floor - a mass of ice in layers up to twenty-six metres thick.
• The ice columns - frozen pillars and cascades through the main chamber.
• The cold trap - the cave shape that holds cold air and preserves the ice.
• The early electric light - installed here in 1887, among the first anywhere.

When to go

The cave is open from May to September only. Temperatures inside are below freezing in places, so warm clothing is essential in any month. Tours book out in summer.

Honest expectations

It is open for only part of the year and closed entirely from October to April. The climb up from the car park takes twenty minutes and the cave floor is slippery ice. The ice mass has been shrinking measurably.

Nearby

Slovak Paradise is north, and Dobsina is west.