Geology / Morphology

The cave stretches over an accessible route of 300 meters where the visitor can marvel at an impressive number of stalactites and stalagmites. The temperature inside the cave remains stable throughout the year, ranging between 16 – 18 ⁰C, while the humidity goes up to 90%. In order to properly replenish the air inside, no more than 12 people, are allowed to be inside the cave, at the same time.

 

No trace of human presence has been found while various paleontological remains have been identified, mainly bones of cave bears, which date back to about 10,000 years ago. This species lived in Europe during the Pleistocene epoch and later became extinct. It is estimated that the average weight for the male animals was almost half a tonne while the females weighed 200-250 kg. Their standing height reached more than 2.5 meters! The fossils are found almost exclusively in caves, indicating that they probably spent a longer period, in contrast to the brown bear which used the caves only during hibernation.

 

Inside the cave, seven (7) small underground lakes are formed while it is the only cave in Greece with freshwater lakes. It features ten (10) halls (the largest one with dimensions 45x17m), three (3) bridges (one floating), and five (5) tunnels. The cave continues further inside the mountain; thus, visitors can exit through an artificial passage that leads to a corridor, which also serves as an exhibition hall. There is a wealth of information for the visitors to get informed about the construction phases and also to observe a collection of various photos of the findings.

 

It is worth mentioning that any interventions and adjustments made to the cave were carried out with respect to the environment while applying all necessary measures and precautions to avoid undermining the cave’s physical condition.