A stunning cave in Slovenia where there is a railway and even a concert hall

The history of the karst cave of Postojnska Yam is different from many other similar natural formations. Already in the 80s of the XIX century, electricity was carried out in this cave and a railway functioned, which can not be said about many cities in Europe, not that about other caves of the world. And during the First World War, the cave became the center of a secret underground operation of the Italian army, which penetrated the enemy rear lines through many kilometers of passage. But first things first.

The Postojnska Jama Cave is located in the south-west of Slovenia, not far from the city of Postojna (Inner Krajna region). The cave, like many others in the region, is confined to an extensive karst plateau. The Pivka River flows in it, which served as the reason for the formation of bizarre halls and corridors with stalactites. To date, about 24 kilometers of cave corridors have been explored, and tourists have access to a space of about 4 kilometers. The temperature in the cave is always constant and is + 8 ° С.

The cave was discovered and first explored at the end of the 17th century, but became a popular place to visit only at the beginning of the 19th century. When in 1884 the cave was wanted to visit by the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph, electricity was installed inside it.

Interestingly, the Postojnska Jama cave was used by the Italian army during the First World War. Thanks to its vast corridors, Italian units were successfully transported to the rear of the Austrian forces. No less interesting is the fate of the cave during the Second World War. During the occupation, the German command used the huge halls of the cave to store fuel in order to protect it from possible bombardments. But the partisans discovered this warehouse and blew it up, resulting in a fire in the cave. Until now, in some rooms of the Postojna cave, traces of soot can be found that remind of those events.

Postojnska Jama is a popular tourist attraction in this part of Slovenia. From the moment it was open for visiting, a whole tourist complex was formed around it, consisting of a hotel, a park, restaurants and a vivarium, in which you can see representatives of the fauna of the Postojna cave. Before the entrance to the cave is the Predyamsky Palace, which has a long history. Today it has a restaurant. Inside the cave there is a walking trail with a length of about 4 kilometers with spectacular lighting. Here you can also ride on an electric train with small open wagons and admire the stalactites. At the end of the route, visitors will find the so-called "concert hall" - a large natural cave hall, which sometimes hosts musical performances. Even the famous staff of the La Scala opera house from Milan gave their concerts here.