Show Caves Of Romania

From prehistoric times, caves have been used as shelters and places for cultural, religious, and ceremonial manifestation. There is no ancient culture that does not mention in its history at least once "the afterlife," "the other world," or "the underground world." Starting with the eighteenth century, cave exploration and research began to reveal the subterranean beauty in all its elements: geology, biology, paleontology, archeology, and hydrology. In the last century, people started to use the caves for touristic purposes. Over the past decades, the concept of sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage has been introduced in show caves management to protect and preserve their heritage for future generations. In Romania, more than 12,500 caves have been discovered and explored. The first cave that opened its gates for tourism was Meziad Cave in 1903. Today, Romania has seventeen show caves, all included into a national protected area network. Apuseni Mountains and South Carpathians host most of the show caves of Romania, seven and eight, respectively. In these caves, the visitor has the opportunity to explore the ancient history of Europe and the today's beautiful subterranean landscapes. Some show caves (i.e., Muierii, Ungurului, Meziad) are emblematic for the distant past, with traces of human activities or skeletal remains ranging in age from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic. Scarisoara Ice Cave allows the visitors to discover one of the world's largest and oldest ice blocks, whereas Ursilor Cave is known for its important fossil assemblages, among which a cave bear skeleton in anatomic connection that is ca. 40,000 years old. All show caves of Romania host peculiar fauna and unique landscapes, and discovering their natural and cultural heritage while enjoying the beauty of the natural protected areas that host them is an experience worth taking.