SOUTH MORAVIAN KARST

It is a limestone region in the very south of Moravia – the Pavlov Highlands, an elongated broken range emerging in the length of 10 km and width of 7 km from the Dyjsko-svratecký úval lowlands between Mikulov, Věstonice and Pavlov. They are formed by Mesozoic, Jurassic to Cretaceous limestones that belong to geological nappes of the Západní Karpaty (West Carpathian) Mountains. Eighteen caves known so far are situated in the Turold Hill, the Svatý kopeček Hill, the Šibeniční and Růžový Hills, the Tabulová hora Hill, the Martinka Rock, the Kotel Hill, the Soutěska gorge and in Mušlov. The largest underground system consists of the Na Turoldu Cave – Liščí díra.

NA TUROLDU CAVE

• It is situated near the northern edge of the town of Mikulov in the abandoned quarry under the Turold Hill (385 m a.s.l.);
• It was discovered during stone quarrying in 1951 close to the previously damaged Turold's Cave;
• It is a complex and extraordinarily rugged system of corridors, chambers and domes of seven floors;
• Its total length is 1,650 m with denivelation of 47 m and together with the Liščídíra Cave it is the largest cave system in the Mesozoic limestones of the Czech Republic with a total length 2,800 m;
• There are walls sculpted and decorated with a unique “Turold-style” which can´t be found in any other cave in the Czech Republic;
• The air temperature is 7.1–9.1 °C (ca 46 - 49°F), temperature of the water in lakes is 6 °C, relative air humidity a “mere” 74–84 %;
• It is the largest wintering place for the endangered Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) in South Moravia;
• It is the only one cave in the Mesozoic limestones of the Czech Republic;
• Since 2004 the cave route has been 280 m long with an average tour duration of 40 minutes;
• It is situated in the area of the Turold Nature Reserve (16.84 ha since 1946) in the Protected Landscape Area (PLA) and biosphere reservation of Pálava (the Pálava Hills).