In Slovakia there are about 4 thousand caves, 14 of which are open to the public. Usually these caves are with stalactites, numerous are the caves of ice, but there are also very special and rare caves, like the Ochtinska Aragonit Cave, that is one of the three accessible caves of this kind all over the world.
The underground spaces of these caves were created during millions of years thanks to the continuous intense activity of water, of rocks and of air. The calcareous formations that come down from the ceiling are called stalactites. If this formations raise from land are called stalagmites, while when such formations meet themselves are called stalagnat (united columns).
The color of these formations depends on the different mining structure of the rocks. The iron confer to the rocks a yellow color, rose and even red, the manganese from a grey color, grey-dark blue, to a black one, while the stalactites bleaches contain carbon calcium. All the accessible caves are also used for the care of allergic and relevant illnesses and respiratory diseases.In some caves, thanks to the high dampness, it is put into practice the speleotherapy for the children.
In 1995 was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, together with the the Ochtinska Aragonit Cave, also other 4 caves of the Slovak Karst - the Domica Cave, the Silicka Cave (Slilicka jaskyna), the Gombasek Cave (Gombasecka jaskyna) and the Jasovska Cave (Jasovska jaskyna). In 2000, it was added to this list the Dobsinska Ice Cave.
The Belianska Cave
The Bystrianska Cave
The Demanova Liberty Cave
The Dobsinska Ice Cave
The Domica Cave
The Driny Cave
The Gombasecka Cave
The Harmanecka Cave
The Jasovska Cave
The Ochtinska Aragonit Cave
The Dead Bats Cave
The Vazecka Cave
The Bojnice Cave
The Krasnohorska Cave
The Zla Diera Cave
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