Brestovská Cave

Brestovská Cave is situated in the territory of the Tatra National Park in the cadastre of Zuberec at elevation of 867 m. The cave was known to local people from long ago, which caused large devastation of its dripstone fill. Constructed closure helped in prevention of further deterioration.

The cave was formed mainly by erosion activity of the Studeného Brook, but also with influence of corrosive activities of seepage atmospheric waters. It belongs among the most important caves not only in the Orava region, but also in the Western Tatras. The cave is formed mostly in strongly disrupted dolomitic breccias of the Upper Triassic of the Choč Nappe, and partially in the dark grey compact veiny Middle Triassic Gutenstein limestones. Except for the Mesozoic rocks, there is around also transgressively and discordantly deposited Central Carpathian Paleogene. Ceiling and walls in some places in the cave are built of dolomitic breccias, which probably represent the basal component of the Paleogene group of strata. Active underground water course flows through the cave having several lakes and siphons. It is a typical fluviokarst cave with relatively little developed dripstone fills, which is represented by flowstone layers, stalactites and tiny eccentric forms. The Brestovská Cave can be ranked among the caves of dissected karst of massive crests, horsts and fold-fault structures with the complete development of endokarst. The length after long speleological and speleodiving surveys reaches 1,890 metres at present.

Brestovská Cave belongs among the most varied shelters for bats in Orava. By now 9 bat species were recorded in the cave and immediate surrounding. Regularly and in higher numbers only the Greater Mouse-eared Bat (Myotis myotis) and the Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) are wintering here. The larvae of Ephemeroptera species Baetis alpinus, which is typical for cold mountain well oxidized spring waters occur in the macrozoobenthos of the underground stream. Stabile is also a micropopulation of brown trout Salmo trutta m. fario. These species enter the cave from surface waters. Closer relation to cave environment have water crustaceans of Niphargus genus. From the terrestric arthropods we can find here eutroglophilic isopods Mesoniscus graniger, multipedes Allorhiscosoma sphinx and harvestman Ischyropsalis manicata, which are Carpathian endemic species.