Prepoštská Cave

The cave is located in the Hornonitrianska Basin in the Prievidza district and territory of Bojnice town, on the edge of larger cascade so called Parsonage Travertine Mound just below the historic centre of the town.

The entrance is at elevation of 242 m, 11 m above the present small lake in the patronage garden. It has a character of a rocky overhang, which is about 12 m wide and 4,5 to 8 m high. Internal space reaches only 6 m with a narrow 8 m long passage on the north-eastern side, filled with partly broken pea stalagmites.

The cave was formed by the activity of so called constructive waterfalls, which gradually formed the travertine layers precipitating from thermal springs. The settlement of the cave was predetermined by favourable natural conditions at the and of the last northern glaciation. This was confirmed by findings of animal skeleton remains living at that time, which were a good prey for the human ancestors living here.

Several archaeological researches in the cave showed the presence of the Middle Paleolithic Moustérien Culture, represented by the primaeval man of Neanderthal type. This fact classified the Prepoštská Cave among the important sites not only in Slovakia but also in the Central Europe.