Stanišovská Cave

The cave is in the Liptovský Mikuláš district, in the territory of Liptovský Ján. The entrance is on the northwestern slope of Smrekovica in the Low Tatras National Park at elevation of 761 m, and 39 m below the level of Štiavnica Brook. The cave is genetically related with Malá Stanišovská Cave (840 m) and Nová Stanišovská Cave (2,334 m), which entrance is located in the slope across the valley.

The Stanišovská Cave belongs among the oldest known caves in Liptov region and in Slovakia. The entrance was known from time immemorial. It was the first time surveyed and measured by J. Bucholtz jr. in 1720, however described was only by Matej Bel in 1723. Further spaces were discovered in 1922 to 1950 by volunteer cavers from Liptovský Mikuláš and surrounding.

The cave was formed by erosion and corrosion activities of the underground stream of Štiavnica with the help of atmospheric waters and processes of rock crumbling and collapsing of weathered material along the tectonic faults and interbed surfaces in the Pleistocene and Holocene. The general direction of the cave is N-S. The flowstone fill of the cave is considerably destroyed mainly in the easily accessible parts.

The cave has two developmental levels, the lower one is about 25 m below the flow of Štiavnica. The temperature in cave is from 6,4 °C to 7,0 °C. Air humidity reaches 95%.

The lower level forms a horizontal passage with irregular profile with a debris of sharp fragments of the bedrock on the floor. The bedrock is of Middle Triassic Gutenstein limestones of the Biely Váh series of the Choč Nappe. Some parts of this passage have flowstone cascades and lakes on cave bottom. The upper level has cave fills in various forms and shapes, with abundant stick stalagmites.

The Stanišovská Cave is together with nearby Malá Stanišovská Cave the most important wintering place for bats in the Jánska Valley. Seven species were found her by now. The most abundant is the Greater Mouse-Eared Bat (Myotis myotis). Occurrence of cave isopod Mesoniscus graniger, and troglophilic terrestric crustacean from the isopod group (Isopoda) were recorded from the cave entrance. Cave springtails live directly in the cave – like Pseudosinella paclti, Arrhopalites pygmaeus and multipede Allorhiscosoma sphinx. The cave is known also by palaeontological discoveries like cave bear bones and archaeological research confirmed traces of Middle Age settlement.