Attractions and services in the surrounding
Slovak Karst
Slovak Karst spreads in the territory of the eastern Slovakia. It was declared national park by government regulation of the Slovak Republic no. 101/2002. The area represents the largest and most typical plateau karst in the Central Europe. This was the reason UNESCO in 1977 designated this territory a biospheric reserve – the first one in Slovakia.
There are plateaux inclined to the south (Silická, Plešivská, Koniar, Horný vrch, Dolný vrch, Zadielska, Jasovská and Borčianska) divided by canyons. There are three classical show caves Domica Cave, Gombasecká Cave, Jasovská Cave with nearby Ochtinská Aragonite Cave. The territory is mostly forested. The original forests were preserved on southern slopes with downy oak and on northern slopes with European beech. The plateaux were used for sheep grazing mostly.
Other show caves inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List of UNESCO
Domica Cave
(69 km) Located on the south-western edge of the Silická Plateau in the Slovak Karst National Park, close to the border with Hungary.
Ochtinská Aragonite Cave
(71 km) Located in the Ochtinský cryptokarst on the north-western slope of the Hrádok Hill (809 m) in the Revúcka Highland between Jelšava and Štítnik.
Gombasecká Cave
(56 km) Located on the western foothill of the Silická Plateau in the Slovak Karst National Park, on the left side of the Slaná River canyon between Rožňava and Plešivec.
Krásnohorská Cave
It is a spring fluviokarst cave formed by the underground flow of the Buzgó brook, where you can find unique 32,6 m high dripstone column. You can visit the Krásnohorská Cave in the Slovak Karst on a guided tour by the Speleological club cavers.
Dobšinská Ice Cave
(82 km) Located on the south-western edge of the Slovak Paradise National Park in the Spiš-Gemer Karst. The entrance is on the northern slope of Duča at elevation of 969 m, 130 m above the valley of Hnilec River.
Other caves inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List of UNESCO
Hrušovská Cave
Situated on the eastern foothill of the Silická Plateau near the Hrušov village. It is 780 m long. Unique are eccentric flowstone forms, helictites, monocrystals and druses of calcite, as well as flowstone shield growing from the floor.
Drienovská Cave
It is a very attractive water cave with unique secondary fills and forms. Underground water course flows in the lower parts of the cave. The length is 1,348 m. The remarkable features are: crusts of crystalline gypsum, calcite druses with crystals 9–12 cm big, exceptionally even 15 cm.
Čertova diera Cave
Located in the most western part of the Domica – Baradla cave system, near the ponor dolines. The underground spaces descend from the entrance at elevation of 375 m down to the riverbed of the Styx river. Mainly sticky stalagmites are intersting in this cave. The connection of Domice with the Čertova diera Cave was proven by J. Majko in 1929.
Cave of the Skalistý Brook
Located on the southern foothill of the Jasov Plateau close to the Háj village. The first underground spaces along the flood spring were uncovered in 1968. The cave reaches the length of 5,855 m and vertical span of 317 m.
Silická ľadnica Cave
Cave – abyss Silická ľadnica is located south-westerly from the Silica village. It is interesting by the permanent ice fill lying in the lower part. The abyss is freely accessible by marked tourist trail from the parking place near the Silica village.
All caves of the world heritage
Other wild caves
Brázda Abyss
National nature monument declared for protection of natural values of the deepest abyss in the Slovak Karst - Brázda (Barazdaláš) Abyss. It is a corrosive abyss 181 m deep.
Castle and mausoleum in Krásna Hôrka
The national cultural monument lying 8 km easterly from Rožňava above the Krásnohorské Podhradie village. Originally Gothic castle from the beginning of the 14th century is rising over the steep and high conic hill. It was reconstructed in the Renaissance style to a fort and later to a representative noble seat. The castle was inhabited as late as 1812. The last owner D. Andrássy changed it to the family line museum and since 1906 it was open to the public according to his last wish. The reconstruction works on the castle started in 1946 začali. Now the castle is open to public as a museum of the historical furniture and equipment.
One of the last owners had built an artistically decorated secessional mausoleum of several coloured marble brought from all continents for his wife on the edge of the Krásnohorské Podhradie village in 1904.
Betliar Manor House
At the beginning of the 18th century Štefan Andrássy decided to build a manor house with corner bulwarks on foundations of an old castle from the 16thth century. In 1792-1795 his successors rebuilt the manor house in the Classicistic style. 70 hectars large park with exotic trees and bushes, numerous Classicistic and Romantic buildings arose around the manor house. A forest surrounds the park.
The manor house lost its Classicistic design after it was rebuilt in 1880. It started to be used by hunters and nobles. Nowadays, in the manor house there is a museum of historical flat culture, furniture from the 15th-17th century, classicistic and empire equipment. You can find there collections of paintings, portraits, a library with more than 20, 000 books, gun collections and hunter`s trophies, exotic souvenirs from all around the world esp. from Asia and Africa.
Other sights
Jasovská Rock: educational trail, view
Plateaux of the Slovak Karst: Jasovská and Zádielska plateau with a canyon of the Zádielska Valley (22 km), hiking
Jasov - Premonstrate Order Monastery, one of the most important Baroque buildings in Slovakia
Volovské Hills - Kojšovská hoľa – Zlatá Idka: hiking, cycling (15 km)
Šugovská Valley (6 km) : agrotourism, cycling
Štós- Spa: climatic spa (20 km)
Košice – cultural and historical monuments (28 km)