THE MYSTERIOUS CREATURES OF VETERNICA CAVE

For most visitors, and even most residents of Zagreb, Zagreb is just another capital city that offers the standard tourist attractions. A fancy cathedral that is hundreds of years old, an old town that has still preserved its appearance, many museums and some interesting parks. But Zagreb is a little more than that, when you make an effort to get to know it and take some of your free time to explore it. What most tourists do not know is that in the immediate vicinity of Zagreb there is the Medvednica nature park, which not only offers incredible natural beauties such as two beautiful waterfalls, a huge number of mountain lodges, about 70 streams, as many mountain paths that are spread over the entire nature park, it is home to more than 1200 different plant species, here you can also find the famous Sljeme ski track, where the famous Snow Queen ski race was held, as well as the mysterious Brestovac sanatorium, which hides an interesting story, and the Zrinski mine ( which I will write about in one of the following posts) and of course the Veternica cave, which is a natural phenomenon. All these attractions are only a 20-minute drive from the city center.

   The cave is easily accessible, you can reach it by public transport, i.e. from the city center you can get on trams number 6 or 11 to Chernomerets, which is also the last stop, and transfer to bus 124 where you ride 14 stations to the last station "Dubravica". From there you follow path number 3, which is marked with signposts, on a slightly steep terrain for about 20 minutes. Another way to get to the cave is by car to the Glavica mountain lodge, and from there you have another 5-minute walk downhill on trail number 3.

   Entrance to the cave is allowed only with an expert guide, on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from April to the end of November - from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., guides welcome visitors, and the last group leaves at 3:10 p.m. From Monday to Friday, in agreement with the public institution Medvednica Nature Park, it is possible to visit the cave for groups of at least 20 visitors (from 08:00 to 16:00). Ticket prices are quite symbolic and there are several criteria: children (from 7 to 18 years old) 4.00 EUR, students, pensioners, mountaineers (with a valid document attached) 5.00 EUR, adults 8.00 EUR, family with children (two adults and up to three children) EUR 20.00, single ticket during the events "International Bat Night" and "Spring Opening of the Windmill Cave" EUR 4.00.

When you arrive in front of the cave, the first thing that will distract your attention are the huge bars that block the entrance, and you will find out the reason for them in the text below. On the left side you will notice a small wooden house, where you can buy an entrance ticket or some souvenirs, such as magnets, postcards, mugs and T-shirts with the logo of the nature park, as well as get free promotional material for the park as well as for the cave itself and in which the guides keep the protective helmets, without which you cannot enter inside. When I visited the cave in June 2022 I was very lucky because I was the only visitor and literally had a private tour with a very kind guide who tried to tell and explain as much interesting information about the cave as possible. The first tip I would offer you is to dress warmly enough with layered clothes as the constant temperature in the cave is around 10 degrees Celsius throughout the year. This cave got its name from the constant flow of wind through it, which would mean windmill in English. With more than 7 kilometers of branching channels, Veternica is the sixth largest cave in Croatia, and its length is constantly "growing" after the research expeditions of speleologists from Zagreb. However, only the first 380 meters of the cave, which are illuminated and arranged, are accessible to tourists. Although not as attractive at first glance as some other tourist caves, Veternica boasts numerous details rarely seen elsewhere, ceiling domes, cave bear jaw, fossil mud, stone waterfall, concert hall well, fossils from ancient shells and sea urchins, etc. It can be said that it is the oldest archaeological site in Zagreb - its darkness preserves evidence of the turbulent life of the past millennia, from prehistoric Neanderthal people, through Roman soldiers and medieval bandits, to modern adventurers and tourists. In addition to the cave bear that was a common inhabitant of the cave as claimed by archaeological evidence, Veternica was also home to some long-extinct animals such as the cave lion, leopard, cave hyena, rhinoceros, wild boar and giant deer.

Today, the dark canals of Veternica are ruled by mysterious nocturnal flyers - bats. As many as 18 species have been recorded, and 12 of them spend the winter in Veternica. That is why the cave is not open to visitors in the winter period so that no one disturbs the bats in the sensitive period of hibernation - winter sleep. Because of them, a special bat-friendly door has been installed at the entrance of the cave, which allows the bats to pass unhindered and prevents the entry of uninvited visitors, thereby protecting these unusual animals and their cave home. Due to its overall values, Veternica has been protected as a geomorphological monument of nature since 1979.

One very interesting fact is that you can adopt a bat. It is clear that you cannot physically adopt a bat, but you can adopt in such a way that by donating 23 euros to the Medvednica Nature Park you will receive a diploma: "My bat lives in the Veternica cave!", a card "with your name - bat adopter" with a picture of the adopted species, 2 free visits to Veternica Cave as well as a t-shirt with a drawing of a bat. And of course you will help maintain and further explore this incredible cave.

After visiting the cave, you can rest in the nearby mountain lodge Glavica, which is located in the immediate vicinity. It is open on weekends and non-working days from 9 am to 5 pm. In the mountain lodge you can buy drinks and home cooked food so you don't have to carry a lot of liquids and food with you. 

I hope that this text will awaken the nobility in you and the next time you find yourself in Zagreb you will visit this beautiful nature park and of course this incredible cave.