Ledová jeskynĕ

Ice Cave - Ledová jeskyně Naděje - Eishöhle Hoffnung - Eisloch

Useful Information

Location:	1 m northeast Naděje (Hoffnung). North of Decin, at the border to Germany. Dürrkamnitz, Goldener Ranzen, Böhmische Schweiz
Open:	closed. [2015]
Fee:	closed. [2015]
Classification:	Tectonic cave sandstone cave
Light:	none, bring torch.
Dimension:	L=30 m, D=6 m, W=4 m.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Ledová jeskynĕ
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1870	Zwickauer Bergverein from nearby Germany built a trail to the cave.
~1900	cave entrance closed with iron gate, key available at the nearby mill for a fee.
1945	cave open and some vandalism.
1955	tectonic movements.
1966	declared a protected nature site.
1988	cave closed again due to vandalism.
1995	cave closed due to the danger of rockfall.

Description

Ledová jeskynĕ is a cave of the ice trap type. An entrance higher than the floor of the cave allows cold air in the winter to enter the cave, but not to leave it again. Dripping water entering the cave through small cracks freezes in the cave and forms ice, which stays until the end of summer.

The cave was developed by nature enthusiasts from nearby Germany before World War I, a time when the countries Germany, Tschechia, and Austria were much closer and weekend trips across the border were rather common. As a result many towns and places so close to the border have also a German name. This changed with the two World Wars, and it took until the fall of the Iron Curtain, that this area is accessible again.

We listed this cave, because of its long history as a show cave, at least as a semi wild cave. At this point we were not aware that it is now closed due to the danger of rockfall. However, rockfall in caves is a common problem and one which could be solved with a little effort. We guess the current owner, the Správa CHKO Lužické hory (administration of the nature park Lužické hory), has no financial interest and wants to avoid possible accidents. On the other hand the cave might be reopened any time, as there is no real problem, and the tourism from Germany and other countries increases.