Rača Špilja

Useful Information

Location:	20290, Lastovo. (42.7347345, 16.9107887)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=70 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	M. Senoa (1916): Spilja Raca na Lastovu Glasnik Hrvatskog prirodoslovnog drustva (Zagreb). (Gazette of the Croatian Society of Natural Sciences)
Address:	Rača Špilja, 20290, Lastovo. PP ˝Lastovsko otočje˝, Trg Svetog Petra 7, 20 289 Ubli, Otok Lastovo, Tel: +385-20-801-252. E-mail:
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

1916	cave visited and described by M. Senoa.
1940s and 1950s	several excavations.
1953	Grga Novak conducts an excavation in the entrance part.
2021-2023	excavation by Ph.D. Ivan Drnić from the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb.

Description

Rača Špilja (Raca Cave), also Gambero Cave, is a small undeveloped cave on the Dalmatian Island of Lastovo, which is of archaeological importance. It was excavated, and the pit of the excavation is fenced of, but there are trails from the archaeologists. Otherwise, the cave is not developed in any way. But it is only a single chamber with a mostly horizontal floor. The visit requires good walking shoes and a lamp, we would also recommend a helmet. There is a trail to the cave, but to reach it requires a three-hour hike from the village Lastovo to the entrance of the cave.

The cave has been inhabited since the late stone age, around 4,000 BC. A large number of artefacts of the Neolithic Hvar Culture were found. The most important find is a wood carving razor tool. It has a double blade and a cross in the middle. The cave was also inhabited sporadically during the Bronze Age. The continued use of the cave in the Early Iron Age, between 900 and 400 BC, is confirmed by Daunian pottery. Also, a fragment of a miniature Corinthian skiff from the 7th or 6th century BC was found. In the Late Iron Age, the locals used it as a shelter and a corral. It may have been a sanctuary for some time. Also found were fragments of Hellenistic drinking vessels and Roman Late Republican amphorae and tableware.

The cave is home to a colony of bats and cave crickets (Dolichopoda araneiformis).

This cave is the only cave on the island which is accessible, and there was quite recently an excavation. That's probably the reason why this cave is pushed as a tourist cave. Unfortunately, the cave is hard to reach and quite small, and there are no educational signs and the archaeological remains are gone. All in all, a nice spot if you want to hike anyway, but definitely not worth the long hike.