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The most well-known stalactite cave at the World Heritage Site is Central Eastern Europe's largest cave-system. The giant rock-halls and enormous dripstone-enigmas of this active karst cave, where a stream also runs sometimes, conjure up a mysterious fairy-tale land.
The name of the Baradla Caves presumably comes from the Slavic 'bradlo' meaning 'cliff'. The caves are in many ways unique in Hungary: they have been researched over the longest period of time, they are the best known, they are the longest, and they have the richest formations, but what is more, its degree of activity, length and dripstone ornamentation make these the most significant caves in the temperate zone.
This exceptional cave is Central Eastern Europe's largest cave system. It is nearly 24 kilometres long, of which 5.6 kilometres stretch across into Slovakia. The main 6.6 kilometre-long branch lies between the villages of Aggtelek and Jósvafő. An average of 10 metres wide and 7-8 metres high, it widens into enormous halls in some places. Numerous side branches join the main branch, the most important of which is the Domica Cave, the Styx Branch from the Concert Hall (Hangverseny-terem, 2.6 km), the Radish (Retek) Branch (3.8 km), the Turkish Mosque (Törökmecset) Branch (1 km), and the Fox (Róka) Branch (484 m).
Stalactites and stalagmites of the most varied shapes, colours and sizes ornament the halls, passages and galleries of the Baradla. Simply as an example, the scale of the Giants' Hall (Óriások terme) is as stunning as its dripstones with a length of 125 metres, a width of 55 metres and a height of 30 metres.
Cave Baradla is the most significant representative of the world under the ground, which was placed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites. The length of all the discovered sections of the Baradla-Domica cave system is 25 km, 5,6 km of which is Cave Domica in Slovakia.
It is the most significant speleological value of the region as well as of Hungary, as it is the best-known, the longest cave, which is also the richest in formations and the discovery of which started longest ago. In the 19th century it was considered to be the second, in 1965 - the eighth, in 1969 - the eleventh, in 1973 the twentieth longest cave in the world. Although it has been surpassed in the world ranking these days, it still remained the most significant in the moderate zone due to its acitivity, length and richness in dripstones.
Most of Cave Baradla was formed around 230 million years ago in light grey, so-called Wetterstein and Steinalm limestone from the middle Triassic period, while the section in Jósvafő was formed in black-dark grey Guteinstein limestone as a result of the dissolving and eroding activities of the waters getting into the deep layers from the surface.
The cave provides a living space for several living creatures including ones that live in caves exclusively and ones that stay there temporarily. Although the research of the wildlife started as early as the middle of the 19th century, the first comprehensive study was carried out by Endre Dudich, who mentioned 262 species of the cave in his work published in Vienna in 1932. Today the number of species living in the cave is almost 500.
The caves can be visited with a tour guide only, the tours usually set out half-hourly or hourly within the opening hours. In October, the Caves are open longer on Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
