Bekey Cave

Bekey Cave is located in the Buda Hills of the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Budapest District II. It is among the specially protected caves of Hungary. It also appears in tourist guidebooks.

Description

The narrow and vertical entrance oriented along the axis, which is sealed with a metal cover, is at ground level on the eastern half of the Pál-völgy quarry (a landscaped mine) next to Szépvölgyi Road, on a grassy area. The entrance is easily reachable and visitable from the public area. A tourist trail marked with the blue cave (Ω) runs in the vicinity. It opens near the main entrance of the Pál-völgy cave system.

The cave has collapsed and is blocked. The vertical and narrow fissure cave is about 40 m deep. It formed in Eocene limestone by dissolution. Its bottom reaches the Triassic layers. Its shape is similar to that of other caves in the area. In the lower part, the wolf‑tooth crystals growing on calcite deposits can be seen. It can be visited with the permission of the Danube–Ipoly National Park Directorate. Because of its dead‑end terminations and its bottom, it is probably connected to the Pál-völgy cave system.

In 1968 the cave was first called Bekey Cave in the literature. The cave also appears in the literature under the names Hideglyuk (Vukov 1968), Jordan Cave (Bekey 1913), Jordán Cave (Barcza, Thirring 1920), Jordán cave (Láng 1957), Kut cave (Láng 1957), Kút‑cave (Bekey 1913), Pálvölgyi‑ördöglyuk (Borbás 1934), Pálvölgyi ördöglyuk (Kadić 1920), Pálvölgyi Ördög‑lyuk (Bertalan, Schőnviszky 1976), Pálvölgyi Ördöglyuk (Pápa 1957), Pálvölgyi‑zsomboly (Bertalan 1976) and Pálvölgyi zsomboly (Kadić 1952). The first person to explore it was Karl Jordán, and therefore the cave received the name Jordán Cave.

Research History

Around the 1900s intensive stone mining began in the area around Pál‑völgy. At that time smaller and larger cavities were discovered, especially in the Pál‑völgy quarry. Meanwhile a probably significant length of passage was also excavated. In the 1911 issue of Turisták Lapja, in an article by Endre Kazay, it is mentioned that from the entrance of Pál‑völgy Cave there is another cave entrance to the north. This cave is also interesting but has dangerous passages.

In a paper published in the 1913 volume of Turisták Lapja it is stated that on 11 May 1902 the entrances of Déry Cave, Bagyura Cave and Jordan Cave were known in the Pál Valley quarry. The narrowest and deepest part of the quarry’s cave system is the well‑shaped Jordan Cave. Its discovered parts extend only downwards. Directly under the lower floor of the mine‑warden’s residence are its two small entrances. There is a lower opening and an upper opening. Through the upper opening one can reach a small chamber whose eastern part drops vertically 8 m and therefore can be traversed only with a rope ladder. The lower opening leads down through a steep rubble chute into the passage. At the bottom of the small passage there is a narrow opening that is always blocked. The exit here is also made with a rope ladder under almost identical conditions, but the deeper one goes, the narrower the fissures and cracks that must be squeezed through.

The known parts so far are difficult climbing places in which there is nothing interesting. Only the uppermost part was photographable. The cave was originally called Kút Cave, and was renamed later in honor of Károly Jordan. Until then a depth of up to 30 m was reached in it, but according to some it is deeper. Probably the thickness of the nummulitic limestone layer, which settled on the Dachstein limestone or dolomite, is not more than 40 m, but this does not mean that the cave cannot continue further in the two aforementioned limestone layers. A photograph was attached to the paper, showing the descent into the upper passage of Jordan Cave. The black‑and‑white photograph was taken by Imre Gábor Bekey.

In the publication titled Budapest Duna-jobbparti környéke, which appeared in 1920, it is written that the entrance to the Pálvölgyi devil's hole (Jordán-cave) is at the bottom of the rocks under the shelter house at the Pál-völgy stone quarry. This deep cavity runs vertically downwards, but its entrance is currently blocked. The Pálvölgyi caves are most suitable for chimney and crack climbing practice. Their smoothness, moisture and slipperiness make climbing on the rocks so difficult that only very careful wall climbing is possible in them. Reliable good holds are provided only by fresh cracks and breaks, possibly stalactite formations or smaller‑larger stone pieces coated with stalactite (cemented). Generally the holds and footholds are completely smooth and slope outward, therefore they provide little sense of security. Nevertheless a very interesting and beautiful climbing tour, for example the whole Jordán-cave, exists.

In the book review published in the 1920 Barlangkutatás, which concerns the book Budapest Duna-jobbparti környéke, it is mentioned that the Pálvölgyi devil's hole is described in the book. The 1920 volume of Természet states that the Pál-völgyi caves have not been known for long. The short history of their discovery and exploration was outlined by Bekey Imre Gábor in the 1913 issue of Turisták Lapja.

According to an article published in the 1920 volume of Turistaság és Alpinizmus, the Pálvölgy caves have not been known for long. The short history of their discovery and exploration was described in one of his papers by Imre Gábor Bekey (1913). In 1914 a tourist association hiked to the Pálvölgy stone mine to locate its then‑known cavities. According to Árpád Fröhlich, president of Pannónia TE, the Pálvölgy caves are most suitable for chimney and crack climbing. Their smoothness, moisture and slipperiness make climbing on the rocks so difficult that only very careful wall climbing is possible in them. A reliable good hold is provided only by fresh cracks and breaks, possibly stalactite formations or smaller‑larger stone pieces coated (cemented) with stalactite. Generally the holds and positions are completely smooth and slope outward, therefore they provide little sense of security. Nevertheless a very interesting and beautiful climbing tour, for example the complete traversal of the Jordan cave, is possible.