Cave of No 2 Sinkhole of Bába-völgy

The 2nd water sinkhole cave of the Bába Valley is one of the specially protected caves of Hungary. It is located in the area of the Aggtelek National Park. Together with the other caves of the Aggtelek Karst and the Slovak Karst it has been part of the World Heritage since 1995. It is one of the four specially protected caves of Szögliget.

Description

It is located in the southern part of the Lower Mountain in the Bába Valley, north of the centre of Szögliget, three kilometres away, at the foot of a small rock wall. About 150 metres from the entrance of the 1st water sinkhole cave of the Bába Valley, near the tourist route marked with the blue stripe of the National Blue Trail and the trail marked with the red stripe, is its entrance. On the tourist trail, as one goes uphill in the valley, it is located to the right of the trail. The location of the cave is indicated on the new edition of tourist maps.

Its entrance and interior are collapsed and narrow. Many stalactites are present, for example a nearly three‑metre‑long stalactite flag and a stalagmite over one metre high. The upper part of the water sinkhole cave, which can be traversed only by crawling in several places, formed in the Upper Triassic, sub‑aerial limestone. In the area of the Aggtelek Karst this limestone can be studied best here. It is part of the Borz spring water system. Access requires a permit from the Directorate of the Aggtelek National Park. The cave can be traversed with basic caving equipment.

The cave occurs in its literature under the names Bába-völgyi 2. sz. víznyelőbarlang (Kordos 1984), Bába-völgyi 2. sz. víznyelő barlang (Neidenbach, Pusztay 2005), Bába-völgyi II.sz víznyelőbarlang (Vlk 2019), Bábavölgyi barlangrendszer (Kordos 1984), Bába-völgyi-cseppkőbarlang (Székely 2003), Bábavölgyi-cseppkőbarlang (Jakucs 1961), Bódvaszilasi-barlang (Csekő 1959), Bódvaszilasi-cseppkőbarlang (Dénes 1959), Bódvaszilasi cseppkőbarlang (Kordos 1984) and Szádvári 2. sz. víznyelő barlangja (Kordos 1984). In 1993 the cave was mentioned for the first time in its literature as Bába-völgyi 2. sz. víznyelő barlangja.

Research history

In 1957 members of the Kinizsi Cave Exploration Group succeeded in entering the cave after a one‑day excavation. In 1957, under the leadership of György Szentes, the cave was surveyed, which according to the survey was 108 m long and 30 m deep. In 1958 the Red Meteor Cave Exploration Group and the Kinizsi Cave Exploration Group explorers increased the length of the water‑draining cave by a few metres. In 1959 the Budapest Red Meteor Cave Exploration Group demonstrated with fluorescent water dye that the cave and the Borz spring (Dénes 1960), later named Lakatos spring, and/or the Bába spring (Dénes 1964) are connected. The dyed water that disappeared in the water‑drain reappeared in the spring after 72 hours.

In the book *A barlangok világa* published in 1962, the Bába‑völgy 2nd sinkhole cave is described as 120 m long. In 1966 members of the Vörös Meteor Cave Exploration Group carried out inspection trips and minor maintenance work in the Bába‑völgy sinkholes. In the manuscript written by Bertalan Károly and completed in 1976 it is mentioned that the Bábavölgy cave system is also known as the Bódvaszilasi stalactite cave and the Szádvári (Bábavölgy) 2nd sinkhole cave. It is located in Szögliget, on the Lower Hill, 180 m east of the Bába‑völgy 1st sinkhole cave, at approximately 335 m above sea level. The Bába‑völgy 2nd sinkhole cave is 120 m long and 30 m deep. The painted water of the sinkhole appeared at the Borz spring (1965). The description card of the cave was written based on two literary works.

At the 1982 National Hiking Congress of the Hungarian Karst and Cave Research Society, the cave was one of the tour destinations. In the 1984 book *Magyarország barlangjai*, which lists caves nationwide, the cave on the Aggtelek Karst appears under the name Bába‑völgy 2nd sinkhole cave, with variant names Bábavölgyi cave system, Bódvaszilasi stalactite cave and Szádvári 2nd sinkhole cave. Associated with the list is a 1:500 000 scale map showing the geographic location of caves in the Aggtelek Karst and the Bükk Mountains, indicating the cave’s geographic position. In 1992 members of the MAFC Cave Exploration Group surveyed the cave, which according to the survey is 70 m long and 22 m deep. In 1993 the group produced the cave’s plan map and longitudinal‑section map.

From April 8, 1993, according to the Ministry of Environment and Regional Development decree 12/1993. (III. 31.) KTM, the 2nd numbered water intake cave in Bába Valley in the Aggtelek Karst region is a highly protected cave. It became a highly protected cave based on its geological and hydrological values. The MKBT Programme Bulletin of March–April 1993 reported that the KTM Nature Conservation Office planned the publication of a poster series featuring the highly protected caves of Hungary and was looking for students for this. Posters are being prepared about the highly protected caves of the Aggtelek Karst and about caves that will become highly protected in the near future, including one depicting the 2nd numbered water intake cave in Bába Valley. This cave is also marked with a star, which means that photographs are primarily sought of this cave. The May–June 1994 issue of the MKBT Programme Bulletin reveals that the cave does not appear on the map of Alsó-hegy that was put up for sale.