Fáni-völgyi No 9 Cave

The Fáni-völgyi 9th chamber is a cave located in the Vértes Mountains in the Danube–Ipoly National Park, one of the caves in Szár.

Description

The cave is situated in the forest on the outskirts of Szár, in the highly protected area of the Vértes Natural Park. On the eastern side of the Fáni valley, from the barrier closing the western end of the valley to the north at the artificial work, about 350 m away, directly beneath the Fáni-völgyi 8th chamber, at an altitude of 255 m above sea level, the entrance of the Fáni-völgyi 9th chamber is about 25 m above the road. The entrance facing north is difficult to notice and is heavily overgrown during leafy periods.

The cave formed in Triassic dolomite due to freeze‑thaw rock disintegration and corrosion. A 3.5 m wide, 2.5 m high curved entrance leads into a spacious stone chamber. After the curved entrance, the chamber’s passage retains a tunnel shape. Its walls are very brecciated, showing pinkish discoloration in places. Some chert is also observable, and parts of the walls are covered with algae. The floor is covered with stone rubble and a significant amount of sand. In this cave, which is excellently suited for bivouacking, muflon droppings also occur. The cave is accessible on steep, difficult terrain, but no permission is required to visit the easily walkable part in street clothing.

In 1979 the cave was first called the Fáni-völgyi 9th chamber in the literature. The cave also appears in the literature under the names 9th chamber (Alba Regia Cave Exploration Group 1979), Fáni-völgyi 9th cave (Eger 2003), Fáni-völgyi 9th chamber (Bertalan 1976), Fáni-völgyi cave (Alba Regia Cave Exploration Group 1979) and Fáni-völgyi cave (Bertalan 1976).

Research history

According to the book published in 1962, *The World of Caves*, in the Fáni valley in the Vértes Mountains there are small caves 10–12 m higher than the stream.

One of the groups composed of former members of the Ferencváros Nature Lovers Sports Club Speleology Group, led by János Horváth, continued the exploration of the Vértes Mountains and the three‑phase survey of the caves in the mountains in 1968. This group surveyed nine rock cavities in the Fáni Valley, partially previously known (designated I–IX). Using the survey, the group produced in that year the floor plan map, longitudinal section map and cross‑section map of cavity No 9 in the Fáni Valley (F‑9). The maps depict the cave at a scale of 1:100. The floor plan map indicates the east direction on the map sheet. The location of the cross‑section within the cave can be seen on the floor plan map and the longitudinal section map. A site drawing was also placed on the map sheet, showing the geographical location of the cave. (The floor plan map also includes the floor plan maps of cavity No 7 and cavity No 8 in the Fáni Valley, and the longitudinal section map includes a section map of the latter.)

According to the 1969 report of the FTSK Speleology Group, János Horváth used the spring‑autumn 1968 cave surveys to produce in 1969 the map of cavity No 9 in the Fáni Valley (Vértes Mountains). The maps present the caves at a scale of 1:100.

In the manuscript titled *Hungary's Cave Register* completed in 1976, it is written that the 9th cavity of Fáni-völgy (Fáni-völgy cave) is located in Szár, in the Vértes Mountains. The entrance of the 9th cavity of Fáni-völgy is under the collapse of the rock slab Ny-i, which lies in front of the 8th rock fissure of Fáni-völgy and the 8/a rock fissure of Fáni-völgy, 2.5 km from the KÉK of the Vérteskozma temple. The tectonic, corrosion‑originated cavity formed by rock disintegration is 5 m long, 3 m wide and 2.5 m high. The part of the manuscript describing the cave was written based on two literary works.

According to the manuscript prepared in 1979 by the Alba Regia Cave Research Group, the 9th cavity of Fáni-völgy (Fáni-völgy cave, 9th cavity) is listed in the OKTH cave register as cave number 18 among the caves of the Vértes Mountains, under the above name. Based on the extremely confusing and sketchy description, the cavity cannot be identified topographically. In fact, the 9th cavity of Fáni-völgy does not exist, or it is identical to the 6th cavity of Fáni-völgy.

Justification: 1. The group visited the site twice, but after thorough inspection they still did not find the cave. 2. The Fáni-völgyi 6. sz. chamber, proceeding from the DK direction, is indeed (according to the cave register) located before the Fáni-völgyi 8. rock fissure and the Fáni-völgyi 8/a rock fissure, close to them. 3. The name Fáni-völgyi-cave comes from Antal Kocsis, whose description mentions the cave numbered 26, which is certainly identifiable with the Fáni-völgyi 6. sz. chamber. 4. The dimensions of the cave described as the Fáni-völgyi 9. sz. chamber differ only slightly from those of the Fáni-völgyi 6. sz. chamber. 5. In the cave register, on the label of the Fáni-völgyi 6. sz. chamber, there is no reference to either another name of the cave or to Antal Kocsis. Thus Antal Kocsis as an author is mentioned only for 7 chambers, although he described 8 chambers (identified by the group). The missing description is precisely that of the Fáni-völgyi-cave he marked with number 26. Comparing the facts, the Fáni-völgyi 9. sz. chamber does not exist, because it is identical to the Fáni-völgyi 6. sz. chamber.

The 1980 report of the FTSK Cave Exploration Department states that the Fáni-völgyi 9. sz. chamber (F-9) in the Fáni Valley (Vértes Mountains) is the fourth, largest chamber of the rock mass that includes the Fáni-völgyi 7. chamber, the Fáni-völgyi 8. rock fissure and the Fáni-völgyi 8/a rock fissure. The floor of the series of chambers (chamber series) is formed by a rock slab a meter wide in front of them, under the Ny side collapse, 5.5 m away, opening onto the cave’s oval entrance, 3 × 2.5 m, from the debris deposit beneath the rock. The direction of the cave coincides with that of the chamber series, extending under the rock fissure on the road side. Its vault lies about 2.5 m below the walking level. The enclosing rock, its shape, is similar to that of the Fáni-völgyi 1. sz. chamber and the Fáni-völgyi 6. sz. chamber.