Jóreménység Cave

Jóreménység Cave is one of the caves located on Vaskapu Hill at the edge of Pilisszentkereszt in the Pilis Mountains, within the Danube–Ipoly National Park.

Description

In the Vaskapu Valley, 150 m at 290° from the Pilis Cave, at an altitude of 580 m above sea level, the natural-looking entrance of Jóreménység Cave faces east. From the branch of the Vaskapu Valley, it opens at 215° 130 m away, at the foot of a 6‑m rock wall. Above its entrance is the entrance to the cave above Jóreménység, which is also connected to Jóreménység Cave through a small opening. In its forecourt the traces of former research camps (fire‑making and resting places) can still be observed.

Jóreménység Cave formed in Upper Triassic Dachstein limestone. It appears to be an inactive spring cave based on its speleothems, but it may have formed under phreatic conditions. Its spacious passage is decorated with beautiful corrosion forms (spherical and microforms). Its formations include stalactites, stalagmite draperies, wolf‑bite stalactites and tiny condensate water pepper‑stones. The cave is dry. (Another description states that the cave walls are very wet in places.) It is filled with clay, humus and rock debris. There is a lot of ash at the entrance. Suitable for bivouac for 5–6 people. It is worth visiting the unrestricted cave, because it can be walked in street clothing and no permission is required for viewing. There are many points of interest inside. Only a light source is needed for exploration.

In 1982 the cave was first called Jóreménység Cave in the literature.

Research History

The 1967 book *Pilisság Guide* mentions that in the area of the Szoplák Valley cave, in the Vaskapu Valley, many small cavities hide among the bushes. The 1974 *Pilisság Guide*, in the list of caves of the Pilis and Visegrád Mountains (pages 19–20), notes that there are Vaskapu Valley caves among the caves of the Pilis and Visegrád Mountains. According to the section describing the caves of the Pilis Mountains, a tourist trail marked with a blue square leads to the Vaskapu Valley beside a forest hut, and after about half a kilometre, a whole series of cavities and small caves is found in the rocky hillside that runs alongside the trail. These are the Vaskapu Valley caves (rock chambers, rock shafts), among which the Pilis Cave stands out for its size, stalactites and interesting forms.

According to the 1982 report of the Labor MIM/EKB Esztergom Karst and Cave Exploration Group, the Jóreménység Cave (Pest County, Pilis Mountains, Vaskapu Valley) was discovered on 27 June 1982 by the members of the group. In the second half of the year the members lowered the ground level of the area in front of the cave’s rock wall by 2 m over a 2 × 3 m square. Because of the lower area, the removal of the debris that had fallen into the cave became easier through the opening located 1.5 m from the original entrance to the dead end. It was confirmed that the first chamber slopes down to reach the excavated surface section.

To facilitate the removal of debris, a spiral rope system was installed in front of the rock wall with the help of the Tatabánya Cave Exploration Group. Later the entire height of the first chamber was increased by 1 m by removing debris, and then the group dug a 1 m wide and 1 m deep exploration trench along the length of the chamber at point D. The speleothem fragment found in the debris was preserved. In 1982 the group removed 35 m³ of clay and rock debris from the cave. Appendix 1 is the map sketch of the Vaskapu Valley. The drawing shows the geographical location of the Jóreménység Cave and the surrounding caves. Appendix 2 is the plan map of the cave, drawn by László Mátéfi. The plan map indicates the east direction.

It was reported in the July 24, 1982 issue of Népszava that the karst and cave researchers of Labor Műszeripari Művek in Esztergom had opened the entrance of a seemingly extensive dripstone cave located in the Vaskapu Valley in the Pilis Mountains. According to its form treasure, the cave is the most promising dripstone cave of the Pilis Mountains. It is conceivable that after the exploration the Jóreménység Cave will become accessible to interested tourists for admiration. The 1982 MKBT Report mentions that the Labor MIM/EKB Esztergomi Karst and Cave Researchers conducted exploratory research in 1982 in the Jóreménység Cave in the Pilis Mountains.

The September 15, 1982 issue of Esti Hírlap reports that eight of the amateur cave researchers of Labor Műszeripari Művek carried out a field survey in the Pilis Mountains a few weeks ago. One researcher saw a barely palm‑sized hole on the side of the rock wall in the Vaskapu Valley. He also noticed a strong airflow moving from the cavity to the surface. The airflow was so strong that it immediately extinguished the flame of a match held in front of the cavity. The cavers found the draft encouraging, as a large draft indicates a large cavity network. They immediately began to widen the hole, and after a half‑day of work they were able to slip through it. After a few meters it became clear that, as could be predicted from the airflow, they had discovered a previously unknown cave that is also traversable by humans.

The currently accessible part of the cave consists of six interconnected smaller and larger chambers. The largest hall is about 24 m² in floor area, and its height varies between 4 and 6 m. The walls of the passages are highlighted by stalactite draperies, hanging stalactites, and drapery-like folded calcite formations. The most spectacular and interesting is an almost completely bottle-shaped hall. From the cave discovered so far, further passages, now still filled with sediment, lead into the interior of the mountain. Because of the dissolution forms of the cavity system and the air‑flow conditions, it can be inferred that a larger cave system exists on the mountain side of the Vaskapu Valley.