Keleti quarry No 9 Cave

The Keleti quarry No. 9 cave is one of the caves located in the 3rd district of Budapest, in the Budai Landscape Protection Area of the Danube–Ipoly National Park.

Description

In the K part of the Buda thermal karst, on the lower mining level of the abandoned two‑storey quarry of Mátyás Hill DK, on the K side of the mining level, right side, to the left of the path leading to the mine, at an altitude of 215 m above sea level, is its entrance. From the Keleti quarry No. 9 cave the Keleti quarry No. 10 cave is located to the D. Its entrance is natural, but opened by mining, flat, irregularly shaped and horizontally oriented. A flat cave 2.5 m long formed beside the slab. A permit is required for viewing, but without basic caving equipment the cave is easily walkable.

The Keleti quarry No. 9 cave occurs in the literature as cave 9 (Acheron 1993), No. 9 cave (Kárpát 1984), 9.cave (Kárpát 1984), 9.cave (Kárpát 1984), 9.cavern (Kárpát 1983), Keleti quarry No. 9 cave (Leél‑Őssy 1995) and Mátyás‑h. DK. 9. cave (Kárpát 1984). It may be that the names Mátyáshegyi 1. rock cavity (Bertalan 1976) and Mátyás‑hegyi 1. rock cavity (Kordos 1984) are variants of the name Keleti quarry No. 9 cave.

Research history

According to the statements of elderly people living nearby, there were many cavities on the quarry floor when the stone mine was operating. The many small caves on the upper mine yard wall and the numerous cave indications and formations suggest that quarrying destroyed a large cave, or the upper part of a large cave. The caves visible today are remnants of this large cave. From the 1943 Cave World it is known that Károly Bertalan and Béla Albert, within the systematic processing of the caves around Buda, examined the 14 small cavities in the Mátyás Hill and Kecske Hill quarries.

In the 1957 Geographical Bulletin, which saw the light of day, the study written by Sándor Leél-Őssy mentions the large stone quarry cavities of Mátyás Hill, which formed in nummulitic limestone. On the site map in the study, which shows the geographical location of the caves of the Buda Hills, the geographical location of the cavities found in the large stone quarry of Mátyás Hill can be observed. (These cavities are listed on the site map among the karstic caves.) In the book titled *Budapest természeti képe* published in 1958, it is written that there are karstic cavities in the wall of the large stone quarry on the D side of Mátyás Hill. In the book *Budapest* edited by András Vitéz and Miklós Pap and published in 1961, it is mentioned that a hiker can see cavities in the stone quarry on the DK side of Mátyás Hill, which are similar to the Mátyás Hill cave but smaller in size.

In the report published in the 1963 Karst and Cave Research Bulletin, it is mentioned that the BEAC Cave Research Group investigated the K side stone quarry of Mátyás Hill in 1962. On the quarry’s rock wall several openings are visible, of which two (in their present condition) can be called caves. No one has yet dealt with their investigation. Geologist Gábor Láng mapped the cavities. Characteristic spherical chambers indicate the cavities’ karstic origin. The largest is about 4 m in diameter. In addition to the exploration of Barit Cave, research is also promising at two other locations.

The 1964 Karst and Cave Investigation Bulletin mentions that in the quarry on Mátyás Hill in Budapest's District III, overlooking the Danube, long‑known cavity remains were found in 1963. The cavity system is highly charged with spherical chambers and hydrothermal fissures. Members of the BEAC Nature‑Travel Department Cave Investigation Group have been carrying out exploratory work at several points of the quarry since 1962. In 1963, working about 200 hours, they were able to advance forward in several places. They saw that the situation was encouraging, but only a great amount of work could yield results. They planned to continue the exploratory work in the quarry in 1964. They began the geological and mineralogical processing of the site, the precise surveying, leveling and mapping of the area. They will most certainly finish the cartographic work in the spring.

The book published in 1966 titled Budai‑hegy Guide states that in another (DK) quarry on Mátyás Hill (not the Mátyás‑hill‑cave quarry) there are also small cave cavities. Nine cavities became known in this stone mine. The 1972 Karst and Cave Bulletin reported that on 24 April 1972 (at the request of the Budapest Police Headquarters), due to their disappearance, members of the Cave Rescue Service examined the cavities of the eastern quarry of Mátyás Hill.

In the manuscript completed in 1976, written by Bertalan Károly, among the caves in the DK quarry on Mátyás Hill, this cave may be briefly described under the name Mátyáshegyi 1. rock chamber. The manuscript states that the Mátyáshegyi 1. rock chamber is located in Budapest District III, on the edge of the K terrace of the DK quarry, on the left side of the road leading to the mine. It was free to enter in 1943. The water‑filled cave is about 3 m long and about 2 m deep. The part of the manuscript concerning the cave was written based on two publications. In the 1978 report of the Vass Imre Cave Research Group it is written that the group has been researching and mapping the K quarry on Mátyás Hill for several years. Some chambers of the quarry were broken into by the young group members in 1978, resulting in the extension of several chambers by 2–3 m, but no significant results were achieved. According to the guidebook Budai‑hegyberg published in 1982, there are water‑filled small cavities in the K side stone mine of Mátyás Hill.