Kő-lik-völgyi No 1 Cave

The Kő-lik-völgy 1st chamber is a cave located in the Vértes Mountains within the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Csákvár. The spectacular cave formed in Triassic dolomite.

Description

The cave is situated in the outskirts of Csákvár, in a specially protected area, in a forest. From the centre of Csákvár it is to the north, at the beginning of the Kő-lik valley, on the east–west side of the valley, at an altitude of 226 m above sea level, at the base of a rock cliff, where the cave entrance is located. The cave is easily noticeable from the tourist trail that passes through the Kő-lik valley, from which a narrow path leads to the cave entrance facing the valley, which is 5.2 m wide, 2.3 m high, naturally formed, arched and oriented along a horizontal axis. On tourist maps the cave’s location is marked with a cave symbol, but (incorrectly) under the name Csákvári-sziklaodú. The entrance of the Kő-lik-völgy 2nd chamber is 6 m north of the Kő-lik-völgy 1st chamber. The Kő-lik-völgy 4th chamber is most easily approached from the top of the Kő-lik-völgy 1st chamber. The Kő-lik-völgy 4th chamber is exactly 75 m in a straight line from the Kő-lik-völgy 1st chamber. The Kő-lik-völgy 3rd chamber is located east, about 30 m from the Kő-lik-völgy 1st chamber.

The Kő-lik-völgy 1st chamber is 3 m long, extends 2.4 m vertically, is 2.4 m high and 3 m wide horizontally. After the cave entrance there is a relatively spacious, semicircular-plan, horizontally vaulted stone niche, whose ceiling is formed by a thin rock layer. The filling rock consists of a conglomerate of rounded dolomite pebbles of various sizes, in which the chamber was created by freeze‑thaw rock disintegration and weathering. Its walls bear soot marks and small inscriptions. No permission is required to visit the easily accessible cave, which can be walked in ordinary street clothing.

In 2003 the cave was first called Kő-lik-völgyi 1. sz. cavity in the literature. The cave appears in the literature under the names Csákvári-kőfülke (Horváth 1966), Csákvári kőfülke (Bertalan 1976), Kő-lik-völgyi 1. sz. barlang (Egri 2003), Kőlik-völgyi 1. sz. barlang (Kordos 1984), Kő-lik-völgyi-fülke (Kocsis 1975), Kő-lik völgyi-fülke (Egri 2003), Kőlik-völgyi fülke (Kordos 1984) and Kő-lik-völgyi–fülke (Kocsis 1975).

Research history

The Supplement No. 230 of the 1943 Scientific Journal states that based on the 1935 Act IV on nature protection, since the establishment of the National Nature Conservation Council in 1939, the Minister of Agriculture, in agreement with the Minister of Religion and Public Education, has made decisions under which, on the proposal of the National Nature Conservation Council, legal protection was granted, for example, to the Csákvár border (Vértes Mountains) located csákvári kőfülke and its surface area of 10 square roods (based on FM decision No. 49.952/1941 dated June 20, 1941).

In a manuscript written by János Horváth (FTC speleology group) on May 17, 1966, it is mentioned that in the Vértes Mountains, at Csákvár (Fejér County, Bicske district), in the Kő-lik valley, there is the Csákvári stone cell. The cave lies 2 km north of the Csákvár church, 300 m north of the cemetery, at an altitude of 203 m above sea level (measured from the map). The cavity is on the east‑west side of the entrance of the Kő-lik valley. It can be reached by train or bus to Csákvár, then on foot along the cemetery, Kő-lik valley route. The cave was previously explored (c. 1926–1928) by Ottokár Kadić. (The used literature is cave‑cadastral sheet No. 80 in the Hungarian Speleological Society.) János Horváth’s investigation in the cave was carried out as a supplement to the cave survey made in 1928. The research was initiated by Károly Bertalan.

The cave is a senile stone cell whose enclosing rock is Triassic dolomite (the overlying layer is breccia). Its fill consists of some rock debris and clay. There is no stalactite. The erosion‑formed cave has only one entrance. The insignificant cave’s plan length is 3 m, its actual length is 3 m. The greatest vertical extent measured from the entrance is 2 m. It has a floor area of 12 m² (planimetric) and a volume of 14 m³. János Horváth visited the cavity on April 4, 1966. He determined at what altitude above sea level the cave entrance is located (based on the map) and drew the cave section maps. The data on the cave’s altitude comes from Ottokár Kadić. (The red entries in the manuscript are from Károly Bertalan, March 11, 1966.)

On the southern edge of Csákvár, several gorge-like valleys descend toward the settlement from the steeply rising Haraszt Hill. The Kő-lik Valley, whose eastern side contains the caves, is accessible via the Gánt road and then on the footpath leading east‑northeast beside the cemetery. Near the valley entrance a small trail branches down to a small rock cavity under the first rock ledges. This is cave No 1, the Csákvár stone cell. It is located at about 203 m above sea level in a minor rock cavity formed in dolomite breccia. During the cave‑mapping work on 4 April 1966, the FTC speleology group supplemented the cave survey carried out by Ottokár Kadić with cross‑section maps.

A map of Csákvár is attached to the manuscript. The map indicates the east direction. The geographic location of the Kő-lik Valley cave No 1 (cave No 1) can be seen on the map. The terrain report includes the floor plan map of the Csákvár stone cell, its longitudinal section map and two cross‑section maps. The maps depict the cave at a scale of 1 : 100. The floor plan map shows the east direction marked on the map sheet. The floor plan map and the longitudinal section map show the location of the two cross‑sections within the cave. The maps were drawn based on the cave survey performed by Ottokár Kadić and the data subsequently added by the FTC speleology group.