Margitligeti átjáró Cave

The Margitligeti Passage is one of the passage caves located in the Pilis Mountains within the Danube–Ipoly National Park, situated at Oszoly. It is also described in tourist guidebooks.

Description

In the outskirts of Pomáz, near Csobánka, at Oszoly, above the Margit Grove, and at the foot of a small rock group descending toward Pomáz, the cave is located. From the trail in front of the entrance of the Margitligeti shaft, walking slightly downhill toward the mountain slope in the direction of Pomáz, after covering about 100 m one can reach the rock wall on whose northern side lies the two‑entrance cave. It formed altectonically in Upper Triassic Dachstein limestone. No equipment is needed for the comfortably walkable tour between the two entrances of the cave. There are no signs of damage in the almost untouched, clean and dry chamber. The only difficulty may be finding the cave.

In 1974 the cave was first called Margitligeti Passage in the literature. In the literature the cave also appears under the names Margit‑ligeti‑átjáró (Miczek 1991), Margitligeti átjáró (Kordos 1970) and Margit‑ligeti‑átjáróbarlang (Kraus 1997).

Research History

The cave, which first came to light in 1967, is mentioned in the book Pilis guidebook that several insignificant cavities are found among the limestone rocks surrounded by forest on the northern side of Oszoly facing Csobánka. According to a publication in the 1969 Karst and Cave Research Bulletin, in August 1969 the Speleology Cave Research Group placed fixed points in Oszoly and in eight smaller and larger cavities on the Oszoly side during a camp organized in Kevélyek. On October 4 1970 László Kordos examined the cave’s climate with an Assmann aspirational psychrometer, measuring 9.4 °C on the surface and 9 °C inside the cave. In 1970 László Kordos and Erzsébet Wehovszky surveyed the 7 m long and 4 m deep cave with lost points and a mining compass, after which László Kordos prepared the cave’s plan map and cross‑section map based on the survey. The maps present the cave at a scale of 1:100.

In the 1970 report of the Speleology Cave Exploration Group there is a detailed description of the cave and its research history. The report states that the Margitligeti passage is located at the foot of a smaller rock group situated above Margitliget and towards Pomáz. The cave is a crack-like corridor about 5 m long and 2–3 m high, whose floor slopes to the east. The cave is an empty space created by a huge rock block leaning against the Dachstein limestone rock. Its walls show calcite crystals, aragonite formations, limonite gums, and at the bottom there is debris‑filled humus. The passage is always moist. During rain and snow melt there is intensive dripping. The cave can be entered without equipment. In 1970 the Speleology Cave Exploration Group examined it. Earlier researchers are unknown and it is not mentioned in the literature. The 1970 map was included as an annex to the report.

In the book Pilis guidebook, published in 1974, in the list of caves of the Pilis Mountains and the Visegrád Mountains (pages 19–20) it is mentioned that among the caves of the Pilis and Visegrád Mountains are the Oszoly caves and the Margitligeti passage. According to the section describing the caves of the Pilis Mountains, there are about a dozen small caves among the Oszoly rocks rising above Csobánka. These were mapped and regularly explored by the Speleology Cave Exploration Group. Most of these small caves are not very spectacular, but they should be mentioned because some of them, located in the Oszoly rock walls regularly visited by tourists, especially rock climbers, and near them, provide excellent bivouac possibilities. The 7 m long Margitligeti passage is located at the foot of the smaller rock group rising above Margit‑liget.

In the 1975 MKBT Report the 1970 report's part concerning the cave was published together with the map attached to the report. The Margitligeti passage opens at the base of a smaller rock group rising above Margitliget on the Pomáz side. A huge detached rock block leaning on the Davhsteini limestone forms it. Its bottom is a humus-filled fill, and on the limestone surface calcite and limonitic gumballs can be observed. Climate measurements show that on 4 October 1970 the temperature was measured as 9.4 °C on the surface and 9 °C inside the cave. László Kordos surveyed it in 1970 with lost points. It is 7 m long and 4 m deep. The publication contains a site drawing showing the geographic locations of Csúcs Hill and the Oszoly caves. The drawing also shows the geographic location of the Margitligeti passage.

In the manuscript written by Károly Bertalan, completed in 1976, it is stated that the Margitligeti passage is located in the Pilis Mountains, in the Kevély group, at Pomáz. It is situated above Margitliget, at the base of a smaller rock group sloping toward Pomáz. Its entrance is fissure-like and 2–3 m high. The cave is 7 m long and 4 m deep. A fissure-like corridor is formed by a huge stone block leaning against the rock and the rock wall. The part of the manuscript describing the cave was written based on three literary works.

In the 1981 issue 1–2 of Karst and Cave, it was made public that the Margitligeti Passage has the cave cadastral number 4820/31. In the book *Caves of Hungary* published in 1984, which contains the national cave list, the cave appears among the caves of the Pilis Mountains under the name Margitligeti Passage. Associated with the list, the geographical location of the cave is shown on a 1:500 000 scale map presenting the geographical positions of the caves of the Danube‑Foot Hills. In the guidebook published in 1991, the cave description from the 1974 guidebook and the general description of the Oszoly caves are repeated. In the 1991 guidebook the cave is mentioned under the name Margit‑ligeti Passage. In the compilation written by József Kárpát in 1991 it is noted that the Margitligeti Passage (Csobánka) is 7 m long and 4 m deep. In the 1996 cave‑day tour guide the description found in the 1991 guidebook, which generally describes the Oszoly caves, is repeated.