No 2 Cave of Esztergomi Vár-hegy

The No 2 cave of Esztergom Castle Hill is one of the caves located in the Visegrád Mountains in the Danube–Ipoly National Park.

Description

The entrance of the cave is situated 5 m east of the concrete support base at the eastern end of the steep southern side of the Castle Hill in Esztergom, at the stone boundary. It is located southeast of the walled cavity of Esztergom Castle Hill. The No 2 cave of Esztergom Castle Hill and the Széchy Dénes cave are the two significant caves on the hillside of the Castle Hill. The No 2 cave of Esztergom Castle Hill lies between the Széchy Dénes cave and, lower down, the No 3 cave of Esztergom Castle Hill.

The ceiling of the No 2 cave of Esztergom Castle Hill also appears to be carbonate rock. However, Slíz György and others could not determine this with certainty because the soot on the ceiling hindered recognition. Part of the cave is only walkable while standing, and based on the trash found inside, it is inhabited by homeless people (as is the Széchy Dénes cave).

The cave occurs in literature under the names Basilica cavities (Kadić 1952), Basilica cavities (Bertalan 1976), Cave under the South Bastion (Eszterhás 2014), Esztergom Basilica Hill cavities (Bertalan 1976), Esztergom Basilica Hill cavities (Schőnviszky 1937), Esztergom Basilica Hill cavities (Bertalan, Schőnviszky 1976) and Esztergom Castle Hill No 2 cave (Slíz 2017).

Research history

The 1926–1927 Cave Investigation mentions that during bat observations carried out in 1923–1924 by András Tasnádi Kubacska and Lajos Véghelyi, on 20 February 1924 a male brown long‑eared bat (Plecotus auritus L.) was found in one of the five smaller‑larger cavities and caves located in the Mesozoic limestone of the Castle Hill in Esztergom. In the 1937 issue of Turisták Lapja, in a study written by László Schőnviszky, it is noted that the Esztergom Basilica Hill cavities are found in the Mesozoic mountain rock scree. Five smaller‑larger cavities, which are insignificant. In Ottó Kadić’s manuscript completed in 1952, the Basilica cavities (Esztergom) are mentioned using László Schőnviszky’s 1937 publication. In Esztergom, in the limestone scree on which the basilica was built, several smaller‑larger cavities have formed. None of these have been explored so far.

In the manuscript titled *Hungary's Caves* completed in 1976, it is written that the cavities of Esztergom Basilica Hill (Basilica cavities) are located in the Visegrád Mountains and the Pilis Mountains, in Esztergom. The smaller‑larger five cavities are found in the forest of Basilica Hill. The entrances to the cavities are unknown. The part of the manuscript describing the cavities was written based on 1 publication. In the *Hungarian Speleology Bibliography* cave name index compiled by Károly Bertalan and László Schőnviszky and published in 1976, the Esztergom Basilica Hill cavities in the Pilis Mountains are mentioned. The cave name index cites 1 publication that deals with these cavities.

In the national cave list of the book *Caves of Hungary* published in 1984, the Esztergom Basilica Hill cavities (Basilica cavities) appear among the caves of the Szentendre‑Visegrád Mountains. Associated with the list is a 1:500 000 scale map showing the geographical location of the caves of the Danube‑Foot Hills. According to the 1987 report of the Balassa Bálint Museum Cave Research Group, archaeological research of the Esztergom Castle’s Danube‑facing side revealed several cave entrances in the rock wall beneath the castle. The caves were covered and (partially) filled by debris thrown out during the early 1930s fortification work. From the Széchy Dénes cave to DK, the group discovered another cave entrance. This cavity is not filled with waste, but its entrance was re‑buried because it was intended to be explored later.

The 1988 report of the Balassa Bálint Museum Cave Exploration Group states that on the Esztergom Castle side, at the same level as the Széchy Dénes cave, there are several small, bricked-up cavities and it is expected that a few more will emerge. Some elderly, water-town residents remember the caves. The guidebook titled *The Pilis and the Visegrád Mountains*, published in 1991, mentions that on the westernmost part of the mountain range extending to Esztergom there are a few small caves, which are currently bricked up. Allegedly, in these caves, modern pottery shards were found between the two world wars.

The registration sheet of the Széchy Dénes cave, dated October 8, 2002, reads that in the rock climbing area housing the Széchy Dénes cave, at the limestone and sandstone border, there are still several cavities, some of which were filled with concrete during the restoration work carried out on the Castle Hill. It is possible that a cave network related to the rock boundary, but heavily filled, can be discovered. The study published in the 2014 *Karst Development* mentions that the cave under the Southern Bastion in Esztergom is of unknown size because it has not been surveyed. It is one of the 101 caves of the Visegrád Mountains.

On December 1, 2016, György Szilí drew the floor plan map (cave outline) of the No 2 cave of the Castle Hill of Esztergom from memory. The map, which shows the cave at a scale of 1:93, was prepared after the cave was surveyed by György Szilí (in the presence of Zsolt Hertelendy and Gellért Hertelendy). According to the survey, the length of the passage is 37 m. Its depth is 2.6 m. The Gold Saint Emeric Cave Exploration Association's 2017 report mentions the No 2 cave of the Castle Hill of Esztergom briefly. The manuscript notes that, because of its passage length, the cave definitely belongs in the cave register. The cave was designated as No 2 because, according to the association, the Széchy Dénes cave is the No 1 cave.