No 2 Cave of Vasas-szakadék

The Vasas-szakadék 2–3. sz. cave is one of the caves located in the Visegrád Mountains in the Danube–Ipoly National Park. It was formed by connecting the Vasas-szakadék 2. sz. cave and the Vasas-szakadék 3. sz. cave.

Description

It is located in the Visegrád Mountains, in Szentendre. It is the middle cave of the visible fissure system of Vasas-szakadék. See the approach at Vasas-szakadék approach. It starts with a 2.5 meter long, 80 centimeter wide shaft opening. From this one can descend almost vertically to the deep point at the eastern end, to a depth of 12.5 meters. The roughly east‑west oriented vertical fissure cave is divided by rock blocks wedged in the middle. Below and above these blocks one can also go westward, so the total length of the cave is 27.3 meters (according to the National Cave Register 25 meters). At the foothill of the eastern part, one can crawl down into the Vasas-szakadék 3. sz. cave.

It was the seventh longest cave of the Visegrád Mountains before its connection with the Vasas-szakadék 3. sz. cave.

The cave appears in literature as Kőhegyi-barlang (Kordos 1984), Kőhegyi barlang (Bertalan 1976), Vasas hasadék barlangja (Bertalan 1976), Vasas-szakadék II.sz. barlang (Eszterhás 1993), Vasas-szakadék II.sz. barlangja (Eszterhás 1989), Vasas-szakadék barlangja (Dénes 1967), Vasas-szakadéki 2. sz. barlang and Vasas-szakadék üregei. The cave cadastral number of Vasas-szakadéki 2. sz. barlang was 4900-26 before its connection with the Vasas-szakadéki 3. sz. barlang.

Research history

According to the 1967 publication titled Pilis útikalauz, the Vasas-szakadék cave is located at the steep southern slope end of Vasas-szakadék and is a 15 m long fissure cave open at both ends, originally an open rock fissure that later formed a ceiling of collapsed and compacted rock debris. In the 1974 book Pilis útikalauz, in the list of caves of the Pilis Mountains and the Visegrád Mountains (pages 19–20), it is mentioned that the Vasas-szakadék lies among the caves of the Pilis and Visegrád Mountains. According to the section describing the caves of the Visegrád Mountains, tourists of Vasas discovered a tectonic fissure decades ago on the eastern side of Kő-hegy rising above Pomáz. The fissure is crack‑like and narrow. The deep fissure opens as if a fairy‑tale giant had sliced the rock with a sharp knife. The cave entrance is visible at the steep southern end of the fissure. Originally the three caves of Vasas-szakadék were open rock fissures. Their ceiling was formed by rock debris that fell from above and compacted. Of the three caves, the longest is a 15 m fissure cave open at both ends.

In the manuscript written by Bertalan Károly, completed in 1976, it is stated that the Kőhegyi cave is located in the Visegrád Mountains and the Pilis Mountains, in Szentendre. On the eastern side of Kő-hegy, at the western (towards Csepel spring) end of the Vasas gorge, there is a narrow entrance shaft a few metres higher than the road. The cave is about 20 m long and 6–8 m deep. A slippery fissure chamber consisting of a passage. Four side passages branch off from the passage. The part of the manuscript concerning the cave was written based on two literary works.

The Vasas gorge cave is located in the Visegrád Mountains and the Pilis Mountains, in Szentendre. Its entrance is on the rocky western side of Kő-hegy, above the tourist trail leading to Sándor spring. A 33 m long open gorge facing K is at the western end, where the entrance is located. The cave is 23 m long and 1 m wide. The sliding fissure cave formed in andesite conglomerate. Dangerous cave, therefore a warning sign must be placed at its entrance. The part of the manuscript concerning the cave was written based on four literary works.

In the nationwide cave list in the book titled *Magyarország barlangjai*, published in 1984, two caves are listed among the caves of the Szentendre–Visegrád Mountains. One cave is named Kőhegyi cave, the other cave is named Vasas-szakadéki cave. Associated with the list, the two caves’ locations are shown on a 1:500 000 scale map depicting the geographical location of the caves of the Dunazug Mountains. In the 1989 special issue of *Karszt és Barlang*, the English-language study (The caves of Hungary) reported that the three caves of the Vasas gorge located in the Pilis Mountains are together 58 m long. The three chambers formed in andesite conglomerate.

In the manuscript titled *List of non-karst caves of Hungary* written by István Eszterhás in 1989, it is stated that the Vasas-szakadék II cave in Pomáz, located in the Visegrád Mountains, in the 4900 cave-catalogue area, formed in an andesite breccia. The cave is 20 m long, of unknown height, depth and vertical extent. The list mentions the 220 objects (203 caves and 17 artificial cavities) created in non-karst rock in Hungary that became known by the end of 1989. Six caves in Hungary have formed in andesite breccia. According to the compilation, László Kordos’s cave list published in 1984 includes 119 caves that originated in non-karst rock.

The guidebook *The Pilis and the Visegrád Mountains* published in 1991 mentions the three caves of Vasas-szakadék without naming them. According to the brief description, the three caves were formerly open rock fissures and later had their ceilings formed by fallen and compacted rock debris. The longest of them is a fissure cave 15 m long, with both ends open. In the manuscript written by József Kárpát in 1991 it is mentioned that the Vasas-szakadék 2 cave (Szentendre) is 20 m long and 10 m deep. According to the compilation written by István Eszterhás in 1992, non-karst caves in Hungary, for example in andesite breccia, exist (e.g., Vasas-szakadék caves).