Óra Cave

The Óra Cave is one of the caves located in the Pilis Mountains within the Danube–Ipoly National Park, situated in Oszoly. It is also presented in tourist guidebooks.

Description

It is located in the outskirts of Csobánka, under the Óra wall of Oszoly, 15 m east of the wall, directly beside the path leading to the Óra wall. The oval, barrel‑shaped entrance is 1.4 m wide and about the same height. The 5.2 m long and 1.5 m deep, spherical‑chambered cave narrows downward. The gently sloping tube‑shaped passage narrows inward, then after a crossing ends in a small cavity. It formed in Upper Triassic, compact, white, thick‑bedded Dachstein limestone, probably of karst origin. Based on its shape it may be a fossil source. Fossil dripstone formations can be seen on its walls. The cave can be entered easily without any basic caving equipment and no permission is required for its visitation.

In 1974 the cave was first called Óra Cave in the literature. In the literature it also appears as O.III. (Kordos 1971), Óra cave (Kordos 1970), cave at the Óra‑wall rock (Kraus 1997) and cave at the Órafal rock (Kordos 1970).

Research History

In the book *Piliss Guidebook* published in 1967 it was mentioned that, on the north side facing Oszoly of Csobánka, among the forest‑surrounded limestone rocks, several insignificant cavities can be found. According to the report published in the 1969 Karst and Cave Research Bulletin, in August 1969 the Speleology Cave Research Group placed fixed points in the Kevélyek during a camp organized in the smaller and larger cavities of Oszoly and the Oszoly side. In 1969 Erzsébet Wehovszky and Ádám Welker surveyed the cave with a lost polygon and a mining compass. Based on the survey, Erzsébet Wehovszky edited and László Kordos drew a floor‑plan map at a scale of 1:100 with a cross‑section and an unfolded longitudinal section map. According to the survey the cave is 5.2 m long and 1.5 m deep.

In 1970 László Kordos and Péter Welker examined the cave's climate with an Assmann aspiration psychrometer. The 1970 report of the Speleology Cave Research Group contains a detailed description of the cave and its research history. The report states that the Óra cave (O.III., the cave at the Órafal rock) oval entrance is located about 15 m from the Oszoly Óra wall at D. The cave is a downward‑narrowing spherical chamber series. It was formed in Upper Triassic, compact, white, thick‑bedded Dachstein limestone, probably of karst origin. The dry cave floor contains humus. It can be viewed without equipment. In 1969 István Szenthe explored it, and then in 1969–1970 the Speleology Cave Research Group investigated it. Maps of the cave made in 1969 were included in the report’s annex.

In the book *Pilis útikalauz* 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 Óra cave. According to the section describing the Pilis Mountains caves, there are about a dozen small caves among the Oszoly rocks rising above Csobánka. These were mapped and regularly explored by the Speleology Cave Research 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. Through the oval entrance located 15 m from the Oszoly Óra rock wall at D, one can enter the Óra cave, presumably of karst origin, a downward‑narrowing, 5 m long spherical chamber series.

In the 1975 MKBT Report the 1970 report's section concerning the cave was published together with the maps attached to the report. The publication contains a site drawing showing the geographic locations of the Csúcs Hill and the Oszoly caves. The drawing shows the geographic location of the Óra Cave.

In the manuscript written by Bertalan Károly and completed in 1976 it is stated that the Óra Cave is located in the Pilis Mountains, in the Kevély group, at Pomáz. The oval entrance is about 15 m from the Oszoly Óra wall towards D. The 5.2 m long and 1.5 m deep cave is a downward‑narrowing spherical chamber series. The manuscript's part on the cave was written based on two literary works. In the 1981 Karst and Cave 1–2 semester issue it was made public that the cave catalogue number of Óra Cave is 4820/22. In the 1984 book *Caves of Hungary* the cave appears in the national cave list under the name Óra Cave among the caves of the Pilis Mountains. Associated with the list, the geographic location of the cave is shown on a 1:500 000 scale map depicting the geographic locations of the caves of the Dunazug Mountains.

The 1991 guidebook repeats the cave description from the 1974 guidebook and the general description of the Oszoly caves. The 1991 compilation written by Kárpát József mentions that the Óra Cave (Csobánka) is 5 m long and 2 m deep. The 1996 cave‑day tour guide repeats the description found in the 1991 guidebook, which generally describes the Oszoly caves. On 6 June 1997, based on Kárpát József’s 1990 Oszoly overview map, Kraus Sándor drew a site plan showing the geographic location of the caves in the D‑section of the Oszoly rock groups. The geographic position of the Óra Cave can be seen on the drawing. Kraus Sándor’s 1997 report states that the Óra Cave (the cave at the Óra‑wall rock) already had a map before 1997. The 1997 site plan was included in the report. The 2005 book titled Magyar hegyisport és turista enciklopédia mentions that in the Oszoly forest, rock blocks and small cave openings alternate sporadically.