Rám-hegyi Cave

Rám-hegyi Cave is one of the cavities located in the Visegrád Mountains within the Danube–Ipoly National Park. It is in the area of Dömös.

Description

Rám-hegyi Cave opens at the base of the rocks on the southern side of the striking rock formation that makes up the summit of Rám-hegy, which is 486 metres high and consists of coarse andesite conglomerate.

From Pilismarót, on the forestry worksite leading to the Király-kúti saddle, along the Dobogó-kő line, a forest road branches to the right. After many bends this road, touching the Hoffmann inn, leads to Pilisszentlélek. Opposite this junction, on the right side of the parking area, there is a narrow trail; after walking about 150 metres on it we reach the base of the rocks. The cavity is on this southern side, at the base of the rocks. It is also worth climbing to the top of the rocks: a spectacular rock group, an exceptionally beautiful view and the sight of the natural rock garden covering the stones are the reward.

The entrance to the cavity is 0.55 metres wide and 1.9 metres high. Its length is 2.4 metres and its greatest width is 0.7 metres. The floor level rises steeply from the eastern entrance. On the western side there is an opening 0.15 metres wide and one metre high. The cavity above Rám-hegyi Cave is 1.6 metres long, 0.75 metres wide and 1.2 metres high. It is easier to climb to it from the western side; the eastern opening leads to a small, grassy ledge. The cavity is completely traversable.

Formation

The cavity formed when a large stone slab detached from the rock mass, and in the resulting gap many small and four larger cavities remained among the falling rocks of various sizes. According to István Eszterhás, only the lowest cavity qualifies as a cave; the ones above do not reach the two‑metre length. The second cavity is 1.6 metres, the third 0.9 metres long, the fourth is open from above.

Research History

In 1997 Imre Gönczöl and his colleagues mapped and described it. The manuscript titled *Bibliography of the Karst Caves of Hungary*, dated 12 November 2001, includes Rám-hegyi Cave in its cave name index. The index mentions one literary work that deals with the cavity. Item 366 does not mention it, item 365 does. In the study published in the 2014 *Karst Development* it is stated that Rám-hegyi Cave, located in Dömös, is one of the 101 caves of the Visegrád Mountains, measuring 6.9 m in length and 1.7 m in height.