Szoplák Devil's Hole

The Szoplák Devil's Hole is one of Hungary's specially protected caves. It is located in the Pilis Mountains in the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Pilisszentkereszt. According to records its first visit took place in 1883. It is the fifth longest and third deepest cave of the Pilis Mountains. It is an important bat habitat. It is also described in tourist guidebooks. According to a study published by Ferenc Schafarzik in 1884 it is the most renowned cave of the Pilis Mountains. According to a work by Károly Ferencz published in 1953 it is the largest cave of the Pilis Mountains.

Description

It can most easily be approached from the centre of Pilisszentkereszt along the tourist trail marked with a green stripe that leads toward the Két-bükkfa ridge. It is located about 3 km from the centre of Pilisszentkereszt. Walking from the centre of the settlement, on the left side, directly beside the road, at the base of a rock wall parallel to the path, the cave has a vertical entrance protected by a metal grate. Its opening is also marked on tourist maps as Devil’s Hole.

It opens on the southeastern side of Little Szoplák, in the Hármas-forrás valley, at an altitude of 486 metres above sea level. The cave was formed in Triassic limestone by warm waters, later became a water sink, but is currently inactive. Its length is 430 m and its depth is 111 m. The cave is branched and divided into chambers. Beautiful rounded forms have developed on the walls. In some places dripstones can also be observed in its passages. Many bats roost there; the floor of the chamber called Belső-terem is covered with a thick guano layer. It is one of the most important bat roosting sites in the Buda Mountains and the Pilis Mountains.

Because of its biological values, the cave is highly protected, therefore it can be visited seasonally with the permission of the Danube–Ipoly National Park Directorate, except during the bats' hibernation period. It is locked and rope‑technical equipment is required for entry. Its current name first appeared in print in 1984.

Other names:

Devil’s Cave (Szeghalmy 1937)

Devil’s Hole (Boros 1971)

Devilhole (Thirring 1900)

Devilhole (Pesty 1888)

Devilhole‑Cave (Szeghalmy 1937)

Pilis Devilhole (Bertalan 1976)

Szoplaki‑cave (Gonda 1982)

Szoplaki‑Devilhole (Mezei 1967)

Szoplaki devilhole (Kadić 1920)

Szoplaki Devilhole (Barcza, Thirring 1920)

Szoplaki‑Devilhole (Neidenbach 2005)

Szoplaki‑Devil‑hole (Bertalan, Schőnviszky 1976)

Szopláki Devilhole (Bertalan 1976)

Szopláki‑Devilhole (Rónaki 2012)

Trisztok devilhole (Kadić 1921)

Trisztok Devilhole (Bertalan 1976)

1884–1900

Ferenc Schafarzik wrote in the 1884 Geological Gazette that smaller and larger pits are quite common in the Pilis Mountains, but it would be pointless to list them all. Therefore he briefly described only the most notable one, the Devil‑hole. The cave is located about 1200–1300 steps from the Két‑Bükk ridge in the direction of DDK, on the Ny side of the road, at the edge of the forest, hidden among a few trees. By pushing aside the bushes, a steep Dachstein limestone rock wall becomes visible, at the base of which there is a hole several metres in diameter. In the dim light this seemed to be only about 15–20 m deep, but judging from the rolling of stones that had fallen in and according to the statements of local residents, the cave had to continue further down from this entrance hall. Schafarzik’s party descended into the entrance hall by sliding down young, long tree trunks. When they reached, with their guides, the bottom of the widening cavity that slopes to the D side and is covered with debris, they saw that from there the cave branched out in several directions.

From the east side two narrow passages start (as can be seen in the attached drawing). The east passage initially goes upward, then downward and ends blindly. It is about 17 m long, on average 1 m wide and 2 m high, but only in a few widening places could one advance standing; in most parts one could only crawl forward. The other passage is a similarly narrow channel that turns to the south and east, but mainly goes north and downward, about 21 m long, i.e. they only reached this far because the rest was under water. Returning to the antechamber they went to the downward‑going shaft on the south‑north side of the antechamber, where during this time the miners had laid several strong beams across, to which a rope was tied. With fire‑fighter belts and hooks they descended about 25 m, where again they felt less steep ground under their feet. Above their heads, illuminated, they saw that the ceiling was decorated with beautiful 1.5‑foot stalactites.

The floor on which they stood was covered with greasy limestone fragments, which they tunneled through toward the south for about 18 m. Here, in the middle of the cave, they stopped and surveyed and estimated its dimensions. The length of this chamber is 28–30 steps, its width 10 steps (1 step = 1 m) and its height in the middle 10 m. This chamber is the deepest point of the cave, 56 m from the entrance. The southern end slopes upward like a boat. The ceiling of the cave was black from the many bats, while its floor was filled over the centuries with guano layer (1–2 ft). The whole cave is in Dachstein limestone, but Ferenc Schafarzik saw no stratification anywhere. Undoubtedly the cave (as other limestone caves) was formed by dissolution, partly (the lower wider part) by collapse. The study shows the cave plan map and the longitudinal section map.

In his book published in 1888, Frigyes Pesty mentions that the Devil's Hole is a cave located at the foot of the Pilis Mountains, in Pest County, on the border of the village Szent Kereszt.