Szoplák-völgyi Cave

The Szoplák-völgyi Cave is one of the caves located in Pilisszentkereszt in the Pilis Mountains of the Danube–Ipoly National Park.

Description

The spacious single-chamber stone cell, consisting of only one room, is located on the outskirts of Pilisszentkereszt, in a highly protected area, 70 m from the upper branch of the Vaskapu Valley to the NyDNy, on the D side of the valley, about 8 m above the valley floor. The large cave entrance is clearly visible from a distance and easily noticeable. The cave, formed in Triassic limestone, is characterized by both dissolved and frozen wall surfaces. Inside the cave there are small spherical stalactites, a small column, and a tube-like passage about 2 m long that gradually narrows. In the sparsely formed chambers some dripstone and pepperstone can be observed. The dry cave passage, equipped with basic facilities and accessible without a permit, is suitable for bivouac, which, according to signs, is used by some people.

In 1984 the cave was first called Szoplák-völgyi Cave in the literature. The cave also appears in the literature under the names Szoplak-völgyi-cave (Mezei 1967), Szoplakvölgyi cave (Láng 1953), Szoplákvölgyi cave (Bertalan 1976), Vaskapu-cave (Mezei 1967) and Vaskapuvölgyi cave (Láng 1953).

Research History

In the 1953 Geographical Bulletin, in a study written by Sándor Láng, it is mentioned that the Szoplakvölgyi cave is located in the valley between Vaskapu and Szoplak, on the Ny side. This old source cave is about 10 m above the dry streambed. The stone cell with an entrance facing ÉNy has a floor area of 3 × 4 m and is 2 m high. From the stone cell, in the 8 o’clock direction, a 3 m long side branch that is blocked and slopes gently inward begins. Many foxhole entrances are present on the surrounding rock walls. In figure 6 of the publication, the longitudinal cross‑section map of Pilis Mountain shows the approximate geographical locations of the caves on Pilis Mountain. The drawing shows the geographical location of the Vaskapuvölgyi cave. Figure 9 shows the floor‑plan map sketch of the Szoplakvölgyi cave. For the map sketch, the cave was surveyed by Sándor Láng, and then Márkus drew the cave map sketch based on the survey.

The book published in 1967 titled Pilis útikalauz states that near the Rókalyuk of Szoplák-völgy, on the side of Vaskapu-völgy, lies the 6 m long, very clogged, dry and deteriorating Szoplák-völgy cave (Vaskapu cave), whose surroundings contain many smaller cavities hidden among the bushes. The book published in 1974 titled Pilis útikalauz, in the list of caves of the Pilis Mountains and the Visegrád Mountains (pages 19–20), mentions that there are Vaskapu-völgy caves among the caves of the Pilis Mountains and the Visegrád Mountains. According to the section describing the caves of the Pilis Mountains, a tourist trail marked with a blue square turns into Vaskapu-völgy beside a forest hut, and after about half a kilometre, on the rocky hillside that runs alongside the trail, a whole series of cavities and small caves is found. These are the Vaskapu-völgy caves (stone chambers, rock pits), among which the Pilis cave stands out with its size, dripstones and interesting shapes.

The manuscript titled Magyarország barlangleltára, completed in 1976, reads that the Szoplák-völgy cave is located in the Pilis Mountains, in the Pilis region, in Pilisszentlélek (?). In the valley between Vaskapu and Szoplák, at the junction of Vaskapu-völgy and the Szoplák road (blue square sign), the cave entrance is about 10 m above ground. The cave is 6 m long, 4 m wide and 2 m high. The former spring cave is now more of a stone chamber. The part of the manuscript describing the cave was written based on two publications. In the national cave list of the book Magyarország barlangjai published in 1984, the cave appears among the caves of the Pilis Mountains under the name Szoplák-völgyi-barlang. Associated with the list, the geographical location of the cave is shown on a 1 : 500 000 scale map depicting the geographical positions of the caves of the Dunazug Mountains.

According to the manuscript written by József Kárpát in 1990, the Szoplák-völgyi Cave (Pilisszentkereszt) is located 200 m east‑north‑east from the Pilis Cave, at an elevation of 535 m above sea level, and 80 m north‑north‑west from the branch of the Vaskapu Valley. The cave entrance is on the valley’s western side, at a relative height of 8 m, in a conspicuous place. The spacious stone chamber consisting of a single room is 5 m long and 4.4 m wide. At its rear a dissolved, tube‑like passage begins, which narrows after 2 m. Its walls are marked by corrosion forms, and at the beginning a small blind tube extends into the main chamber. There are a few stalactites in the cave. Half of the floor of the cavity consists of scree. The cave suitable for bivouac is dry, and its filling consists of litter and humus. The manuscript includes the floor‑plan map and the cross‑section map of the Szoplák-völgyi Cave. The floor‑plan map shows the location of the cross‑section within the cave. The name of the drafter and the date of creation are unknown. The map plate marks the east‑west direction. The maps illustrate the cave at a scale of 1 : 100.

In the compilation written by Kárpát József in 1991 it is mentioned that the Szoplák-völgyi cave (Pilisszentkereszt) is 5 m long and 0 m deep. The guidebook published in 1991 repeats the passage from the guidebook published in 1974 that describes the Vaskapu-völgy caves, with the difference that, next to the forest hut, the red-marked tourist trail leads into Vaskapu-völgy. The 1996 cave day guidebook mentions that among the Vaskapu-völgy caves, stone chambers and rock fissures, the Pilis cave stands out both for its size, its interesting shapes, and its dripstones. In May 1997 Sándor Kraus drew a site map showing the geographical location of the cavities in the area of the Pilis cave. The map shows the geographical location of the cave marked as Szoplak-völgy. In Sándor Kraus’s 1997 report it is stated that the Szoplak-völgyi cave, known before 1997, already had a map before 1997. The report includes the site map made in 1997.