Tatai porhanyóbánya Cave

The Tatai porhanyóbánya cavity is among the specially protected caves of Hungary. It is located in the village of Tata, within the Danube–Ipoly National Park. Archaeologically significant cave.

Description

It is situated in the wall of the former stone mine under the fence of the Eötvös József Gymnasium and College, on the area of the gymnasium’s enclosed sports field. The cave formed in the limestone tufa and sealed with a grate can only be visited for research purposes and with permission.

Research history

In the book published in 1937, written by Gyula Szeghalmy, it is mentioned that in Tata, during one of the warmer phases of the interglacial period, a 30–40 cm thick loess layer accumulated on the limestone tufa and a prehistoric herd settled on it to obtain food in this area, which was frequently visited by large game and was water‑rich. Later, the spring flows intensified again and the loess field was flooded by the overflow water. The herd was forced to migrate, and the forming limestone tufa again covered the old human settlements with several meters of layer over the millennia. Thus, the memories of the early life here were preserved for later times.

In 1910, Tivadar Kormos found the old settlement in the Esterházy limestone tufa mine of Tata, in the Calvary‑Hill quarry, under an 8 m thick tufa layer, at the contact layer of tufa and loess, and during his research he uncovered hearth remains, fragmented, roasted mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and reindeer bones, about 200 tools of Mousterian culture made from flint, quartzite, jasper and chert collected in the vicinity, including finely worked scrapers, thick spearheads, and 800 flakes excavated from the layer. Because of the circumstances of the excavation, the settlement is one of the world’s most interesting Paleolithic sites.

During the cave visit on September 28, 2001, the Gerecse Cave Exploration and Nature Protection Association determined that there were no bats inside. The cavity of the Tatai porhanyóbánya, located in the operational area of the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in the Gerecse Mountains and cadastral number 4630/92, has been a cave requiring special protection since February 28, 2006, according to the instruction 8/2006. KvVM of the Minister of Environment and Water. The cavity of the Tatai porhanyóbánya, located in the operational area of the Danube–Ipoly National Park and cadastral number 4630-92, has been a specially protected cave since February 25, 2012, according to the instruction 4/2012. (II. 24.) VM of the Minister of Regional Development. Since May 10, 2021, according to decree 17/2021. (IV. 9.) AM of the Minister of Agriculture, the Tatai porhanyóbánya cavity (Gerecse Mountains, Danube–Ipoly National Park operational area) may be visited with the permission of the directorate. Decree 13/1998. (V. 6.) KTM simultaneously loses its effect.