Zöld Cave

Zöld Cave is one of the caves in Hungary that are specially protected. It is located in the area of the Danube–Ipoly National Park. Archaeologically significant cave. Stone Age, Bronze Age, Roman, Migration Period, Árpád Age and Celtic artifacts, as well as human bones have also been found in it.

Description

On the steep western side of Nagy-Kevély, in the forest, about 380 m from the summit to the northeast, the cave’s two entrances are located, which are about 10 m apart from each other. The lower entrance is about 40 m from the tourist trail marked with a green stripe, 20 m higher. Tourist maps mark the cave’s location by indicating the cave’s name. The Crystal Cave, whose one name was the chamber next to Zöld Cave, opens in the abandoned stone quarry about 100 m away.

The lower, broken, arched, horizontal axial entrance is five metres wide and three metres high. The upper, natural, vertical axial entrance is one metre wide and half a metre high. It formed in thick‑pored white‑filled middle Triassic Dachstein limestone. It is of humid origin, now inactive, formed by dissolution below the karst water level, a decaying, wide passage cave. The upper entrance was created by collapse. Its shape is simple. Spherical chambers, spherical stalagmites, finger‑like columns, ancient relics, ancient karst sediment fills, calcite draperies, dripstone curtains, dripstone flowstones and small‑size pendant stalactites can be observed in it. Reversed dripstones and crystalline pea‑stones are also found in its passages. The cave’s horizontal extent is 19 m. The uncapped cave passage with basic equipment can be walked and is viewable without permission.

The archaeological site identification number is 32539. During the 2001 and 2002 excavations, pottery sherds belonging to the Stone Age Ludanice group, a Stone Age obsidian blade fragment, Bronze Age pottery side sherds belonging to the Vatya culture, Roman, 13th‑century and late medieval ceramics, and a Celtic, socketed, iron spearhead were found. An unknown‑purpose bronze plate, either prehistoric or Roman, was also collected. One or two pottery side sherds may be from the Migration Period, a cross‑marked gray sherd is 13th‑century, several side sherds are Árpád‑period, 10th‑century or 11th‑century. No hearth trace was found. Among the Ludanice group finds were a slightly damaged flint knife, a limonite quartz blade, an almost intact cup‑shaped glass, and several flaked stone tool fragments. The archaeological finds were examined by Tamás Repiszky.

The bone finds were identified by László Kordos. A relatively large number of human bones and large domestic animal bones were recovered. Cut marks were observed on some animal bones. Among the bones that came to light were those of a brown bear, cattle, deer, domestic pig, sheep (or goat), horse, domestic cat, field rabbit, badger, fox, large mole, frog, bird, large‑footed bat, small‑footed bat and long‑winged bat.

It received its name because of the mosses growing on the side walls of the upper entrance. In 1958 the cave was first called Zöld‑cave in the literature, in the publication by Sándor Leél‑Őssy. The cave also appears in the literature under the names Zöld barlang (Thuróczy 1964), Zöldbarlang (Mezei, Páli 1955), Zöldlyuk‑cave (Bertalan 1976) and Zöldlyuk cave (Kordos 1970).

Research History

László Schőnviszky marked the path leading to the cave on the side of the tourist trail under the cave in the 1930s, on the standing tree trunk at that time. According to the condition‑record manuscript prepared by György Ézsiás, Schőnviszky László’s 1937 study mentions the cave, but in the publication (Tourist Magazine page 151) Schőnviszky László probably referred to the Gyopáros Cave. In the book published in 1955 titled Pilis Guidebook it is written that the cave is located near the side road leading down the eastern slope of Nagy‑Kevély, and it is called Zöldbarlang because of the green moss coverings in its chambers.

The study written by Sándor Leél-Őssy, which appeared in 1958, mentions that the Green Cave is located on the eastern side of Nagy-Kevély, about 380 m from the main summit towards the BLUE, at an altitude of about 350 m above sea level. It lies beside the green-marked tourist trail leading to Budakalász, about 40 m higher than the trail, about 20 m east of the large clearing, and has two entrances. The passages are very narrow except for a small dome room under the main entrance. The cave, formed in Dachstein limestone and about 20–30 m long, is of karst origin, as evidenced by the dome room’s spherical chambers. The cave received its name because of the many greenish mosses on the side walls of the cave entrance. A sketch map was attached to the study, showing the Kevély mountain group. The geographic location of the Green Cave can be seen on the sketch map. In the drawing and the text the cave is marked with the number 12.

According to the book published in 1964, *Along the National Blue Trail Route*, the Green Cave opens in the Kevély mountain group, on the east side of Nagy-Kevély, at about 380 m above sea level, and received its name because of the greenish mosses covering the side wall of its entrance. In 1965 the cave belonged to the research area of the Szabó József Geological Technical School Cave Exploration Group. In that year the group members visited it. László Kordos and Péter Pék surveyed the cave in 1967, and using the survey data the cave’s plan map, two unfolded longitudinal-section maps, a projected longitudinal-section map and eight cross‑section maps were produced. The maps were edited and drawn by László Kordos. According to the 1967 report of the Szabó József Geological Technical School Cave Exploration Group, the group surveyed the cave in 1967 along a polygon, using a plumb compass and a protractor, as it was one of the karst objects at their workplace.