The legend of the cave in Romania that allegedly housed beings with supernatural powers. What was discovered?

The Cave of the Bears was discovered in 1975, during a dynamiting of the marble quarry in the area. It is one of the main tourist attractions of the Apuseni Mountains, it is located in Bihor county, in the immediate vicinity of Chișcau, Pietroasa commune, at an altitude of 482 m.

The legend of the cave in Romania that allegedly housed beings with supernatural powers.

The interior is distinguished by the diversity of existing stalactite and stalagmite formations, as well as by the impressive amount of traces and fossils of the cave bear – Ursus spelaeus – which became extinct 15,000 years ago. Besides this, fossils of black goat, ibex, lion and cave hyena were also discovered.

At the entrance to the cave there is a pavilion, consisting of a waiting room, the ticket office, a bar, a small speleological museum and a stand with souvenirs and handicrafts specific to the area.

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With a length of over 1,500 m, the cave consists of galleries on two levels: the first gallery, the upper one, 488 meters long, can be visited by tourists, and the second, 521 m long, is reserved for research scientific.

Among the formations of stalactites and stalagmites, the Enchanted Palaces, the Water Lily Lake, the Mastodon and the House of the Dwarves, the Draperies in the Bear Gallery, the Portal, the Pagodas and the last hall, the Council of the Elders, lit with candles, stand out. The temperature in the cave is constant throughout the year (10 °C) and the humidity is maintained at 97%.

Where does the name of the cave come from?

The name of the cave is due to the numerous fossils of “cave bears” (Ursus spelaeus) discovered here. The cave was a shelter for these animals 15,000 years ago.

In old age, like many other mammals (eg the African elephant) the cave bear retired to die in the same place as its ancestors or predecessors.

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The numerous cemeteries discovered in caves in Romania (Bisericuța Cave, Bone Cave) are a testimony.

The cave thus remained closed until September 17, 1975, when the underground void was artificially opened by dynamiting the entrance portion, during limestone (marble) mining operations. The miner Traian Curta from the town of Chișcău descended for the first time into the open pit. He walked through the access gallery to the Great Hall.

A first exploration of the cave took place on September 20, 1975 by the group of amateur speleologists “Speodava” from the city of Dr. Petru Groza (the current city of Ștei). Based on the complex studies undertaken by the “Emil Racoviță” Caving Institute in collaboration with the Museum of the Country of Crișurilor in Oradea, the layout solutions and specific protection measures were established.

Legend of the Cave

The Cave Bears had impressive sizes compared to the current bear species. The cave bear was about 4 meters tall in 2 paws and weighed 1000 Kg. At the time of the Cave’s discovery, there were 5 complete skeletons of the Ursus Spelaeus species, and the 6th complete skeleton was discovered in this cave.

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At the end of the Emil Racoviţă Gallery, a cave bear skeleton was reconstructed to visually exemplify the dimensions of this species. The legend says that here, following the fall of a rock over the mouth of the cave, approximately 140 hungry bears were imprisoned.

Finally they attacked each other until they all died. The legend also says that kites, creatures with supernatural powers, would have lived in the current Cave of the Bears.

After 5 years of world-class facilities, on July 14, 1980, the cave was opened to visitors. Annually the cave is visited by more than 200,000 tourists.