Information
Landmark: Potočka Zijalka CaveCity: Logarska Dolina
Country: Slovenia
Continent: Europe
Potočka Zijalka Cave, Logarska Dolina, Slovenia, Europe
Overview
Potočka Zijalka, tucked high in the rocky slopes of the Karawanks in northern Slovenia, is both a rich archaeological site and a striking natural landmark.Famous for its ancient past and striking rock formations, the cave draws history buffs, explorers, and hikers alike, its cool, echoing chambers inviting you deeper with every step.Potočka Zijalka Cave sits high on the southern slope of Mount Olševa, 1,670 meters above sea level, looking out over the Podolševa region with sweeping alpine views; this karst cave, carved from limestone over millions of years, stretches about 115 meters long and 40 meters wide, its broad entrance letting sunlight spill across the stone floor, and it once sheltered Paleolithic hunters some 30,000–40,000 years ago, leaving behind stone and bone tools, cave bear bones, and other traces that reveal Ice Age diets, hunting methods, and rituals, while today hikers can reach it in two to three hours via marked trails from Podolševa or the Ravne Plateau, best tackled in snow-free months, and nearby they’ll find Mount Olševa’s panoramic ridges, the meadows of the Solčava region, and the dramatic Logarska Dolina valley.Step into this cave and you’ll wander through Slovenia’s alpine wilderness, then slip back to the Ice Age, when early humans lit fires against the cold and learned to survive in a harsh world.
