Once upon a time, an earthquake struck one of the Croatian plains. And it would not have been remembered by people – just an ordinary ordinary shaking, if the element had not opened the entrance to a cave – a unique underground world of Hades, as many tourists who have visited it say.

So, the Vranjaca Cave or Spilja Vranjaca in Croatian is a rather unusual place that gives travelers a lot of unforgettable sensations. Its entrance is located near the village of Kotlenice, on the northwestern slope of Mount Mosor. Don’t be surprised, but the cave is not state property, but part of the property of a local resident – a representative of the Punda family, who today acts as its caretaker. By the way, it was his grandfather who discovered this underground natural formation. Almost immediately the cave became the property of the family, members of the family brought light there, strengthened the passages, made comfortable steps and for more than a hundred years the maintenance of the underground kingdom is the main family business Punda.

Back in 1929, the Vranjaca Cave was opened to tourists. According to modern geologists, it is at least three thousand years old. The cave is beautiful and bottomless, mesmerizing with its vaults, which resemble a large ancient temple. Its two spacious halls are decorated with sculptures, to which a talented master, whose name is Nature, had a hand. The point is that once very long ago an underground river was slowly carrying its waters here. An earthquake provoked a change in the earth’s crust, and the river went away, revealing to people the incredible beauty of stalagmites and stalactites. These are not just underground formations, they are true works of art. Looking at the bizarre sculptures and distinguishing in them images of people, animals, birds, unseen monsters, flowers and trees, and can not fully believe that they are all non-man-made works. But it is true: time and water have made the dull vaults of the cave turn into a dwelling of truly fabulous characters.

Memo for tourists with children: you do not have to sit with your baby in a hotel room – the cave can be visited by the whole family, as it is very well landscaped and completely safe. But it is worth stocking up on warm clothes in advance, because the temperature inside this underground kingdom does not rise above 15 degrees Celsius.

Since a large number of spotlights installed in the cave constitute a rather energy-consuming lighting system, it is not profitable for the owners to launch 1-2 people into its bowels. Usually there is a tour for groups of 5 to 8 people. In high season it is not a problem, as there are always enough people who want to go down into the realm of stalactites and stalagmites. Remember that it is not recommended to stay in the cave for more than an hour.