Hranice abyss

The Hranická abyss lies in the Hranický karst, not far from the Zbrašov aragonite caves on the right bank of the Bečva river. It has an elliptical shape and its length is 110 m at the longest point, 50 m wide. It is 69.5 m deep. At its bottom is Jezírko, about which we do not know how deep it is. During the last measurement, the probe reached a depth of 373 m. It was no longer possible to lower the probe deeper, due to the rugged terrain. Even so, it is the deepest abyss in Central Europe, but also one of the deepest flooded freshwater abysses in the world. According to the temperature and chemical composition of the water, geologists believe that the abyss could be even over 700 m deep. The water is mineral with a temperature of 16.5 ° C.

At a depth of 48 m below the surface of Jezírek, after overcoming the Zubatice siphon, you can ascend to the dry caves Rotunda sucha, Nebe I - III, Monika. The dry rotunda was chosen as its nesting place by bats, which get here through a very narrow manhole from the area of ​​Jezírek. At the same time, they must overcome about 7 m of rock massif. The finding of geyser stalagmites is very interesting in these caves.

The abyss was probably created by the fact that the water from the river Bečva rose up according to the cracks and because it was saturated with CO2, it created the whole abyss. The entrance was created by the subsequent collapse of the ceiling.
You can get to the abyss from the building of the Teplice nad Bečvou train station, a marked path leading up to the forest. The entrance to the abyss is from the top of the hill Hůrka, at an altitude of 315 m above sea level.

According to legend, Mojmír II, the ruler of the Great Moravian Empire, jumped into the abyss so that his pursuers from the ranks of treacherous nobles threatening Moravia could jump after him in the dark.

Nearby you can visit the Zbrašov Aragonite Caves, which were created by the action of atmospheric waters and warm mineral waters emerging from great depths in the limestones. The decoration of the caves is made of the mineral aragonite and you will find geyser stalagmites and spherical sinter coatings resembling donuts.

Author: Marie Bukovinská