Peştera Urşilor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bears' Cave (Romanian: Peştera Urşilor), was discovered in 1975, by "Speodava", an amateur speleologists group, and is considered to be an interesting site-seeing location. The cave is located at the outskirts of Chişcău Village, in Bihor County, Romania.
Bears Cave dwells an extraordinary range of stalagmite and stalactite formations varying in size and forms, as well as an impressive amount of Cave Bear fossils. - Ursus Spelaeus - a species which disappeared more than 15,000 years ago. The cave entrance - which is situated at 482 m altitude - is by the tourist pavilion. Bears Cave is 1 km in length. It is disposed on two-overlapped levels: one which is larger, being 488 m in length and fitted out for tourist reasons, and an interior level, temporarily active, being 521 m in length, which is used for scientific reservation.
Peştera Urşilor means Bears' Cave. The cave was named so, as numerous Cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) were found in this cave. The cave was visited by these large animals more than 15,000 years ago. It is suggested that a rock slide closed the entrance whilst 140 of these animals were still inside; deprived of food, the bears resorted to killing each other until none remained. Bear fossils were found in many parts of the cave, most sporting the marks of bear teeth.
The cave was undisturbed until 17 September 1975 when the cave was discovered during quarry works. The marble and limestone of this area was mined by the inhabitants of the nearby village Chişcău. The first person in the cave was quarry worker Curta Traian from Chişcău.
[edit] Access ways
Railway - Beiuş or Sudrigiu railway station and from there by bus; DN 76 Oradea - Sudrigiu village (86 km) + DJ 763 Chişcău village 14 km, asphalt road.
