Nature Conservation 4/2010 — 14. 9. 2010 — Nature and Landscape Management — Print article in pdf
Manegement in the Zbrašov Aragonite Caves
Zbrašovské aragonitové jeskyně
The Zbrašov Aragonite Caves at the village of Teplice nad Bečvou (Central Moravia) were discovered at the turn of the years 1912 and 1913 and since 1926, they have been accessible for the public as a show cave.
Extensive hewed material deposits originating from breaking through rock walls are undesirable consequences of making a cave accessible for the public and related survey activities. The Zbrašov Aragonite Caves Administration has been removing the deposits since 1996. During recovery of the cave trail carried out in 2003-2005 approx. 850 m3of old deposits with the exception of ru-bble were removed from the space around a cave trail. In the following parts of the caves, namely in the “At the Back of the Waterfall” Corridor, measures were also taken to clean up the underground space in 2009. Along both sides of the corridors, there were stone blocks and clay sediments from the survey carried out in the early 1930s by persons who had discovered the caves. The measures were funded by 170,000 CZK from the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic scheme entitled as the National Perpetuity Management in Specially Protected Areas. After removing 40 m3of rock deposits the appearance of the cave corridor which is not accessible for the public has been very similar to that before the survey was carried out and a space of surprising dimensions appeared. Revealed rock walls are locally covered by classic sinter decoration, which is not common in the hydrothermal karst of the Zbrašov Aragonite Caves.