Šipka, Prehistoric cave in Štramberk, Czech Republic.
Šipka is a limestone cave inside Kotouč hill near Štramberk, made up of two main sections known as the Badger Hole and the Dripstone Corridor. The passages run through the rock and connect to marked trails that link to other nearby landmarks.
The archaeologist Karel Jaroslav Maška excavated the cave between 1879 and 1893 and found signs of Neanderthal presence. A jawbone uncovered in 1880 was among the first evidence of early humans in Central Europe.
The name Šipka means "rosehip" in Czech, likely referring to the shape of the surrounding hill. Inside, the narrow passages and raw limestone walls give a direct sense of how the space was used by early inhabitants.
The cave sits on Kotouč hill and is reached by marked walking trails that can be steep in places. Sturdy shoes are a good idea, as some sections become slippery after rain.
Many of the animal bones recovered here belong to species no longer found in Central Europe, such as cave lions and spotted hyenas. This makes the site a rare window into what the region's wildlife looked like during the Ice Age.
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