Bear's Cave, Show cave in Pietroasa, Romania.
Bear's Cave is a show cave in Pietroasa in northwestern Romania, marked by limestone formations and several interconnected galleries. Visitors follow a marked route through lit halls where dripstone formations hang from the ceilings and rise from the floor.
Workers encountered the entrance during quarry operations and uncovered chambers that had been sealed for thousands of years. The findings quickly drew geologists and paleontologists who studied the site and later made it accessible to visitors.
The name refers to the numerous bear bones displayed in specially built cases along the lit pathways that visitors can observe. Local residents consider the place part of the geological heritage of the Carpathians and a witness to past ice ages.
Warm clothing is advisable even in summer, as the temperature underground is noticeably cooler than outside. The paved path through the cave is lit but can be damp and slippery in some sections.
In one of the rear chambers, bear paw prints have been preserved in soft clay, showing where the animals once walked. These tracks are several tens of thousands of years old and offer insight into the behavior of the long-extinct species.
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