Škocjan Caves Regional Park, Regional park and protected area in southwestern Slovenia.
Škocjan Caves Regional Park covers 4.15 km² above the Škocjan cave system, the Reka Gorge and the collapse dolines of Mala and Velika dolina. The Reka River sinks into Mahorčič Cave beneath the village of Škocjan, whose houses stand on a natural bridge above the gorge. The park includes the villages of Škocjan, Betanja and Matavun.
Humans have used these caves since the Stone Age, leaving traces of settlement across thousands of years. By the 16th century, the cave system began appearing on maps and in written records.
The village of Škocjan takes its name from the church of St. Cantianius (sv. Kancijan), around which it grew inside partly preserved hill-fort walls. Its medieval ground plan survives on a natural bridge above the Reka, and two permanent museum exhibitions now occupy the otherwise near-deserted village during the tourist season.
The site is explored through guided tours in multiple languages that follow designated pathways through the cave system. Visitor facilities and information points are located in nearby villages that serve as entry points.
The Reka River disappears into the caves and resurfaces 35 km away at the Timavo springs in Italy. In heavy rain its flow can exceed 300 cubic metres per second, and the highest recorded rise in the cave was 132 m.
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