Silická ľadnica, Ice cave and national nature monument in Rožňava District, Slovakia.
Silicka Ladnica is a cave with a large entrance area that leads into a chamber filled with permanent ice formations. The space contains frozen water drops and ice structures hanging from the ceiling and covering the floor and walls.
People inhabited or visited this cave starting in the Stone Age, leaving traces from multiple ancient periods. The archaeological finds show it was important during the Bronze Age and Iron Age cultures that lived in the region.
The name comes from the Slovak word for ice and reflects how important this place was to nearby communities. Local people once used the ice here to preserve food before refrigeration existed.
You can enter through marked paths from the parking area near Silica village, where stairs guide you into the entrance chamber. Bring warm clothing since the interior stays cool throughout the year regardless of the season outside.
The cave maintains thick ice deposits several meters deep throughout the year, even as the world outside warms up. This happens due to a temperature inversion that keeps the air inside much colder than it should be naturally.
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