The Resava cave, portal to the ice age

Just until recently, the approximately 80 million years old Resava cave was kept secret by the local shepherds. Its decorations make it one of the most beautiful caves in the region.

In 1962 a shepherd has shown the Resava cave to some mountaineers from the town of Svilajnac, and the cave was researched entirely just afterwards. Ten years later, after the preparation, the cave was opened for tourists revealing its 45 million years old decorations.

The Resava cave was created before the great ice age by the subterranean rivers that had cut their path in the limestone terrain. It is one of the oldest and at the same time the most beautiful in Serbia.

It is 4,5 kilometers long, while 2,830 meters of the cave system are detailed explored. Around 800 meters are prepared for tourist visits. Regardless of the season of the year, the temperature in the cave is 7 degrees, while the humidity varies from 80 to 100 per cent.

The interior of the Resava cave abounds with numerous chambers, canals, galleries, columns, stalactites, stalagmites, draperies and stone waterfalls. Colorful ornaments can be seen at the very entrance that is located at 485 meters above sea level.

Ornaments were created by dissolution of calcium carbonate and their color depends on the minerals that the water had gone through. It appears in three colors – red, yellow and white. The red color is the most dominant and it comes from the iron oxide, the white color comes from crystal calcium and yellow ornaments are from clay traces.

The Resava cave is located 20 kilometers from the town of Despotovac in the limestone hill of “Babina Glava” (Old lady’s head).

Visitors move through the cave along a spiral concrete path in one direction. The trail passes through various halls, on two levels, and the lowest point opened for visitors is at 405 m above sea level.

Four halls can be visited in the upper gallery – “the Hall of joined columns or colonnades”, which got its name from the columns which have merged to connect roof to floor and are composed of yellowish calcite, “the Beehive Hall”, named after the stalactites resembling the beehives, its ceiling is covered with white tubes that look like a mown meadow.

The second and third halls are connected by a tunnel of red breccias which, in Serbia, can only be found in the Resava cave.

The Canyon Channel is the driest part of the cave and has no formations as the ceiling is made of waterproof brecciated marble. It leads to the third hall called “the Entrance Hall of History”.

It was named after the tools found on the spot (a stone axe and spear-heads), the skull of an arctic fox and a prehistoric human fireplace. Shorter tunnels lead to the “Path of the Flowstone Waterfalls” and “the Organ”. This hall is very acoustic and two crystal white sculptures called “Grandma” and “Grandpa” can be seen here.

A longer, artificial tunnel leads to the fourth hall – the Crystal Hall, where the cave formations known as the “Hung Sheep” and “Elephant’s Foot” can be seen. This hall is very acoustic and a subterranean river is still active here. The sculpture of a mother with a child, the symbol of the Resava cave, can be seen here.

The main colonnade over 30 meters high and 27 meters wide is located in front the sculpture. Pools, the “Aphrodite”, “Leaning Tower of Pisa”, “Mosque” and the partition wall “Ćelekula”.

The Resava cave is the protected monument of nature. The monasteries Despotovac, Manasija and Ravanica, the spring Veliko vrelo and the waterfall Veliki buk are located near the cave and are very interesting tourist destinations.

How to get to the Resava cave?

Despotovac is 130km from Belgrade. If you are traveling with your own vehicle, the best road to take from that direction is the E-75 highway to Markovac. There you can take the regional road to Despotovac and Svilajnac. If you are going from Niš the best way to go is also over the E-75 highway to the exit for Ćuprija and then take the regional road to Despotovac.

Belgrade often has daily buses to Despotovac, and if you are coming from a different place and there aren’t any buses to Despotovac, then go to Jagodina and take a local bus to Despotovac.