MEMBERS

THE SPELEOLOGICAL COMMITTEE

Speleological Committee is a body of the Croatian Mountaineering Association. It coordinates activities of caving clubs in Croatia, provides permissions for speleological explorations, and has important role in speleological education (speleological schools, seminars, speleological exams and titles, publications).

The Committee was founded in 1956. Today, the Committee has 19 members - speleological sections of mountaineering club and speleological societies that are members of Croatian Mountaineering Association. Until today, members of the Committee have explored several thousands of caves and pits. Explorations on expeditions in Croatia and abroad are very important activity. Results of explorations of deep caves are recognized on world level.

Lukina jama. After a week of advance down in a pit,  on August 7th 1993. at  21:45, a team: Damir Lacković (SOV), Siniša Rešetar (SOV) and Robert Dado (SOŽ), first reached the bottom at - 1355 m.
Foto: D.Lacković

One of basic tasks of the Committee is education of cavers, which is currently done through speleological schools, seminars, exams for title caver and seminars for instructors. First speleological course was organised in 1957 in Ogulin, followed by course in Donja Cerovačka cave in 1958 and course in Tounj in 1960. Organisation of speleological schools according to program developed by the Committee started in 1966. Since the start of Zagreb speleological school in 1971, the schools are organised annually in Zagreb, Split, Karlovac, Šibenik and other cities. In order to improve knowledge in certain areas the seminars are regularly organised. Members of the Committee participate in meetings and seminars abroad. Publication of several publications and textbooks for speleological education was supported by the Committee. Until 2008., under the Committee’s authority 44 people acquired title of instructor of speleology and 163 title of caver. About 80 trainees of speleology are educated in speleological schools each year.

Speleological Committee cooperates with Croatian speleological association, Croatian biospeleology society, national and natural parks, as well as with scientific and professional institutions. Certain numbers of cavers are active in Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, especially in its Speleo-Rescue Commission.

NATIONAL SOCIETIES

Verband Österreichischer Höhlenforscher

Jamarska zveza Slovenije

Fédération française de spéléologie

Società Speleologica Italiana

Verband der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher

Slovenská speleologická spoločnosť

Česká speleologická společnost

Magyar karszt - és barlangkutató társulat

Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Höhlenforschung

British Caving Association

National Speleological Society

BFS - Bulgarian Federation of Speleology

Speleological Society of Japan

NEWS

INFORMATION FOR FOREIGN VISITORS TO CROATIAN CAVES

ENDANGERED KARST PHENOMENA

The longest Croatian cave, more than 16 km long cave system Đulin ponor-Medvedica situated under town Ogulin and 8.5 km long cave Špilja u kamenolomu Tounj are among the most endangered karst phenomena in Croatia. One of the activities of Speleological Committee is stimulation of protection of speleological objects and karst underground as well as informing about it.

SPELEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS

Explorations of deep pits started in 1957 when pit Čudinka (depth 203 m) was explored. In 1961 on South Velebit a speleo camp was organised and 195 m deep pit Vrtlina was explored. In 1975 on cave expedition in pit Puhaljka the depth of 318 m was reached. In pit Ponor Bunovac in 1977 the depth of 534 m was reached making it first pit deeper than 500 m in Croatia. In 80s several deep pits had been explored on Biokovo.

Expeditions to pit Lukina jama in National park North Velebit were organised in period 1993-1995. The pit was named after Ozren Lukić-Luka, the caver that got killed on Velebit as Croatian solider in homeland war. Cave system Lukina jama—Trojama is explored to the depth of 1392 m which made it 9th deepest pit in the world at that time, and is still the deepest cave in Croatia. In 1994 on the depth of 1349 m Zoran Stipetić-Patak and Teo Barišić dived through 57 m long and 6 m deep siphon in at that time the cave dive on biggest depth in the world.

In Slovačka jama, 1320 m deep pit on North Velebit, it was explored in period 1995-2002. In Amfora located on Biokovo the exploration lasted in period 1998-2002. In 2003 pit Velebita was discovered in National park North Velebit, where during last years the depth of -1026 m was reached and the exploration still lasts. Velebita is today 3rd deepest Croatian cave. In Velebita, the world’s longest vertical was found with the length of 513 m.
Until today, 14 pits deeper than 500 m were explored in Croatia.

First expedition abroad was organised in 1982 to 1160 m deep pit Berger in France. It was followed by expeditions to Morocco in 1983, to Turkey in 1985, to Picos de Europa, Spain in 1986, to Austria in 1990, to South America in 1995, to Mexico in 1997, 1999, 2004, to Madagascar in 2001, to Laos in 2002, to pit Jean Bernard in France in 2002 and 2003, and to Cuba in 2004/2005.

During expedition to pit Lukina Jama in 1994 Ana Bakšić found new animal specie, endemic leech Croatobranchus mestrovi. The leech was later found only in few deepest pits on Velebit.

HOW MANY CAVES HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED IN CROATIA?

In 2006. Croatian speleological clubs started to collect and exchange the data about speleological explorations in Croatia, and there are about 9500 records of speleological explorations. But at this point we can not give the number of caves and pits, because bigger caves have more than one record, and there are also numerous overlappings of explorations. Thorough field work and checking the data is needed to get the proper number of explored caves. After that a cadastre of caves can be formed. Some National parks and Nature parks have their own cadastre, that were made by Croatian speleologists (NP Sjeverni Velebit, NP Risnjak, NP Paklenica, PP Žumberak-Samoborsko gorje etc.).

The data about the deepest and longest caves and pits in Croatia are better known and presented in the list of the biggest Croatian caves. There are 49 pits deeper than 250 m, 14 of them are deeper than 500 m and three deeper than 1000 m. The deepest Croatian pits are mostly found in two regions - Mt. Velebit and Mt. Biokovo.

FROM THE HISTORY OF CROATIAN SPELEOLOGY

In 1096. The oldest written document about caves in Croatia is the church document dated back in year 1096., more than nine hundred years ago. The document describes borders of the monastery "Sv. Krševana" on the island Ugljen and is written in Latin. The first word used for a cave is PECHICE, and has a Slavonic root. The cave was explored in 1952, by Mirko Malez. The same cave is mentioned again in various documents in 1166, 1652, 1737 and in 1716, when is drown on a map.

In 1584. Nikola Vitov Gucetić, was the author of the first speleological scientific dissertation in Croatia.

In 1886. The committee for the preparation of the tourist part of Samograd cave (Perušić) was founded, that is the first speleological society in Croatia.

In 1900. The first caving club in Croatia, Speleological section "Liburnija", Zadar was founded. In 1903 they organized the first Croatian speleological expedition on Kornati islands. In 1908. in "Liburnija", the scientific committee for cave exploration was founded.

In 1910. Dragutin Gorjanović Kramberger founded The committee for the cave exploration in The geological committee of Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia. That is the first professional speleological society in Croatia.

OTHER INFORMATION

 

THE AIMS OF THE SPELEOLOGICAL COMMITTEE

Speleological education
speleological schools, seminars, speleological exams and speleological titles

Permissions for speleological explorations

Coordination and co-financing of  speleological explorations

Visits of foreign speleologists

Cooperation with UIS, and Croatian institutions and societies.

Croatia is a member of UIS, FSE and BSU.

Cave and karst science.

The protection of karst phenomena.
Cave conservation.

Exchange and publication of the results of speleological explorations, Croatian caves database.

Here is the first speleological handbook in Croatia "The basic knowledge of caving", "The guide of the touristic caves in Croatia" (By Vlado Božić) and "Guidelines for description of speleological research" (by Radovan Čepelak and Mladen Garašić), and many others. The book Speleology is published recently by Speleo Section Velebit (by D. Bašić and others).

publications

CONTACT AND INFORMATION

KOMISIJA ZA SPELEOLOGIJU
Hrvatskog planinarskog saveza

The Speleological Committee of the Croatian Mountaineering Association

Kozarčeva 22
10 000 Zagreb
Croatia

e-mail: speleologija@hps.hr

Chairman: Damir Basara
Deputy: Dalibor Paar, PhD