Veternica Cave on Medvednica Mountain offers guided tours through 380 meters of underground beauty and is home to 16 species of bats. Guides await you on weekends, while weekday visits can be arranged with the Medvednica Nature Park.
While temperatures in Zagreb stubbornly exceed 30 degrees, and meteorologists cautiously hint at possible rain and cooler weather only for next week, many are seeking refuge at city pools or fleeing to more distant locations like the Mrežnica River. However, few know that just about 30 minutes from the city center lies a place where the temperature is a constant 10°C. This is Veternica Cave, the sixth largest in Croatia, managed by the Public Institution Medvednica Nature Park.
From the Medvednica Nature Park, they emphasize that Veternica is an ideal place to take a break from the summer heat. "Exceptional visitation at Veternica Cave. Last weekend, a large number of Zagreb residents and international guests found respite from the summer heat by visiting Medvednica's underground beauty. The cave tour lasts about 50 minutes at a pleasant 10°C," they said from the institution.
Visitors, accompanied by a professional guide, can explore the first 380 meters of the cave and learn its secrets. From April to the end of November, on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., guides welcome visitors. Guided tours start every full hour: at 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, and 3 p.m., with possible minor adjustments depending on group size.
For those who wish to visit the cave from Monday to Friday, tours are possible with prior arrangement with the Public Institution Medvednica Nature Park. The condition is a group of at least 20 visitors, but visits are also possible for smaller groups, though at a special price.
Veternica is not just a pleasant refreshment but also a place of rich history. Cave bears once occasionally inhabited it, and their cult was revered by Neanderthal hunters of the Mousterian culture. Traces of several extinct animals have also been found in the cave, including the cave lion, leopard, cave hyena, rhinoceros, aurochs, and giant deer.
Today, its true masters are bats. As many as 16 species have been recorded, 12 of which regularly hibernate in Veternica. It is precisely because of them that the cave is closed to visitors during winter, so as not to disturb their hibernation. Special "bat friendly" grille doors have been installed at the entrance, allowing bats to pass freely while preventing uninvited entry. Due to all its values, Veternica was protected as a geomorphological nature monument back in 1979.
Photographs by Darko Tomas and Srđan Vrančić (CROPIX) vividly depict the beauty of this hidden Medvednica gem.
