Ledenika cave

Overview

Ledenika Cave is located 16 km from the town of Vratsa, in the Natural Park "Vratsa Balkan". It is located at 840 m above sea level in the Stresher part of the Vratsa Mountains. It was formed in Malm limestone during the Quaternary, when most Bulgarian caves were formed. The cave got its name Ledenika because of the accumulation in its initial parts - "Lobby" and "Small Hall", of large transparent and milky white ice masses during the winter season (from late November to May, when temperatures drop below 0 ° C); were studied by the geomorphologist Vl. Popov. The cave has been known since the time of the Ottoman rule. Shepherds used it to store sheep's milk inside. It was first visited and mapped by Nenko Radev in 1922, 1923, 1924 and 1925. The area around the cave was owned by Hr. Chomakov, who in 1927 donated 100 decares of meadows and forests to the tourist association "Veslets", Vratsa. Later the cave was landscaped and in 1961 opened for visitors.