The underground secrets of caves

Walk this mysterious 4.6 km path with a guide or caver. Walk to the exciting underground caves that provided shelter to soldiers during WWI across the karst meadows and fields, past the dry-stoned walls and military railway. The price includes guidance and lunch in the cave.

The interesting experience takes you along the paths of WWI and mysterious caves that were used as military shelters and hideouts below the ground. It starts at Stara šola in Temnica. The cart road runs between dry-stoned karst walls that are part of Unesco’s world heritage and takes you to Spodnja Gmajna, to the world of karst meadows, planted with bushes and little forests, where you can listen to the sounds of cicada and birds.

The mighty stone embankment of the military railway from WWI is a post for first military stories. The railway line between Dutovlje and Kostanjevica na Krasu was built by the Austro-Hungarian army for supplying the northern part of the karst battlefield of the Isonzo Front.

Enter the mysterious underground, the Krompirjeva jama Cave, which provided shelter during WWI to 500 Austro-Hungarian soldiers. It was also used to store potatoes and as a phone station, ammunition storage area and water collection.

Return to the military railway and walk through the village of Novelo, from where the stone road takes you to other two major caves. The Klobasja jama Cave has excellent natural ventilation for curing meat. The cave provided shelter to approx. 250 soldiers and the commanders of the infantry brigade. Soldiers put bulk beds, ventilation system and toilets on terraces. The third in line is the Lojzova jama Cave, where the special building unit led by Alois Peter Bock provided protection against missiles and completely transformed the cave. It has three storeys where up to 1000 soldiers could hide during battles.

After visiting the caves you can return to the starting point at Stara šola.

Price

Guidance: price for group with max. 10 people is €50.00, for groups over 10 people price is €5.00/person.

Additional information:

• Start and end point: Stara šola in Temnica
• Difficulty grade: easy
• Language: SLO, ENG, ITA, CRO, SERB
• Experience provider: TMK and JKT

Duration

4,6km and 4-5 hours