Meziad Cave is undoubtedly one of the most visited caves in Romania. It is a tourist objective both for speleologists and regular tourists.
Is one of the oldest caving tourist objectives in Romania, having been added to the tourist circuit since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Of the 6292 m that the Meziad Cave sums up, 1038 m are made available for tourist sightseeing.
History of explorations: Meziad Cave has been studied since 1859 by the Viennese explorer, Adolf Schmidl. He managed to map then 1150 m, a noteworthy length for that time. Thus, Meziad Cave became the longest cave in Romania until Comarnic Cave took the title in 1934.
In 1921, under Emil Racovita’s supervision, Meziad Cave became very interesting for the National Institute of Speleology (first such institute in the world).
In 1932, under Erno Balogh’s supervision the cavers continues the mapping of the cave reaching 3464 m. After 42 years, in 1974 the length reaches 4750 m.
The charting is finished in 1992 at the length of 6292 m, thought to be final. The total elevation level of the cave is +89 m.
Location: Meziad Cave is found at 435 m altitude on the right side of the Pestera Valley, 3.7 km upstream of the confluence with the Meziad Valley, Crisul Negru Valley basin, Remetea Township, Bihor County.
Meziad Valley is found on the south-eastern extremity of Padurea Craiului Mountains, touching on Beius Depression, and belongs to the water catchment area of Crisul Negru Valley.
Access is made only by car:
Oradea (78 km) > Beius > Remetea > Meziad village. Once you are in the center of the locality, follow the markers for Meziad Cave. There is an asphalt road until the exit of Meziad Village. Then there is a cobbled road until the parking lot of the cave.
The road is in good condition and can be covered by any car.
Near the parking lot there is Meziad guesthouse, where you can serve a meal. A 5-minute walk from the parking lot leads you to the cave. The path covers the valley and ascends until the 10-meter wide and 16-meter high portal.
Also you can reach Meziad Cave by following the tourist marker – blue triangle – which starts before the entrance to Stana de Vale Resort. The distance is considerably long – 22 km.
Other tourist objectives in the area: on your way to Meziad Cave (between Meziad Village and Remetea Village) you can stop at the 400-year-old oak tree, a natural monument. It has a diameter of 170 cm and a height of 25 m. In Remetea Village you can visit a traditional house (Remetea Village Museum) and a 15-century Reformed church.
If you decide to tour the show caves of Bihor county, you can start with the Bear Cave in Chiscau village. You can continue via Rosia Valley towards Meziad Cave and Crystal Cave in Farcu Mine.
Going from Rosia to Oradea or Cluj you can also visit Vadu Crisului Show Cave.
Fees: you can buy tickets at the cave entrance.
Adults – 15 RON, children – 10 RON. If you book as a large group, discount is possible. You cannot pay by credit card. Members of the Romanian Federation of Speleology have a 50% discount.
Visiting hours:
- March, 1st – May, 31st: 10:00-17:00 (last entrance at 16:00).
- June, 1st – September, 30th: 10:00-18:00 (last entrance at 17:00).
- October, 1st – February, 28th: visiting is only possible with a booking – 0742/115303 or 0746/659102.
The group has to be a minimum of five people.
We urge you to ask for tickets at the entrance – you will thus encourage tourism in Apuseni Mountains.
Area and cave description:
Owing to the easy access and vast expanse, Meziad Cave has been valued as a tourist attraction since the beginning of the twentieth century.
A tourist pathway with steps and rails where needed has been set in the post-war period. Visiting was made at that time with the help of carbide lamps, and later with electrical lamps.
In 2012 through external funding the Meziad show cave was remade. The steps were replaced and safety rails were mounted in the risky areas. A lighting network was mounted so that the cave reaches the up-to-date tourist norms.
Of the 6292 m that the Meziad Cave sums up, 1038 m are made available for tourist sightseeing.
The tourist route covers impressive chambers such as: The Grand Chamber, Tulnicul Gallery, Drake’s Throat (natural bridge), Tower Gallery, The Pyramid Chamber.
The zenith of the visit is probably the passage of the natural bridge. Then, at 20 m high you go above the route which you are supposed to visit later (Main Gallery is situated at the water level of the cave).
Throughout the route you will encounter stalagmites and stalactites – some are very large in size.
The mounted spotlights properly highlight the visual space so that you understand the gigantic sizes of the underground cave.
A visit in the cave will take 40 minutes. Irrespective of the season, the temperature is 10-15°C, so we suggest dressing in warm clothes.
Cave description:
Meziad Cave is one of the few natural caves of grand sizes in Romania where you can follow the water flow from its entrance in the karst massif until it reaches to surfaces.
The cave expands on three different karstification levels:
- fossil level – superior, is a labyrinth network of galleries generally with cross sections smaller than the sub-fossil level, which is intermediary.
- the ensemble of galleries in the superior level resembles an arch and sums up 3.4 km of galleries.
- Sub-fossil level – (of access) offers the largest spaces throughout the cave. The average cross section of the galleries is over 10/10 m. The main gallery is covered by a temporary underground brook, which gathers from three significant tributaries. Total length of the sub-fossil level exceeds 1.8 km.
The inferior level, active, is almost entirely flooded, being accessible only for covering small distances.
Speo-archaeological research:
On-site paleontological findings highlighted the presence of paleontological remnants in several places of the area of the inferior gallery.
The deposit from the Bone Gallery abounds in skeletal remnants of the Ursus Spelaeus. It expands on a wide area. The bones are deposited one next to another. The over abundance of cave bear cubs can be observed.
As for habitation, objects pertaining to the Bronze Age have been discovered near the entrance portal of Meziad Cave. These are linked to some cult practices of Igrita culture dating back to the end of the Bronze Age.
Meziad Cave offers favourable conditions for the slumber of bat colonies, Miniopterus schreibersi in particular, forming a large colony, thus receiving its name: The Bats Chamber.
Speleologists can visiting the cave in undeveloped galleries by following access procedure established by Romanian legislation.
The necessary equipment for covering Meziad Cave is the one peculiar to horizontal caves. The cave resembles a labyrinth, so we suggest taking a map with you. One of the most interesting undeveloped galleries is the Lake gallery.
Near the Meziad Cave, 300 m downstream, there is another beautiful cave – Rai (Heaven) Cave – which can be covered only in seasons of severe drought.
Pentru versiunea in limba romana
