MORAVIAN KARSTMACOCHA ABYSS

MACOCHA ABYSS

Famous Macocha Abyss is more than 138 m deep and it is the biggest gorge of its kind in the Czech Republic and even in the Central Europe. The upper part of this nature unique is about 174 m long and 76 m wide. There are two platforms for tourists at the edges. The first one is Upper Bridge constructed in 1882. The second one is little bit lower called Lower Bridge. This lower bridge comes from 1899 and it is about 92 m above the bottom of Macocha that you can see from there.

Macocha Abyss (named in 17th century) was created by fall of ceiling of huge cave hole. That’s why its bottom is covered by debris. The river Punkva is rising here and fills up two small lakes called Horní (Upper) and Dolní (Lower). Upper lake is approximately 13 m deep and you can see it from the Upper Platform. The Lower one is hidden between rocks and it is about 30 m deep.

LOOK INTO THE DEPTHS

Underground River Punkva is made by several local brooks which became bigger river underground. It is coming from north part of Moravský kras (Moravian Karst) to east. Macocha Abyss is the only place where Punkva River goes to daylight. Then, the river goes its wandering in Punkvení jeskyně (Punkva Caves). The whole cave complex is made by more than 30 kilometers of underground passages partly filled with water.

HISTORY AND EXPLORATIONS

Lazar Schopper, the monk of minor monastery was (in 1723) the first known person descending into the Macocha Abyss. It was the real start for proper exploration and another research work in Macocha Abyss. These brave people were in risk of theirs lives to find out step by step the secret of Macocha for the next generations.

Year 1856 became turning point when MUDr. Jindřich Wankel reached the bottom of Macocha Abyss. In 1901 Karel Absolon started the systematical exploring of Macocha Abyss. He made detail survey of the abyss and its connection with caves. Absolon’s works culminated by opening of Punkevní jeskyně (Punkva Caves) to wide public in 1914. During years 1920-1933, next steps were made to open water cruise and caves to public.

LEGEND OF ABYSS MACOCHA

In the village of Vilemovice once lived a widower with his son. He married a second time and his little son got a step mother.In time, the woman gave birth to her own child and wanted to get rid of the stepson. She asked him to join her in collecting the fruits of the forest. As they came close to the very edge of the abyss, the woman threw her stepson down into the depth.

However, the boy was spared from death by being caught on extending tree branches. Wood cutters, working nearby, heard the desperate cries, and saved the boy. Upon hearing the tales of the wood cutters, the village people of Vilemovice threw the step mother over the abyss.

Since that day the abyss has been called Macocha, the Czech word for stepmother (macecha).

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