Coves del Drac
| Coves del Drac
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 inside view |
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| Location: | Porto Cristo , Mallorca , Spain | |
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Geographic location: |
39 ° 32 '7 " N , 3 ° 19' 50" E | |
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| Type: | Stalactite cave | |
| Discovery: | known before 1339 | |
| Lighting: | electric | |
| Overall length: | 1700 meters | |
| Website: | official page | |
The Coves del Drac ( Castilian Cuevas del Drach , "Dragon Caves") are a stalactite cave system on the east coast of the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca . The caves are located in the municipality of Manacor south of the town of Porto Cristo .
The caves in the Majorcan region ( comarca ) Llevant have the largest underground lake in Europe. The accessible cave system, in which there are six other lakes, extends over a length of 1700 meters.
history
The residents of Mallorca knew about the existence of the Coves del Drac around 3000 years ago . Early historical finds in their vicinity consisted of parts of the household goods of a Talayotic settlement; these led to the discovery of the access. The name of the cave suggests local legends. According to these, pirates and the Templars had ordered a dragon to protect their treasures there . But neither the natives of Mallorca nor the pirates had dared venture further than 200 meters into the cave, as far as the exit was still visible.
In 1339, after the Knights Templar had been smashed, a group of soldiers was commissioned by order of the governor of Mallorca to search the dragon's cave for the missing treasure of the Templars. The first records and maps were made. In this context, a document was drawn up that documents the expeditions and has been kept in the archives of the Kingdom of Mallorca since 1339 .
In 1878, some Catalans were missing for three days in the Coves del Drac . The researchers, who were rescued alive, told about the interior of the cave without being able to determine how far they had gone. In their desperation, they had carved the words “No hi ha esperança” (“There is no more hope”) on the cave wall.
In 1880, the German cave explorer Will drove into the cave and laid out maps over the front part. During his visit, he found that the deviation from the compass heading north increased the further he went inside.
In 1896 the French Édouard Alfred Martel explored and mapped 1,300 meters of the cave system. The client and financier was Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria-Tuscany . Martel found the huge crystal clear lake in the cave, which was constantly 20 ° C and was named Llac Martel after him . The lake is 177 meters long, an average of 40 meters wide and up to 9 meters deep.
In 1904 the Romanian marine biologist Emil Racoviță discovered a previously unknown species of crustacean in the cave system . He founded the research branch of biospeleology and continued to devote himself to the study of underground ecosystems.
In 1922 the Mallorcan Juan Servera Camps began to develop the caves for tourism. He bought the piece of land near Porto Cristo on which the entrance to the cave was. According to the law of the time, as the co-founder of the Tourist Office knew, the caves belonged to the person at whose bottom the entrance was located, regardless of how far they went underground. Servera had paths, stairs and seats created and a new entrance opened at Cala Murta .
In 1934, after a few private performances with music and ballet in the caves, he had the rooms dramatically illuminated by the engineer Carles Buïgas i Sans and let the first illuminated orchestra boats sail across the lake, each followed by two visitor boats.
The official opening took place in 1935. The caves were given fantasy names such as “fairy theater” and “ Diana's bath” or they were named “flag” or “monk and cactus” after their rock formations. To this day, visitors are guided through the illuminated cave to the sounds of music.
Visit today
Today the Coves del Drac are one of the most famous tourist attractions in Mallorca and very popular. During the high season, thousands of people are smuggled through the cave passages every hour, as an individual tour is no longer possible with these crowds. This calls forth numerous critics of the strong commercialization. The caves are open to visitors all year round. Photography without a flash and filming without a tripod is permitted in the cave, except in the auditorium (as of August 2020). There are interesting limestone formations in the stalactite cave . Some of the stalagmites and stalactites meet in the middle and form pillars. At Llac Martel ( Martelsee ) there is now an auditorium with space for around 1100 visitors, which is used for staged musical performances.
