Macocha
The Macocha , German spelling Mazocha , also Stiefmutterschlucht is a 138.5 m deep collapse doline in the Moravian Karst . The abyss in the corridor of the Vilémovice commune has a surface area of 174 m × 76 m and is the deepest in the Czech Republic. The breach is 187 m deep down to the bottom of the debris cone , which is bounded on both sides by two ponds.
The waters of the underground river Punkva flow through the cone . The visible watercourse is not the Punkva, but a tributary from the amateur caves, which are the largest cave system in the Czech Republic with a length of 30 km.
The natural monument is located 6 km east of the town of Blansko and is part of the Punkwa caves ( Punkevní jeskyně ). Two viewing terraces were built on the steep walls.
The upper platform is located on the high southwest wall in the immediate vicinity of the Chata Macocha and offers a view of the depth and the opposite wall. It was built in 1882 by the Brno Section of the Austrian Tourist Club. At the opening ceremony on October 1, 1882, it was named "Ripka-Warte" in honor of the section board.
From the "Lower View", which has been installed in the northwest since 1899, the exit from the caves opposite is particularly visible.
As early as 1895, the Association of Czech Tourists built the first hut on the Mazocha, which was fundamentally converted into today's Chata Macocha at the beginning of the 20th century . The 1996 renovated cottage includes a restaurant and tourist accommodation with 60 beds.
history
The abyss created by the collapse of a large cave dome has been known since at least the 16th century. Even Johann Amos Comenius saw him on his started 1627 map of Moravia . The first detailed description of the macocha, which at that time was believed to be the deepest gorge in the world, dates back to 1663.
After intensive research into the Punkva caves by the cave archaeologist Heinrich Wankel (1821–1897), Karl Absolon (1877–1960) carried out the first investigation into the bottom of the Mazocha in 1901. To do this, he had a vertical ladder installed from the upper platform down to the debris cone. Up to 1909 Absolon drove several times on the bottom and established the connection to the Punkva cave. In 1914 the entrance to the macocha was made from the cave.
Today access to the bottom of the Macocha is possible both on foot from the Punkva cave and via a boat trip on the underground Punkva.
From the Punkva valley, which is called Pustý žleb as a dry valley , there is the possibility of ascending to the Macocha using a small cable car . The valley itself is closed to individual motor vehicle traffic above the Skalní mlýn hotel .
The macocha is also famous and infamous because over the years more than 50 people have committed suicide there by jumping into the depths.
legend
According to old folk tradition, it should have happened that a stepmother lured her little stepson into the forest to search for berries in order to remove him for the benefit of her own son. The boy, pushed into the ravine by the stepmother, got caught in a root and was rescued. When it became known in the village what had happened, the stepmother threw herself into the abyss.
literature
- Karl Absolon: Macocha, Moravian Karst . Winiker, Brno 1936.
- Karel Absolon : The Macocha, its stalactite caves and the green grottoes of the Punkwa. The solved problem of the great Moravian abyss. 11th edition, Winiker, Brünn / Friedländer, Berlin 1936.
- Hermann Heller: The miracles of the macocha in legend, history and science . With a guide through Moravian Switzerland. Brno Morning Post, Brno 1918.
Web links
- Punkva River Cave , description on ShowCaves.com (English)
- Tourist website (Czech)
Coordinates: 49 ° 22 ′ 23 " N , 16 ° 43 ′ 47" E