Riežupes smilšu alas
| Riežupes smilšu alas
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 Passages inside the cave |
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| Location: | Kuldīgas novads , Latvia | |
| Height : | 30 m | |
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Geographic location: |
57 ° 0 '24.7 " N , 21 ° 59' 11.7" E | |
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| Geology: | sand | |
| Type: | former mine | |
| Discovery: | Dismantling since the 19th century | |
| Show cave since: | 1991 | |
| Lighting: | Candles | |
| Overall length: | 460 m (2000 m in 1939) | |
| Length of the show cave area: |
350 m | |
The Riežupes smilšu alas ( German Riežuper Sand Caves ) are a former mine and today's show cave near the Latvian town of Kuldīga .
location
The cave is located around five kilometers northeast of Kuldīga in the Riežupe nature reserve . The entrance is located on an embankment around ten meters above the Riežupe River , which flows north-west here and flows into the Venta after a kilometer . From the entrance several corridors go into the mountain, which is made entirely of sand.
history
Quartz sand has been mined in the former mine since the end of the 19th century . Initially, the sand was used for washing and polishing, at the beginning of the 20th century, glass production began. The sand was transported by raft on the Riežupe to Venta, from there by ship to Ventspils and on by train to Ozolnieki and Riga . In 1939 the corridors had a total length of 2000 meters. The dismantling ended in 1957.
The former mine was opened as a show cave in 1991 after nobody had been underground for over 30 years. Bats used the cave as a sleeping place. Many of the old corridors have now collapsed and only 350 meters are accessible. The oldest part of the cave immediately to the right of the entrance is blocked. The corridors, around two meters high, run right through the mountain, in several places they are too narrow to get through. Visitors can only visit the cave with a guide (6 euros, as of August 2019). Candles are the only sources of light in the cave. Flowers are placed underground by the owners, which can last for months due to the humid air without water.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Riežupes smilšalas. alas.lv, accessed August 9, 2013 .