Postojna Cave is world-famous and is located in Slovenian’s karst region – a limestone plateau that stretches from southwest Slovenia to northeast Italy The cave was carved by the Pivka River across millions of years and many parts of the cave system are still flooded. Graffiti dating to 1213 shows that the caves have been used by humans for centuries The Postojna Cave system is over 24km long and home to a variety of breathtaking rock formations Postojna Cave is famous for its five-metre-tall bright-white stalagmite called Brilliant Postojna Cave, and the surrounding cave system, is also famous for the unusual number of species adapted to live in this ecosystem, including the mysterious olm - the secret dragons Alongside the olm, there are over 100 other troglobites in Postojna, including spiders, pseudoscorpions and shrimp.  the first ever troglobite described by science – the slenderneck beetle or blind cave beetle, Leptodirus hochenwartii – was from Postojna First discovered by cave lamplighter Luka Cec the beetle was passed on to Count Franz Josef von Hochenwart – who was creating a guidebook to the caves – who passed it on to beetle expert Ferdinand Schmidt.  “It did not take long for Schmidt to realise this was a true troglobite,” explains Katja Dolenc Batagelj from Postojna Cave management “The scientific circles were thrilled by the discovery and because of the beetle and further discoveries Postojna Cave became known as the cradle of a new science – speleobiology The slenderneck beetle is referred to as the first troglobite to be labelled as such because it was described in reference to its habitat When olms were first scientifically described by Josephus Nicolaus Luarenti in 1768 when they had been washed out by high waters.  The slenderneck beetle also exhibits a number of adaptations for its cave-dwelling lifestyle it has an extended lifespan compared to its surface-dwelling relatives and is also eyeless with its brown colour coming from the chitin in its exoskeleton Its elongated antennae and tiny sensory hairs help it to move around the cave and which allows it to regulate moisture.  Yes, Postojna Cave is open to the public all year round. Find out more POSTOJNA (Slovenia) - The Women's Basketball Summit completed its 17th edition in Postojna The continued success of the program has seen its integration into the overall Women in Basketball strategy by FIBA Europe as it aims to provide opportunities to female coaches and referees with professional aspirations The 2024 Summit took place during the men's camp from the Slovenian Basketball Federation as the participants were able to work and officiate with the Under-14 national team There were 23 female coaches along with 24 female referees which represented 31 different European countries in total The Summit contained a number of clinics for both coaches and referees as well as practical sessions The coaches instructors included Milena Moulisova from the Czech Basketball Federation and Silvia Font - a Spanish coach in the talented girls academy in Barcelona - while FIBA referees Paulina Gajdosz of Poland and Sweden's Sara Mansson were the instructors for the referees and Laura Hebecker of Germany were the selected coaches of the 2024-25 Mentoring Program they will be mentored by Basket Landes head coach Julie Barennes FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Natalia Hejkova of ZVVZ USK Praha and Serbian national team head coach Marina Maljkovic This work, National Guard participates in Adriatic cyber exercise in Slovenia, by Maj. Benjamin Hughes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright used his flashlight to point into the crystal clear rockpool but then everything in underground Slovenia was proving otherworldly Also known as the “human fish” for its pale the proteus can live for more than 100 years among the innermost recesses of these caves We were completely off the grid in Postojna, one of world’s longest karst cave systems. A late June discovery brought the system's length to 24km with the possibility of it reaching more than 31km via a yet-to-be-found link to the neighbouring Planinska cave This was a breathtaking and bizarre world of stalagmites and stalactites in bewildering colours from slim spaghetti-like stalks to towering 17m-high columns that took more than 14,000 years to form We had already spent two hours exploring the alien landscape on a purpose-designed 1920s railway that travels for 2km inside the vast system passageway after passageway and gallery after gallery of colossal limestone features was used for large gatherings in the 1800s and early 1900s due to its great acoustics It could comfortably hold 10,000 people and has enthralled the likes of Archduke Ferdinand I Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and Benito Mussolini It is still occasionally used for music performances today lit paths and we continued on foot into the depths where the Pivka River that carved out this immense range of caves quietly bubbled lightless world of the proteus and other bizarre subterranean creatures Postojna has been known as the cradle of speleobiology since local explorer Luka Čeč discovered the cave beetle here in 1831 Scientists have since identified 114 endemic species – including the otherworldy proteus – as well as an array of prehistoric animals such as cave bears the darkness was sensory deprivation of the most extreme kind When the first extensive exploration of the caves was carried out in 1818 the intrepid souls had somehow explored using only candlelight and fortitude “Hey, listen to this,” said Miran as we passed an array of stalactites that looked like a pipe organ. He tapped out the unmistakable first few bars of Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water on the slender Postojna is just one of 23 explorable caves in Slovenia’s karst territory which makes up the history-rich southwestern portion of the country and includes prehistoric settlement sites dating back more than 5,000 years rivers and underground lakes have carved out many of the underground features that attract more than one million visitors each year About 30km southwest of Postojna are the less developed – but just as stunningly beautiful –Skocjan Caves. This Unesco World heritage site is an underworld of such enormous vertical dimensions it was as if we had stumbled upon some mad collaboration between Jules Verne and Peter Jackson mist from the river spume filled this otherworldly vista of precipices and passageways with an eerie glow In the largest of the four main caverns – the evocatively named Thunder Canyon for the torrent that roars its way through the lower strata – the roof loomed high enough to swallow a 45-storey building the foaming Reka River was straddled by the 14m-long Cerkvenik Bridge a daring feat of engineering that mimics Tolkien’s Bridge of Khazad-dum The chill of the air – barely 10C – was exacerbated by the 95% humidity from the river spray giving the canyon the feel of a ghostly hollow we could just make out a rude stone staircase carved out of the far wall by the first visitors testament to another group of explorers who had passed this way in 1851 we exited through a gaping 15m hole at the bottom of a deep sinkhole where the Reka River once wreaked havoc on the soft limestone and scoured the far-reaching caves behind us Hollowed out by the River Lokva, which now disappears underground at the base of the craggy cliff that encompasses the castle, Predjama’s depths can only be explored by small-scale tours in full caving equipment. However, the castle itself is a fascinating study in 15th-century living, including period furniture, kitchen fittings and – even in early summer – the sense of how chilling this cave-like location could be. This story provided a quasi-comical ending to our cave tours, but nothing could remove the sombre feeling of having travelled through a rare and overpowering part of Slovenia, a secret world of hidden treasures and surprising history. Postojna: Two hour guided tours run every hour in peak season (May to September, 9 am to 5 pm), four times a day between April and October, and three times a day between November and March. The additional guided tour into the lower caves must be booked at least three days in advance and requires groups of three to 10 people. Protective clothing is provided. Postojna is the only cave system that is disabled accessible. Predjama: The castle is open from 9 am to 6 pm during peak season (May to September), 10 am-5 pm between April and Oct, and 10 am to 4 pm between November and March. Tours of the underground cave system run from April to October and must be booked in advance. Tours can be quite strenuous and are not recommended for children. A free shuttle bus service operates between Postojna and Predjama in July and August for those buying combination tickets for both sites. Skocjan: Two hour guided tours run every hour during peak season (June to September, 10 am to 5 pm), three times a day in April, May and October, and twice a day between November and March. An extended tour (for an additional 5 euros) follows part of the underground section of the Reka River. CORRECTION: A previous version of this story had an incorrect photo of Lake Bled. The photo has been removed. 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Why you might be younger than you think you areThere is a difference between our chronological and biological age, which we have the power to control. Malaysian trade minister on US tariffsMalaysia's minister Zafrul Aziz will be representing the ASEAN bloc in its negotiations with the US. This cavern’s blind aquatic salamanders inspire legends and conservation efforts These almost translucent aquatic salamanders, officially known as olms (Proteus anguinus) have adaptive features that are nothing short of legendary—even without wings and fire the amphibians can grow as long as 12 inches Scientists study their extensive DNA code for answers to the process of regeneration and adaptation The olm, a sightless salamander found in caves in Slovenia, Italy, and Albania, can live to be a hundred years old.Photograph by Nature Picture Library, Alamy Stock Photo“This is the closest thing to a dragon that I’m ever going to get,” says Postojna biologist Katarina Kanduč. More than 40 million people a year pass through the cave located less than an hour from the capital city of Ljubljana Most visitors go on a 90-minute tour past brilliantly white stalagmites and through caverns lit with Murano glass chandeliers before glimpsing the olms and learning about conservation efforts (Here’s where to find unicorn-like narwhals in the Arctic.) Slovenia’s pride in its caving heritage and its enduring fascination with mythological beasts fuel this conservation effort—and it’s paying off. Postojna recently announced that 30 baby olms were born in the cave’s research complex, a record-breaking survival rate Dragons have long fueled legends and literature but Slovenia takes its love affair to a new level The fearsome-snouted creatures are everywhere The adoration makes sense in the world’s namesake geological karst region (Learn how Slovenia’s Shrovetide monsters came back from the dead.) Postojna residents thought that the warm mist spewing from the cave in the winter was a giant creature’s breath (It’s actually a result of the cave’s stable internal temperature.) When the cave’s river flooded and ejected strange drowned salamanders people saw these baby dragons as proof that a much larger parent lurked inside dangerous and dark,” says Postojna guide Kevin Klun Valenčič “You had to meet your fear underground and fight with that the foot-long baby dragon has an almost neon shine as it swims in the clear underground river then darts under a rocky outcropping It was a mighty movement for a normally low-energy creature and navigated along a strategic path in historic most people on this tour get at least a glimpse of the cave’s sizable olm population in the lower river although there are no guarantees with the elusive animal Olm embryos often don’t hatch into salamanders but Postojna cave has recently been the site of above-average birth rates.Photograph by Alex Hyde Nature Picture Library / Alamy Stock PhotosThough olms are sightless they have highly developed senses of smell and hearing that help them forage for bugs and other prey.Photograph by Luka Dakskobler scientists estimate only two in 500 olm eggs hatch At Postojna at least 30 of 43 eggs have hatched doubling the rate from 2016 and confirming that the tender care of the Postojna team makes a difference–even when they’re working in the literal and metaphorical dark “Nobody has done this before,” says Kanduč “It’s not exactly something you can Google.” (See why Mexico is finally embracing its quirky salamander.) Olms in Postojna’s research area have surprised scientists with eggs for the second time since 2016 Their work has earned them a place as a 2022 finalist for the European Union’s prestigious Natura 2000 conservation award.  When not in the lab, Valenčič clearly enjoys stepping away from it all and leading tours in the cave—sliding down muddy hills, squatting to find cave shrimp, and taking moments of silence in the complete dark.  As Primož Gnezda, another scientist on the team, says, “Everyone wants to see a dragon.” Hundreds of thousands of visitors come here every year to gaze at its wonders: its huge stalactites and stalagmites its curtains of coloured rock and bridges that have been carved out of the local limestone by the river Pivka over millions of years it is not surprising that few tourists take note of the two concrete huts draped with black polythene that have been erected in a shadowy alcove in one obscure part of the 24km-long labyrinth scientists have placed specimens of one of the world’s strangest creatures: the blind aquatic salamander Proteus anguinus – or olm It constitutes a project that could have profound implications for the future of these remarkable creatures Slovenia is extremely proud of its remarkable little blind salamander which featured on the country’s pre-Euro coins“We now have 21 baby olms flourishing in our trays,” said Primoz Gnezda “For the first time we have witnessed the hatching of proteus larvae – and And that gives us hope we can save our olms for the future.” Olms spend their lives in total darkness in the Postojna cavern complex making them the world’s largest cave-dwelling animals and they can live up to a century though they usually breed only once every six or seven years The creatures can detect the bioelectric fields of other organisms – helping them hunt in the dark for their main prey And experiments have suggested that they use the Earth’s magnetic field to orient themselves they possess photosensitive skin: if you shine a torch on the tail of an olm That extraordinary set of attributes has brought olms considerable renown among animal lovers not least David Attenborough who has included them in his list of endangered animals he would most like to save from extinction “one of the ultimate specialists” in the natural world They have adapted to living in total darkness by losing their sight and can survive for up to 10 years without food “The olm lives life in the slow lane which seems to be its secret for living a long life… and perhaps that is a lesson for us all,” says Attenborough it might be expected that olms would be relatively new to the world of science but their existence has been known about for centuries That’s because their habitat – the subterranean pools and rivers of the great karst outcrops of Slovenia and the north Adriatic coast – occasionally becomes flooded during rainstorms and when that happens the olms get flushed out into the open eyeless creatures in the midst of severe storms caused some alarm Locals believed they were the spawn of a mythical beast So they become known as baby dragons – and the name has stuck not least on the mugs and fridge magnets on sale in the tourist shops with their clammy white skin and tiny legs olms look more like miniature versions of Gollum than baby Smaug An olm on the cave bed: they can live up to 100 years Photograph: AlamySlovenia is extremely proud of its remarkable little blind salamander which featured on the country’s pre-Euro coins For a start there is the threat of pollution to its waters from surrounding factories and towns - many of which are outside Slovenia It has also suffered from the attentions of collectors As a result Proteus anguinus is now rated as vulnerable by the International Union for Nature Conservancy That explains the particular joy that met the news that young baby dragons had been bred and were now being carefully nurtured in that dark subterranean hut It was the first time olms had been persuaded to breed in a scientifically controlled environment within Postojna Cave “but nobody has ever seen that happen or seen a hatchling younger than about two years – until now.” The discovery that a mother olm had started to lay eggs was made in January last year by cave guide Juan Pablo Maschio He reported having seen one attached to the wall of the aquarium in the cave that allows tourists to see living examples of Postojna’s distinctive salamanders Biologists who rushed to the tank found the mother fighting to fend off other olms another captive olm had laid eggs but none hatched and many were eaten by the other olms in her tank This time the Postojna team were able to move the other olms out of the tank and allow their “dragon mum” to go on to lay her eggs We all had tears in our eyes,” said Katja Dolenc Batagelj “The establishment of our breeding colony in Postojna gives us a chance to carry out more research and see what has been the impact on the genes of Proteus anguinus in evolving in this strange environment,” says Mali. The story underlines the importance of the Postojna team’s success in establishing a breeding colony. “There may be thousands of our baby dragons in the caves but equally there is a constant danger of pollution,” says Batagelj. “Only a slight change to the water here might have a devastating effect so this colony is a lifeline.” This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025. The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media. 2016Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyCenturies ago peasants spoke of baby dragons living deep underground Today we know them as olms.Photograph by Charles E an ancient wonder of rock and water not far from the Slovenian capital city of Ljubljana sits a modernist aquarium—an anachronism of steel and glass and blue lighting Seven hundred thousand people visit Postojna each year which evokes Gaudí’s most elaborate neogothic confections but also to observe the creatures that live in the aquarium aquatic salamanders of the species Proteus anguinus They have flat heads with a ruff of lucent pink gills which covers their mostly undeveloped eyes leaving their internal organs visible and giving them an eerie glow They are the largest cave-dwelling animals in the world apex predators adapted to a harsh existence in the cold They can survive for a decade without eating (tiny cave shrimp make up a substantial part of their diet) and they breed only once every six or seven years Correction: An earlier version of this article mischaracterized the extent to which olms have been observed to breed in captivity and in the wild. It also suggested that neoteny may be the key to the olm’s longevity; such a link has yet to be established. Postojna, vojaški poligon Poček.Z izstrelitvijo satelitov se je začelo tekmovanje CanSat in CanSat Junior, ki mladim talentom omogoča priložnost za pridobitev praktičnih izkušenj na področju vesoljskih tehnologij in znanosti.Foto: Katja Kodba/STA Postojna, 8 April - Can-sized satellites took to the skies above the Poček military training grounds the first weekend of April as primary and high school students competed in the national CanSat competition. The teams launched their hand-made satellites up to 1 km in the air to collect data. On Friday morning the training grounds, where strict military exercises are normally held, transformed into a launching site. Tension was palpable in the air as the students waited for the launch. The rocket took to the sky quickly and forcefully, taking with it a series of can-sized satellites. All eyes were turned to the sky for a few moments until the students could spot the satellites. Tied to small colourful parachutes, the satellites started descending towards the ground, each with their own scientific mission to carry out. Each satellite has its own scientific mission The CanSat competition for secondary school students in CanSat Junior for primary schools is a competition that gives youths practical experience in space technology and science, and it stimulates an interest in a future education and career in science, technology, engineering and maths. In Slovenia the competition is organised by the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO) and the Slovenian Armed Forces. ESERO is a project in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national partners. In the competition the teams carry out the entire process of planning a space mission, education coordinator at ESERO Slovenia and organiser of the competition Monika Tisel told the STA. "Each team designs and constructs its miniature satellite the size of a can, which includes functioning sensors, a communication module and a power supply. Once the satellites are launched into the sky, their mission begins. The mission includes performing a science experiment, a safe landing, and the analysis of data collected. Students had to perform two tasks. The first, which was the same for all, was to measure the temperature and atmospheric pressure and use the data to calculate at what height the satellite was dropped and at what speed it descended. Teams also chose a secondary mission of their own. "That is up to the imagination and interests of the teams. They often draw inspirations from real space project but they can also develop their own, creative ideas. They can decide that they will take pictures of the Earth's surface and create a map, measure air quality or presence of ozone, or anything else they want," Tisel said. One of the teams was VegaSat, a group of students from the Electrotechnical and Computer Technical School and Gymnasium in Ljubljana. "Our team's goal this year was to collect and analyse the data from all the sensors we added on our satellite," team member Tia Udovičić said. "We used sensors to measure acceleration, movement and the presence of different gases, such as butane, propane, alcohol, carbon monoxide and others. We also have two cameras, a normal and a thermal one, to film the area below the satellite during its descend," she said. On the ground the team also had a station with an algorithm to process the images and data. "The aim of our project is to recognise the areas that could pose a potential danger, for example because of the presence of dangerous gases, risks of fires or tree diseases," Udovičić said. "We want to find ways how to use these technologies to contribute to a more effective and environmentally friendly way of monitoring nature," she said. The team spent seven months preparing for the competition. "We had to improvise a lot but that is the beauty of this competition. These experiences teach us how to solve very specific problems that can threaten the mission quickly and effectively. In today's world where technology and science are developing extremely quickly, such skills are invaluable," VegaSat team's mentor Ema Škerl said. CanSat is more than just a competition. "It's about connecting teams, cooperation, meeting new people, exchanging knowledge and making friends. It's not just about who is better but about growing together," Udovičić said. "The competition often brought us to the brink of our abilities but that was what encouraged us to outdo ourselves and make a step forward both in knowledge, understanding and teamwork," she added. The VegaSat team took second place in the CanSat competition ahead of Perkmandlci from the Secondary Technical and Vocational School Trbovlje. First place went to the AquilaSAT team from the Ptuj School Centre and the Ptuj Gymnasium. Their satellite was on a rocket that crashed but they continued to receive the data without interruption. As a secondary mission they developed a landing system that would allow the satellite to stand upright after the landing. They were unable to complete their mission as the satellite landed below the surface of the Earth. The team proved that they were ready to tackle real space challenges with a sophisticated technical solution and a scientific approach, the jury said. In the CanSat Junior the only competitors and the winners were the RADIA team from the Rodica primary school. ESA will invite the winners to a two-day event Space Engineer for a Day in June at ESA's European space research and technology centre in the Netherlands. A fairytale landscape of looming stalactites, cathedral-shaped rock formations and endless tunnels awaits visitors to Postojnska Jama, the largest cave system in Slovenia. Formed millions of years ago by the Pivka River, the caves span 20km, a quarter of which is open to public tours on foot and by miniature train. Visitors are offered green felt cloaks to shield them from humidity before the train chugs past underground lakes and enormous caves, including the massive Concert Hall. Many of the stalagmites have assumed strange, humanoid shapes over time, giving the cave network the appearance of a goblin kingdom. A trip to the caves sometimes allows a peek at the olm, or "human fish". These blind amphibians take their nickname from their human coloring and can grow up to 16 inches long. If you are allowed access to the tanks, be kind and spare these sensitive beasts any flash photography. In the south of the country, bordering with Croatia there is a glampsite called Big Berry. This all-inclusive glamping experience, depending on the time of year and availability, offers shuttles and tours to Postojnska Caves. The biggest cave system in the Arabian Peninsula is home to a rare variety of blind fish. At the most northwestern point of the contiguous United States lies a trail leading through an ancient forest to stunning cliff-side vistas and massive oceanside caves. A series of idealized caves carved to entertain guests. These caves secretly held national treasures during World War II. Chilly air billows out from the entrance of an abandoned mine on a steep hillside, providing a refuge for Ice Age fauna and flora. This archaeological site built into a tuff outcrop is filled with rock dwellings, the ruins of a medieval castle, and a necropolis. This network of roads is one of the most unique Etruscan creations ever discovered. Located in the middle of public park, this cave built in the early 19th century houses an ancient stone sarcophagus. The entire construction and fitting of construction elements observed nature protection requirements for the smallest impact on the value of nature possible. The concept of sustainability is also reflected in the heating system and ventilation and, last but not least, the first underground biological treatment plant in Slovenia. © Miran KambičThe exhibition and retail pavilion is designed in two parts. The pavilion part is a transparent, passable area with four entrances/exits, designed within a longitudinal volume in the form of the letter S, thus reflecting the wall of the underground hall. The volume is structured in a manner that directs the flow of visitors and points to entrances and exits. detailThe exhibition and retail area is flexible as it is equipped with floor plugs prepared for plug-in equipment elements or exhibits Other equipment elements in the exhibition niche can also be plugged in as desired to wall holders according to required exhibition or retail purposes You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email World’s first public exhibit of juvenile olms will open on 11 June in Slovenia’s famous Postojna Cave Wed 3 Jun 2020 07.30 CESTLast modified on Fri 5 Jun 2020 19.13 CESTShareI visited Postojna Cave in another life It was mid-March – the last days before Europe went into lockdown I went to Slovenia’s most famous cave system to witness something that might now in the shadow of pandemic and imploding economies seem frivolous: a sneak peek at what was to be the first public display of recently hatched olms: blind worm-like amphibians that are one of nature’s most remarkable underground creatures But barely had the young olms settled into their new vivarium than Postojna Cave closed to visitors for the longest time in its 200-year history Postojna’s 24km cave system – 50km south of the capital Ljubljana and just a 40-minute drive from Trieste in Italy – is one of Europe’s most-visited subterranean attractions In pre-Covid-19 years nearly a million tourists took the red-and-yellow train through its caverns into a floodlit cathedral-size chamber – and Postojna’s most-photographed rock formation the five-metre-tall “Brilliant” stalagmite with its dim red lighting to protect their photosensitive skinsand visit the world’s only underground post office The White Hall at Postojna CaveSlovenia has fared better than many of its European neighbours through the Covid-19 crisis - with 1,473 cases and 109 deaths to date Bars and restaurants reopened on 5 May and on Wednesday the lights will go up again in Postojna Cave Public health measures include 1.5-metre social distancing the sanitising of equipment in between tours and a limit of 60 people per train (instead of the usual 116) the “baby dragons” – will at last go on display a blond biologist with a beatific smile and complexion untroubled by the sun of the over-world observing creatures that remain stubbornly mysterious even to scientists who dedicate careers to their study meaning they retain juvenile characteristics for all of their 100-year lifespans – they never lose the pink external gills that look like sea anemone tentacles adult olms are the world’s largest subterranean animals; these aquatic salamanders are also blind sensing light and vibration through their skin and sensory pits on their heads and they can go more than a decade without food This olm will be joined by its sibling in a few daysThe babies have already yielded insights into olm behaviour Researchers knew the animals could regrow lost limbs but when one of the young tore off a sibling’s leg they were able to study the regeneration process up close Yet much about the amphibians remains mysterious We have no idea how many olms live in the wild an amphibians expert at Ljubljana University Her team think there are probably nine types scattered throughout the Adriatic limestone karst that the amphibians are sensitive to pollution as well as light which makes Postojna’s breeding success all the more vital Like skiing for the Norwegians or surfing for Hawaiians The limestone bedrock of this country of 2 million people is peppered with more than 13,000 caves helmet and wellies and left behind the vivarium and the tourist train who studies astrophysics in his spare time and I warned him that I suffer from mild claustrophobia “Just think of it as a walk with nice scenery,” he said Primož chats to writer Tom AllanWe followed an easy path along a thundering subterranean river then turned off into a side chamber known as the Colourful Passage Translucent curtain stalactites hung from the ceiling and the floor was adorned with cave pearls glinting stalagmites and jumbled red rocks Then Roman nonchalantly invited me to crawl through an oval opening in the rock face I peered into the hole and felt darts of adrenalin shoot down my legs The rock squeezed my chest from below and above narrowing to a point where I had to angle my helmeted head to one side to fit through I belly-wriggled and kicked until I was alone in a chamber that was the stillest place I’ve ever been Roman joined me and we clicked off our headtorches For a few clockless minutes we experienced the world the baby dragons know: a place of silence and deep to which my thoughts have often turned in the long lockdown months since When Roman switched on his torch I found myself like the olm flinching from the light and in no hurry to return to the bright The trip was provided by Postojna Cave, which is open daily 9am-7pm from 3 June (summer hours), with baby olms in their new vivarium from 11 June. Tours: adult €25.80, 5-16 years €15.50 This article was amended on 3 & 5 June 2020; to correct the date when the vivarium will be on view (11 June) and because an earlier version said that the olms had never bred in captivity in Slovenia – they had bred once before. There are cave tours and there's Slovenia's Postojna cave system where you abseil into underground rivers in search of prehistoric beasts I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Tales of monsters inhabiting the fearful gloom of Slovenia’s caves stretch back through history Legends abound of perpetual mist drifting from dark caverns and peculiar half-formed creatures washed into rivers by storm rains – pale a speleobiologist at Postojna Cave’s subterranean laboratory is pointing at the dim waters of the lab’s vivarium but they sense you.” The salamander-like olm can live for over 100 years and grow up to 43cm When we reach their natural habitat – the cave’s underground waterways – we may not have that advantage created by the Pivka River cleaving through the karst landscape has the world’s richest cave fauna – no fewer than 150 animals live here from water snails to shrimps and slender-necked beetles Inscriptions around the walls record 14th-century visits while scholarly records date from the 17th century Tourism to Postojna started in 1818 when lamp lighter Luca Čeč stumbled upon the caverns In 1868 Thomas Cook himself escorted package tourists to Postojna queens and emperors have joined almost 35 million visitors An electric train rattles briskly from grand iron gates lights one of the caverns known as the ‘Ballroom.’ The chorus of La Scala sang in the ‘Concert Hall’ But those pale in comparison to the natural formations of ‘Velika Gora’ (Great Mountain) Stalagmites up to 17m tall grow up to the roof while thousands of fragile spaghetti-like stalactites hang down amongst translucent curls and folds of curtain deposits the ‘Russian Bridge’ (built by WW1 prisoners of war) leads visitors to the ‘Beautiful Cave’ the startlingly white 5m ‘Brilliant’ and neighbouring ‘Baroque’ stalagmites have become symbols of Postojna served by a railway and illuminated by electric light there’s no real adventure to seeing these caverns in a woodland glade where stone steps disappear into the earth but the equipment is new,” says guide Miran Mejak adding lumps of calcium carbide to the lamp’s canister “Adjust the water – one drop every second.” The canister tightly closed A carbide lamp and a foil blanket keeps you warm even saves your life – there’s no heat in LED.” There are few stalagmites here – the torrent washes them away – but our headlamps pick out sparkling patches on the roof actinomycte bacteria that has adapted to live in caves At an iron balustrade we meet Miran’s fellow guide crawl through the swollen river to our next pitch: a tunnel hewn by more prisoners of war Slovenia’s best cave diver died only 15 metres from an exit It’s been a constant nine degrees and 95% humidity; clouds of condensation accompany every breath named after stains created by Neolithic forest fires sooty signatures record earlier visitors – Jahn and Franz woz ‘ere A bolted metal door opens onto the now familiar cathedral of Postojna's ‘Velika Gora’ cavern and the train waiting to whisk us to the surface To say we’ve followed in the footsteps of Luca Čeč exaggerates both our courage and competence – we’ve only played at adventure most of us are grinning like idiots as we leave the Postojna Cave Karst exhibition and the nearby cave castle of Predjama costs €37.90 per person Wizzair flies to Ljubljana four times a week from London Luton from £44 return The four-star Hotel Jama looks a little ‘Yugoslavian’ from the outside but the interior is newly refurbished and rooms are top notch There’s an excellent restaurant and free WiFi throughout postojnska-jama.eu slovenia.info Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies POSTOJNA (Slovenia) - The 2022 edition of the Women's Basketball Summit which took place in Slovenian town Postojna in July was the gathering's 15th reiteration, further enhancing its reputation as a firmly established event in the European basketball development calendar. Furthermore, the 2022 summit represented the culmination of the two-year Erasmus Project 'Empowering the next generation of female coaches and referees' which FIBA Europe devised and implemented with the support of the European Union's Erasmus+ scheme. The aim of the project was to provide the group of coaches and referees that were selected at the 2021 edition with an intensive nine-month mentoring program during the basketball season. The success of the mentoring program has led FIBA Europe to integrate it into its wider Women in Basketball Strategy for the coming years, outside of the Erasmus scope. The mentors and mentees of the mentoring program were invited to Postojna, to provide feedback on their experience, as part of the culmination of the Erasmus+ project. Serbia national team head coach Marina Maljkovic and referee instructor Jasmina Juras delivered their reporting as mentors of the program, while FIBA referee from Sweden Sara Manson and coach Irene Otamiri from Sweden reported on the program from the viewpoint of mentees. The distinguished guest speakers at the 2022 edition of the summit included FIBA sports psychologist Dubravka Martinovic, former Kenya men's national team head coach Liz Mills, FIBA Europe Officiating Head Davorin Nakic, FECC Instructor Janez Drvaric, Barcelona Girls' Academy coach Silvia Font, FIBA coach instructor Albena Branzova and FIBA Europe referee instructor Maja Vukanovic. The list of participants at the summit was comprised of 20 referees and 20 coaches, representing between them a total of 28 different European countries. The main activities for the referees included clinics, physical preparation, 3PO mechanics, 3x3 and 5x5 officiating techniques, and of course game discussions and feedback. Meanwhile, the coaches focused mainly on the clinics and on-court coaching principles. The coaches that were selected for the new 2022-23 mentoring program are Longin Korana from Croatia, Milda Sauliute from Lithuania, Alina Alexandra Serban from Romania and Vesna Dzuver from Serbia. POSTOJNA (Slovenia) - The 16th edition of the Women's Basketball Summit was recently completed in the Slovenian town of Postonja from July 5-8 An established event in the basketball development calendar the program aims to provide opportunities to female coaches and up-and-coming female referees with professional aspirations as part of FIBA's Women in Basketball strategy The 2023 summit incorporated the first FIBA Women in Officiating Global Camp; featuring eight female referees from around the world as well as elite level instructors including Amy Bonner and FIBA instructor The list of participants was comprised of 20 female coaches and 19 female referees with 22 different European countries represented The summit included clinics for both coaches and referees as well as practical sessions and group work FIBA Europe has now decided to integrate the program into the Women in Basketball strategy for the future due to the success of the mentoring program which was piloted in recent years The coaches that were selected for the 2023-24 mentoring program are Anna Lakloth of Hungary Josephine Traberg of Norway and Erynn Legge of Great Britain Esteemed coaches Julie Barennes of Basket Landes FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Natalia Hejkova and Serbia national team head coach Marina Maljkovic will be the mentors for the next cycle Country holds its breath as female olm – a pale lizard-sized amphibian that can live for 100 years but breeds only once a decade – lays eggs Slovenia is counting down the days until the birth of a new generation of “baby dragons.” Scientistshave proudly announced that a female olm — a pale, lizard-sized amphibian living in an aquarium in the country’s biggest cave — has laid eggs. They have described it as the first example of observed out-of-lab breeding of the species. Read moreThe eyeless pink animal, known as the “baby dragon” and “human fish” for its skin-like colour, can live for 100 years and breeds only once a decade — usually in laboratories throughout Europe or deep in caves away from people Slovenian scientists have been ecstatic about the prospects of having baby olms born in Postojna Cave “This is something truly extraordinary,” said biologist Saso Weldt who works at the cave in northwestern Slovenia “Nobody has ever witnessed (their) reproduction in nature We even haven’t seen an animal younger than two years.” The olm was already in a big aquarium in the cave when the eggs were discovered by chance on 30 January by a tour guide who noticed a little white dot attached to the fish tank’s wall snapping at an intruder who tried to come close Scientists removed other inhabitants from the aquarium An olm walks in an aquarium in Postojna Cave Photograph: Iztok Medja/APIn the weeks that followed as olm eggs have a poor record in actually lasting the 120 days that are needed for them to mature and hatch “Olms are not really successful when it comes to reproduction,” Weldt explained but they fell prey to other cave inhabitants this time biologists have isolated the female and her eggs in a dark spot added extra oxygen and removed any outside influences Visitors have been allowed nowhere near the mother and her eggs — tourists could only view a live video screening via special infrared cameras that were installed near the aquarium some of whom are contemplating declaring the olm the next “Slovenian of the Year,” have been keeping their fingers crossed “We did all that is in our power,” biologist Weldt said One of the world’s largest limestone caves You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience The bad news: You've hit your limit of free articles.The good news: You can receive full access below.WORLDteen | Ages 11-14 | $35.88 per year Deep inside a remote Slovenian cave lie more than 57 eerie white eggs If they survive their 120-day development cycle from them could hatch the first “baby dragon” births outsiders have ever seen did we mention that the contents of these eggs aren’t real dragons That’s just the name given them by creative Slovenians They first saw the pale slithery creatures in the 1600s "People had never seen it and didn't know what it was," says biologist Saso Weldt Weldt works at the cave where the “baby dragon” eggs are so they came up with stories of a dragon breathing fire." Scientists soon realized these creatures wouldn’t grow up to be fire-breathers The creatures emerging from the cave’s gelatinous eggs will be olms But for scientists and enthusiastic Slovenians the birth of these aquatic creatures is nearly as exciting They make their homes in underground rivers far beneath the Dinaric Alps These gilled salamanders can live 100 years or more They can survive without food for as long as 10 years Female olms reproduce once every six to seven years the public may be able to view olms hatching at Postojna Cave Scientists have turned part of the cave into a vivarium Postojna Cave is also home to the blind cave beetle It and the olm have made the cave a Slovenian tourist destination where people can view these rare creatures in their natural habitat a Postojna tour guide noticed a new olm egg clinging to the side of a tank in the cave But predators ate them before any olms could be born we've removed all the other olms to make sure [the eggs] don't get eaten again," Weldt says Scientists at Postojna Cave set up infrared cameras they will photograph the birth of a dragon © 2024 WORLDteen | 828-435-2982 | memberservices@wng.org By Julianna Photopoulos Pretty in pink: olms have no need for eyes But the elusive pink aquatic salamanders that hatched inside Slovenia’s Postojna Cave about four months ago have survived the most difficult stage of their lives “This is the first time that the general public has the opportunity to see and follow the development of a creature that lives a really hidden life in the darkness,” says team member Sašo Weldt at Postojna Cave in south-western Slovenia They were once only known from specimens washed out of caves by flooding and legend had it they were baby dragons – the name that stuck can live to be 100 years old and only lays eggs once or twice a decade Little is known about their development and their small numbers and polluted underground habitat make them a vulnerable species Cave biologist Primož Gnezda in the Pivka river in postojna cave catching the olms’ lunch So it was remarkable to see 64 eggs laid by a single individual and then placed in an aquarium within the cave earlier this year and all are still alive and developing better than expected “These are the only baby dragons in the world No one knew if they would hatch and survive the early stages of their life as this has never been attempted before the most uncertain development period for newborn olms is over,” says the team at Postojna Cave “The baby dragons are now 18 weeks old and are ready to enter a new stage of development.” The olm is found in caves in the Dinaric Alps in the Western Balkans and the blind amphibians are known locally as “human fish” because of their pinkish skin and aquatic lifestyle Researchers feared that the newborns would not develop digestive systems and would thus be incapable of feeding on the worms they grew for them they are now about 4 to 4.5 centimetres long and keep growing including the one who gave us a real fright as he was very late in converting to worms – he only switched a few weeks ago,” report the biologists but it will take two to three years for skin to cover their eyes and about a year and a half for the dark pigmentation to disappear and for them to turn pink Their legs are fully developed and they use them to move around their aquariums and occasionally have “brotherly quarrels” or fight for food with the other siblings The adolescence period lasts for about 15 years for a female and 11 years for a male The young olms will then turn into adults and reach sexual maturity “but will still look like larvae their entire life The olms in Postojna Cave have gained enormous popularity which helps protect the waters in the karst all drinking water comes from the karst area if we pollute the underworld and the olms go extinct we then have nothing to drink,” says Weldt Read more: Meet the weird amphibian that rules the underworld Slithering through their subterranean aquarium, three "baby dragons" have gone on display in a Slovenian cave, where they hatched in 2016 in a rare successful breeding Only 30 visitors per day will be allowed to visit the so-called baby dragons - ancient underwater predators that can live up to 100 years and only breed once in a decade "We are proud to present three out of the 21 baby olms which we have kept a close eye on since 2016," the Postojna cave said in a statement The three are among 21 offspring that hatched in 2016 when one of the olms at the cave lay around 60 eggs in one of the observation tanks To ensure their survival and gather more information about the creatures cave authorities kept them far from visitors in a cave laboratory as their "best kept and most carefully guarded secret" - until now Reaching a maximum length of 35 centimetres (13.5 inches) the blind animal with its four tiny limbs is a far cry from the scary monsters conjured up in national folklore Sometimes also referred to as "human fish" the slim vertebrate sports three feathery gills on each side of its elongated snout The body's sheer pink skin makes it easy to spot the internal organs The protected eel-like species can go without food for up to a decade Biologist Primoz Gnezda prepares to release a young olm into an aquarium in Postojna Cave Found primarily in Balkan cave rivers, the olms have been living in the world-famous Postojna cave, 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the capital Ljubljana for what researchers say is millions of years © Agence France-Presse POSTOJNA (Slovenia) – A total of 137 female players, coaches and referees participated in the annual FIBA European Women's Basketball Summit, representing 39 countries in the 13th edition of the camp. The event, which took place from July 11 to 15th in Postojna, Slovenia, featured former Russian international star Maria Stepanova and current Swedish national team leader Anna Barthold. Among those to assist with the mentoring and workshops were: Stepanova, Barthold, FIBA Head of National Federations and Sport/Youth and Anti-Doping Europe, Radmila Turner; and FIBA referees Ozlem Yalman and Karolina Andersson. Summit also had as FIBA instructors, FIBA Europe Coaching Certificate (FECC)  graduates, Tania Gallova from Slovakia, and Janne Schasmin from Estonia. The Summit also had a new event director with Time-Out graduate Tiina Sten from Finland taking over those duties. On hand were 70 U15 girls campers, 36 coaches and 31 referees. They demonstrated their talents, learned new skills and met like-minded enthusiasts from around the continent. During the summit, they attended workshops and participated in basketball games. referees POSTOJNA (Slovenia) - Young women from 19 different European countries who are taking their first steps as either basketball coaches or referees received an enormous career boost in July POSTOJNA (Slovenia) - Young women from 19 different European countries who are taking their first steps as either basketball coaches or referees received an enormous career boost in July at the FIBA European Women’s Basketball Summit in Postojna The six-day event which concluded on July 10 is a central pillar of the 'Empowerment of female coaches and referees' project that FIBA Europe devised and implemented with the support of the European Union's Erasmus scheme Serbia national team head coach and newly-crowned FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2021 champion Marina Maljkovic and FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Natalia Hejkova headlined the list of instructors for the coaches "I believe this camp is a great opportunity for young coaches to improve it is a special program to really get deep into basketball issues to talk every day about them," coach Maljkovic said during her address to the young participants I have been looking forward to places and opportunities like the one you will go through It is a great opportunity to develop yourself as a coach and to learn new things and share experiences you should have the opportunity to make a change in the countries you come from don't wait for someone else to give you an opportunity you go out and create the opportunity for yourself At the end of the day it's about how much you know knowledge is the key and that's why you are here," the Serbia head coach urged participants Janez Drvaric of the FECC and former Canada and Bulgaria youth national teams assistant coach Albena Branzova were the main FIBA instructors on the coaching side Guests included Kenya head coach Liz Mills who recently made history as the first female head coach at FIBA AfroBasket and Anna Montañana who was the first female assistant coach in Spain's Liga Endesa the main instructors were Jasmina Juras from Serbia the one of only two female FIBA referees to hold a black license and the vastly experienced Chantal Julien from France and Kati Nynas from Finland "This project is something amazing that happens in order to help us grow as referees and as a women's group," Jasmina Juras commented I have some ideas to share all my experience with young referees and to help them to step into their job and careers in the future "I am so happy that I had this opportunity from FIBA to be a mentor to these young referees and to work with them and it's a great opportunity to be part of this amazing adventure I think this will produce great results and a great experience for all of us." comprising 16 young coaches and 12 young referees attended a underwent a rigorous selection process during the Postojna Summit in order to identify the top prospects who will benefit from a truly unique mentoring program in Europe Seven of the coaches and six of the referees were ultimately selected to participate in the FIBA Europe Mentoring Program The selected coaches are Mireia Capdevila Choy and Marina Fernandez Royano from Spain Dragana Svitlica from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Dace Cinite from Latvia the selected mentees are Yasmina Alcatraz Moreno from Spain Sara Mansson from Sweden and Kristine Simanovica from Latvia the selected mentees will benefit from six virtual webinars and individual mentoring will they will also travel in pairs to various events to work hand- in-hand with their program mentors they will work at the Girls Talent Center in Barcelona with Silvia Font and Jasmina Juras while in April 2022 they will travel to the EuroLeague Women Final 4 to benefit from the mentoring of Marina Maljkovic In line with its long-term strategic goals FIBA Europe has also put a significant emphasis on promoting women's and girls' basketball across Europe with the FIBA Europe Girls' Program (Her World as well as giving great importance to supporting eligible youth basketball projects and participation of youth national teams of the National Federations via the FIBA Europe Youth Development Fund Postojna Cave Park in Slovenia is home to a rare and endangered salamander species known as the olm. On January 30, 2016, a tour guide noticed that an olm in their captive population, housed in a display aquarium for tourists, had laid an egg This caused considerable excitement since female olm only lay eggs once every six or seven years The olm, known by their taxonomic name, Proteus anguinus, are rare endangered salamanders found in underground freshwater caves in karst formations of central and southeastern Europe only 4,000 olm have been documented in the wild These salamanders have a long slender body about 8 to 12 inches long four spindly limbs and thin almost transparent pink or yellowish-white skin Their appearance could well be the reason why olm were believed to be baby dragons washed out of underground dragons’ lairs during heavy rains eggs deposited by a female olm in an exhibit tank were collected and placed in an isolation aquarium where they could develop with minimal disturbance the developing embryos were under constant monitoring with infrared cameras Live feeds from the cameras were on display for tourists who visited the cave a camera captured the emergence of the first so-called “baby dragons.” It surprised biologists by suddenly shooting out of its egg and swimming around the aquarium before finally settling to the bottom Even though little is known about olm hatching biologists had expected the baby to make several attempts to wriggle free from its egg Twenty-one more siblings are expected to hatch in the coming days Biologists and staff at Postojna Cave are taking extraordinary measures to care for the embryos and babies of these endangered salamanders it’s estimated that only two out of 500 olm eggs hatch successfully Only a small percentage of hatchlings survive to adulthood A spokesperson from the Postojna Cave said as they are not living in a natural environment where it could feed on its own We will change the water on a daily basis to avoid infections developing We will have to set up a proper little nursery for each of them are finally hatching at the Postojna Cave in Slovenia We invite you to visit our campaign page to discover why we need your contributions now more than ever to preview an illustration from Guy Ottewell’s great book that we're helping finalize and to learn more about EarthSky’s history “Things are always so much more peaceful when looking up.” We couldn’t agree more we apologize for the popup and greatly appreciate your support In the subterranean caves of central and southeastern Europe dwells a rare and unusual aquatic salamander species known as the olm. Its females lay their eggs just once every six or seven years. On January 30, 2016, staff at the Postojna Cave Park in Slovenia were thrilled to learn that a female olm in their captive population had produced an egg A tour guide first noticed an egg attached to the wall of the olm exhibit aquarium attacking others of her kind that ventured too close aquarium biologists relocated the other olm in the aquarium Biologists hope she will continue to lay as many as 30 to 60 eggs and they say they’ll continue to monitor mother and eggs heavy rains would flush out baby dragons from their parents’ subterranean lairs and an almost transparent pinkish or yellowish-white thin skin the olm could certainly be imagined as a new-born dragon These creatures range in length from 8 to 12 inches (20-30 cm) sometimes reaching as long as 16 inches (40 cm) The Olm’s pear-shaped head tapers to a short flattened snout and a small mouth with tiny teeth Gills that protrude from either side of its head enable it to breathe in water though it sometimes uses its underdeveloped lungs to take in air above the water surface Olm have been referred to as human fish because their coloring resembles the hue of light-skinned people prefer to use its taxonomic name Proteus anguinus Proteus is the only vertebrate in Europe adapted to caves. They live below ground in freshwater cave habitats in karst formations areas of limestone that have been sculpted by water and have been found in about 200 locations ranging from the edge of eastern Italy In the Postojna Cave system itself, at least 4,000 olm have been documented in the wild. Moving through the water with an eel-like undulating motion, olm hunt for small crustaceans, snails and insects. They’re well-adapted for dark cold cave waters with scarce food, low oxygen levels and cold temperatures. When food is abundant, they are able to gorge, storing lipid and glycogen reserves in the liver for later use. When conditions become stressful, olm become inactive and reduce their metabolic rate. In extreme situations, they can survive by absorbing some of their own tissues. In laboratory experiments, olm have been able to stay alive without food for up to 10 years. They may also have the longest life-span of any salamander species. Studies of captive olm populations indicate they may have an average lifespan of about 68 years, and scientists think they could live for as long as 100 years. Check out the undulating motion of a swimming olm, in the video below: Having evolved in darkness, these cave dwellers have also made other extraordinary adaptations. With no need for vision, their eyes have sunk below the skin. Other senses, however, have become more powerful. They have a very acute sense of smell and can pick up faint sounds in water. They’re able to detect weak electric fields, and some laboratory experiments indicate they are able to orient to the earth’s magnetic field. Olm do not undergo metamorphosis like most amphibians such as frogs that begin their lives as tadpoles. They retain larval features for life, such as a slender body and gills. Even though their thin translucent pale skin may indicate albinism, a condition where an organism does not have pigmentation, olm are able to produce melatonin that turn them darker in prolonged exposure to light. Dr. Liljana Bizjak Mali, a scientist at the Biotechnical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana said through her press office: Because they live most of their lives hidden away in subterranean aquatic habitats, we know very little about the reproductive biology of Proteus, but we do know that they show some unusual characteristics here. Females lay eggs at any time of the year but they have a preference for winter time, with maximum egg laying from October to March. Like most other salamanders, fertilization is internal via packets of sperm called spermatophores deposited by males and picked up by females using their sex organs.  Proteus lays eggs, and these white, jelly-coated pearl-like eggs are then fertilized one by one as the female attaches them to the underwater rocks deep in the cave. Some have believed that Proteus sometimes deliver their young alive (viviparity) like mammals, but we now know this is not true. Bottom line: Biologists at the Postojna cave in Slovenia are monitoring a female in their captive olm population that’s producing eggs. This rare and unusual cave salamander species, endemic to central and southeastern Europe, only bear eggs once every six or seven years. This event is a rare opportunity to study the behavior of an egg-laying female olm and monitor the development of larvae. A female olm laid eggs at the Postojna Cave in August 2013, but her eggs did not hatch. We invite you to visit our campaign page to discover why we need your contributions now more than ever, to preview an illustration from Guy Ottewell’s great book that we're helping finalize, and to learn more about EarthSky’s history. We’re living in uncertain times. But as one viewer commented, “Things are always so much more peaceful when looking up.” We couldn’t agree more. If you've already donated, we apologize for the popup and greatly appreciate your support. 2012Save this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products and listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links calling here  Azamara Club Cruises WITH OUR PRO $1,000 for two, including car, driver, guide, and all entries; book through Greg Tepper of Exeter International (800-633-1008) ON YOUR OWN Car, from $82 per day; book through Hertz (39-0481-777025) Most cruisegoers find themselves in a similar fix: They have one day to explore the places they’ve traveled so far to see which means that every minute counts and planning is crucial Many succumb to the group tours sold by the cruise line since these eliminate logistical hassles and anxiety about getting back to the ship on time; unfortunately Many of them leave our readers unimpressed: For medium and large ships shore excursions are (on average) the lowest-scoring category in our Readers’ Choice survey Exploring on your own can be more affordable and a lot more fun except when you’re in an unfamiliar place with lots to see and no convenient transportation options in which case going it alone can mean waiting in line Sometimes the only way to get the maximum benefit from your minimal time is to put your shore excursion into the hands of an insider who can save you from pitfalls and ensure that every hour is wisely spent Getting an authentic and comprehensive taste of Slovenia in one day was going to be a challenge but I was willing to splurge to get it: I’d rented enough cars in enough Italian ports—and endured enough parking and refueling snafus—that I was prepared to pay for the peace of mind that comes with a private car a travel firm that specializes in Eastern Europe and is known for stellar guides with every time-saving shortcut at their fingertips Exeter recommended an itinerary encompassing three of the country’s highlights: Ljubljana a university town that blends old-world Austro-Hungarian architecture with hip cafés and boutiques; Lake Bled in an unspoiled Alpine setting dominated by a fairy-tale clifftop castle; and Postojna Cave one of Europe’s largest karst cave systems filled with extraordinary formations to thrill any geology lover (and an underground train to thrill my husband) Our ship was packed with Condé Nast Traveler subscribers had seen Trieste and planned to spend the day in Slovenia instead They too usually avoid group shore excursions they had booked a rental car in Trieste and planned to tootle around Slovenia on their own We decided that we would do our own thing and then meet for dinner and compare notes What follows is a tale of two Slovenia shore excursions and won me over from the moment he suggested that we head first to 1 Ljubljana’s Market Square since the farmers’ market is at its most colorful and photogenic in the morning and save Po­stojna Cave for the end of the day Our driver dropped us off at Ljubljana’s Old Town and flavored honeys; photographing the sweet old ladies selling flawless produce; and learning about homegrown delicacies such as huckleberry syrup and porcini picked nearby Kristovic pointed out things we would never have spotted on our own: the traditional carts still used to wheel produce from farmers’ gardens to Market Square; high-tech mlekomat machines that dispense raw organic milk; and artisans who paint images from Slovenian folk tales and traditional sayings on beehive front boards Kristovic led us on a picturesque Old Town stroll that encompassed everything we wanted to see Nicholas Church and the fifteenth-century town hall on our own but we would have missed interior courtyards filled with avant-garde art installations and other evidence of the city’s support for independent artists We might have ridden the funicular to the castle for the view but we would have missed the superior 360-degree view of the Old Town that you get from a 13-story building called The Skyscraper in the new town The upside? Their day cost only $200—for the rental car and the Postojna Cave tickets—as opposed to the $1,000 I had spent for our car, driver, guide, and all of our tickets (the cave, the funicular, the boat, the church). As I see it, though, they will need to spend a lot more than that to return to Ljubljana and tour it properly someday. Meanwhile, my husband’s and my memories and photos of our perfect day in Slovenia will linger long after the price we paid has been forgotten. up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world The event was covered by global media outlets (BBC, New York Times, The Observer, Discovery Channel, CNN). From Tasmania to Canada, millions asked themselves: are there actually dragons still living among us? Where is this Postojna Cave Three years ago, 22 baby human fish were hatched at Postojna Cave which according to sources at Postojna Cave will soon be on display for visitors and are growing in an underground laboratory developed for that purpose but soon they will have to be moved to a larger aquarium Scientists are not only excited about the exceptionally high (92-percent) survival rate The 21 hatchlings are healthy and are perfect replicas of adult salamanders and will soon be on display for the public Postojna Cave built an underground laboratory for the hatchlings in which their development was guided and monitored under strictly controlled conditions The laboratory’s contributions to the understanding of the development of human fish are priceless as they are no longer surprising “just” for the fact that they can live up to 100 years this unique laboratory represents a new milestone in the establishing of optimal man-made conditions for the successful raising of Proteus salamanders which in the future could make a significant contribution to the preservation of this exceptional species Did you find the information you were looking for Do you want to receive a response from the responsible institution Clicking on the link will open your default e-mail program and automatically draft a message that you can send to the institution responsible for the content of this website ask for a reply A rare amphibian is fiercely guarding a clutch of around 50-60 eggs in a water-logged cave near Postojna in southwestern Slovenia and biologists are nervously anticipating babies Despite having a lifespan of around 100 years While we've got up to 60 eggs to pin our hopes on biologists on the scene suspect that only a few will end up hatching and it's anyone's guess as to when that will happen "Right now it looks like three are good candidates," Saso Weldt, a biologist working at the cave, told the BBC She is still laying one or two eggs per day and they need something like 120 days till they hatch." Three babies from 60-odd eggs might sound like a pretty dismal result but thanks to an aquarium that's been built inside the Slovenian olm cave these creatures have been given the best chance of survival and temperature fluctuations that other olm families have to deal with They're now being monitored around the clock by a team of researchers that are definitely not going to let any rival olms ruin the event like they did back in 2013. As Jonathan Webb reports for the BBC another of Postojna's captive olms laid eggs three years ago and the fact that other olms ate a bunch of them certainly didn't help This time around, the mother olm - known locally as Dragon Mum - has been isolated, and is being fed extra oxygen for good measure. "This is very cool - it is quite extraordinary," said Primoz Gnezda we are quite scared that something will go wrong It's not only going to be an incredible thing for us to witness if Dragon Mum does end up having live, healthy offspring, it's going to be a real boon for biologists who study the elusive species. Everything we think we know about what will happen with those eggs - which isn't much - is based on a single colony of olms that was established in an underground lab in the French Pyrenees more than 60 years ago "It is very significant because there is not a lot of data about anything, [relating to] the reproduction of this group of animals," olm expert Dusan Jelic from the Zoological Society of London told the BBC Revealing the secret lives of ‘baby dragons’ or olms was a major goal for the Europe team but filming these mythical creatures came with fundamental challenges they are extremely sensitive to both light and electrical impulses emitted by camera technology Little is known about these animals in the wild but scientists at Postojna cave had an idea where they would likely be The crew scouted the caves to check both for the presence of olms and the water clarity A quick flash of a torch revealed that the water was particularly clear in one of the caves and also just how sensitive the olms were to light the Seven Worlds crew dragged an inflatable dingy and twenty bags of filming and dive gear through miles of slippery tunnels.. Some of the squeezes were so small that kit had to be repacked just to fit through To avoid disturbing the animals the crew needed to keep lighting to an absolute minimum Armed with one of the most sensitive cameras in the industry- Cameraman Gavin Newman devised an onboard lighting rig that was no brighter than a candle Water temperature was a chilly 8 degrees Celsius Gavin counted over fifty in a single dive but getting the close up shots the director wanted wasn’t possible Postojna’s underground research centre offered the perfect solution Scientists here are studying both the breeding ecology and limb re-generation of these remarkable animals to help conserve them and its large tanks are fed with cave water so crucially the olms are accustomed to low levels of light and they are habituated to people Cameraman Jonathan Jones was able to be within centimetres of olms and use lighting necessary for close up macro photography This way the Seven Worlds team were able to show the olm in a way that had never been done before and complete a magical sequence which is endemic to the underground waters of the Dinaric Karst Since this aquatic salamander is most frequently found here in Slovenia it is rather surprising that as many as seven of them can currently also be seen in Hermann's Cave in the town of Rübeland located in the German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt Although today they are viewed as the cave's main attraction they were actually introduced into Hermann's Cave artificially and were brought there from Postojna Cave the removal of thirteen olms from Postojna Cave caused a major scandal that reverberated across the former Yugoslavia and the East and West Germany Some archival records in connection to the story have been preserved by the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia among the private records of Dr who in his capacity as the head of the Karst Research Institute at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts was directly involved in the story The course of the events is partly described in a letter presented here as this month's archivalia which was written by the federal representative Vanek Šiftar to the president of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Josip Vidmar Certain pieces of the story can also be detected in some of the other original records Roman Savnik and preserved in the same folder as the above-mentioned letter The ”export” of the olms to Rübeland has a pre-history which had an indirect effect on the events taking place in the late 1956 the then manager of Postojna Cave Andrej Perko handed over ten of these Postojna Cave native salamanders to Dr Three of them were taken to the Segeberg Caves north of Hamburg and two did not survive the transportation Those intended for Segeberg Caves died soon after their arrival due to the inappropriate habitat of their new home a special pool (the so-called Olmensee) was prepared for the newcomers in which the olms seemed to feel all right judging from the fact that they were all alive and well in 1951 two of them went missing which prompted an investigation ordered by the manager of the caves in Rübeland Fritz Brandes The investigation revealed that the disappearance of the olms was due to the alleged geologist and karstologist Wolfgang Reichel conducting illegal experiments with the animals Bandes banned him from accessing the lake with the olms and instructed his cave staff to keep a close eye on him a native of Dresden and married to the daughter of the owner of the cave restaurant in Rübeland wrote a letter to the Postojna Cave management on behalf of the Geological Institute of the Mining Academy in Freiberg he asked for a few live specimens of the olm which the institute supposedly needed for research purposes The management of Postojna Cave forwarded his letter to the Karst Research Institute of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Having read the letter in which Reichel explained that they intended to release the donated animals into different habitats to live under different conditions the head of the Karst Research Institute Dr Roman Savnik broke off any further correspondence with Reichel remained persistent in his pursuit and made contact with the Postojna branch of the Slovenian Cave Exploration Society and its president at the time France Habe Reichel and Habe arranged a meeting in Postojna where Reichel and his wife Ingeburg arrived on November 17 he and his wife visited Postojna Cave and some other caves and paid a visit to the Karst Research Institute Savnik informed Reichel that permits for any export of live specimens of olm for scientific purposes could only be granted by the Institute of Biology in Ljubljana Reichel chose to completely ignore this information and on November 22 which he supposedly got from an unknown institute’s employee he went to see the manager of Postojna Cave Elo Garzarolli Reichel showed him the letter written by Dr in which he wrote that Reichel could obtain live specimens of olms but only for the purposes of scientific research who did not seem to pay much attention to the content of the letter or its date ordered one of the cave guides to catch some olms for his German visitor Thirteen live olms were taken from the cave pool and given to Reichel The next day Reichel and his wife visited Ljubljana (not the Institute of Biology though) and then on November 24 who carried the can with the olms and the “export permission” signed by France Habe while he extended his trip and did not return back to Rübeland until December 24 That same day he signed a deed of gift and donated thirteen olms from Postojna Cave to the management of the caves in Rübeland The newly acquired olms were then placed into Hermann’s Cave The event could easily have escaped any notice had the news of the unlawful removal of the olms not become public Yugoslav newspapers put the blame for the scandal mostly on the Karst Research Institute Savnik to dedicate the following two years of his life to gathering and collecting documentation which would restore his and the institute’s good name He was helped in his efforts by the Association of German Cave and Karst Researchers from Münich who launched an investigation against Wolfgang Reichel 1957 by the Association of German Cave and Karst Researchers where Savnik and Reichel were present as well it was decided that Reichel be banned from working with the olms in Hermann’s Cave and also that the management of the caves in Rübeland had to state in their brochures that the specimens living in their caves actually originated from Postojna Cave the website of Rübland caves states that a couple from Rübland brought thirteen olms to Hermann’s Cave from »Postojane (Adelsberg/Slowenien)« in 1956 as part of their study trip Documentation gathered in Germany absolved the Slovenian Karst Research Institute and its personnel of any quilt related to the unlawful removal of the olms from Postojna Cave and the District Court in Koper even suspended criminal proceedings against France Habe due to lack of evidence Habe had to step down as the president of the Cave Research Society in Postojna and quit his job as a professor at the Postojna grammar school to start teaching at a local primary school in Rakek No action was taken against the management of Postojna Cave Although the commission established that Dr Savnik was not involved in this whole affair As he revealed in 1985 when transferring his private records into the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia for safekeeping he had to cut off all official contacts with his colleagues in foreign countries and was obstructed in his  professional work at the institute until eventually the »hopelessness of the whole situation« forced him to retire in 1962 Wolfgang Reichel divorced his wife in a couple of years and moved from Rübland revealed her view on the infamous removal in her 2016 interview for the magazine Volksstimme in which she categorically denied any rumours that she and her husband had stolen the olms from Postojna Cave Šiftar to the president of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Josip Vidmar describing the unlawful removal of the olms from Postojna Cave and requesting Vidmar to appoint a commission to investigate the involvement of the Karst Research Institute's personnel in the affair describing the measures taken by the Association of German Cave and Karst Researchers in regard to the unlawful removal of olms A photo of the document with which Wolfgang Reichel donated thirteen olms to the Rübeland Caves Management on December 24 the aforementioned management undertook to take into account Reichel's recommendations regarding their care and to entrust the care of the olms only to a person authorized by Reichel Reichel also reserved the right to any dead specimens of the olms Discover the online column Archivalia of the Month ask for a reply Tourists are flocking to south west Slovenia in order to get a glimpse of a phenomenon in the shape of 55 olm eggs to see whether or not they hatch deep in a cave in Postojna However we will have to hang around for another four months to see if the hatching actually takes place so biologists are excited to see this marvel in action the offspring can expect to live for up to 100 years The cave is a major tourist attraction in the country with millions visiting every year and the hatching first came to light on 30 January when one of the tour guides noticed a single olm egg The olm is listed as 'vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species so biologists have been paying particular attention to the development of the eggs in Postojna Cave and experts say they have started to notice the first signs of development already "[We saw] what we had waited and hoped for all along – the olms' embryonic development with visible cell division," said biologists Lilijana Bizjak Mali on the Postojna website "To put it simply: it looks like the little 'dragons' are growing." olm eggs take about 120 days to hatch in a water temperature of 11 degrees Celsius But with the water in the cave measuring two degrees Celsius colder But the incubation period is fraught with danger as other species within the cave such as small crustaceans and amphipods have started to target the eggs the olm mother has thus far managed to scare them off and the creature can tell when an intruder is approaching Biologists are busy at work creating a safe haven for the mother and her eggs but scientists are still unsure as to how many of the 55 eggs will hatch Current estimations put the figure at only three "Let's keep our fingers crossed for the olms," wrote the biologists the protected eel-like species has been living in the world-famous Postojna cave 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the capital Ljubljana Tourists ride on a train in Postojna Cave on April 25 Slithering through their subterranean aquarium three "baby dragons" have gone on display in a Slovenian cave where they hatched in 2016 in a rare successful breeding Only 30 visitors per day will be allowed to visit the so-called baby dragons -- ancient underwater predators that can live up to 100 years and only breed once in a decade The three are among 21 offspring that hatched in 2016 when one of the olms at the cave lay around 60 eggs in one of the observation tanks From today, visitors to #PostojnaCave can go on another, brand new VIP tour ‘Meet the Baby Dragons'. As part of the experience, visitors will get to see three of the 21 baby olms that have been our ‘best kept and most carefully guarded secret'. pic.twitter.com/pQZvBuRtvI (function(v,d,o,ai){ai=d.createElement("script");ai.defer=true;ai.async=true;ai.src=v.location.protocol+o;d.head.appendChild(ai);})(window cave authorities kept them far from visitors in a cave laboratory as their "best kept and most carefully guarded secret" -- until now Reaching a maximum length of 35 centimetres (13.5 inches) the blind animal with its four tiny limbs is a far cry from the scary monsters conjured up in national folklore.  the olms have been living in the world-famous Postojna cave The baby dragons' presentation comes only days after the cave -- one of Europe's largest that usually draws 700,000 visitors a year -- reopened its doors following three months of closure due to the coronavirus epidemic this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) The grass flickered gently above a crack in the limestone and Ludvik Husu instinctively knew he had found what he was searching for: a new cave in Slovenia's dramatic Karst region told AFP that "the conditions were perfect.. all the signs pointed to something beneath" as he felt the air current push up from below a discovery that made the headlines this summer in a country that prides itself in its 14,000 underground grottoes.  stalactites and other cave formations in a part of the Postojna Cave in Postojna The tiny Alpine nation is unusually rich in caves One even houses an entire castle and another was used by the European Space Agency to help train astronauts Perhaps best known is the Postojna cave system unearthed by another amateur enthusiast two centuries ago When local lamplighter Luka Cec decided to explore a hidden crack while scouting out the Postojna area for a visit by Austrian Emperor Franz he is reputed to have said that he had stumbled on "a new world.. The Postojna system extends for 24 kilometres and has offered up valuable finds for biologists a Postojna cave guide and speleology enthusiast told AFP that more than 150 species have been discovered in the system Among them is the Proteus anguinus or "little dragon" an ancient aquatic salamander that can live up to 100 years and was previously considered living proof that dragons had once existed A cave-dwelling beetle – the slender neck beetle or Leptodirus hochenwartii – was also found here reputedly by Cec.Beneath the forestry lands of central Europe Slovenia hides the continent’s most breathtaking underground landscapes a paradise for cave enthusiasts and speleologists lakes and rivers inhabited by creatures that have never seen the light of day are buried in more than one thousand karstic caves spread throughout Slovenia Glazar sid Postojna is one of the richest caves in the world "in limestone formations situated some 50 kilometres south of the capital Ljubljana was also home to the world's first cave tourist train cultural and even extraterrestrial interest medieval Predjama castle was built in a cave mouth to make access difficult and to provide an escape route through a shaft in the rock face which Slovenes have been exploring since 1633 is known for the annual eponymous literary prize awarded in its interior And the UNESCO-listed Skocjan system was where the European Space Agency sent some astronauts to prepare for life in space "Astronauts know that the Karst world is exceptional in a similar way to the environment in space: you don't know what to expect at your next step," said Skocjan Caves supervisor Tomaz Zorman.  The "ideal time for cave searching is the winter" when the air above ground is cooler than that in the caves Husu uncovered several caves in the Karst area he digs around the crack to widen it and alerts fellow cavers to help gain access He then uses ropes and a lamp to descend into what are vertical entrances in most caves But doesn't he feel any trepidation at entering such unexplored depths Those who feel fear should stay home," he said please register for free or log in to your account they are announcing gratifying news that can be a source of great pride for Slovenians Postojna Cave is one of the largest Slovenian natural and tourist pearls and one of the most recognizable caves in the world he is the leader Postojna Cave Park set a goal of reaching one million visitors and the numbers suggest that they will succeed "This means that by the end of the year we will fulfill the forecast of one million visitors," announced the management of Postojna Cave in a press release READ MORE: Zoku Amsterdam – One of the most innovative hotels of the moment the number of visitors to the Postojna Cave Park increased by 7.5 percent where visitors can see hundreds of cave animals recorded a 32 percent increase in the number of visitors The increase in visits is mainly due to the worldwide story of the hatching of 'dragon cubs' Most of the guests who visit the Postojna Cave come from Italy and South Korea this year there are also more Slovenian guests the USA and Japan also rank among the top ten countries in terms of the number of visitors The last in the top ten are the Hungarian guests and the same is true of visitors from Croatia let us also mention that the Postojna Cave was accidentally discovered by a local Luka Čeča Ljubljana Castle remains the most visited cultural and tourist spot in the country The arrival counters recorded the millionth visitor today From 2004 we research urban trends and inform our community of followers about the latest in lifestyle From year 2023 we offer content in major global languages From 2004 we research urban trends and inform our community of followers daily about the latest in lifestyle style and products that inspire with passion we offer content in major global languages surpassing the other 20 surviving siblings It hatched exactly 124 days after the first laid egg was observed on the glass of the large exhibition aquarium in Postojna Cave for the first time in the history of Postojna Cave they monitored the hatching of as many as 22 young human fish larvae The youngster from the Postojna underground immediately became famous as "Dragons from Postojna Cave" according to legend and folk tradition which he had already written down Janez Vajkard Valvasor closely monitored (and still monitors) the development of larvae in a special cave laboratory which is due to the successful development and number of surviving dragons - there are 21 – received many praise from experts Dragons were followed on their way from eggs embryos and larvae - without fully developed limbs with a lot of yolk and without the ability to feed independently - to young human fish which today measure good seven centimeters and they prey like real dragons If they looked like "spotted tadpoles" a year ago today they look exactly like adult human fish they have paws on the front legs three fingers They have entered a period of youth that will last for several years They differ from their parents only in small things eye They are miniature adult human fish and will retain this larval appearance until the end of life 2016 are on the glass of the cave aquarium below Concert hall noticed the first egg The remaining human fish were immediately removed from the aquarium and the aquarium was covered with a dark cloth to give the mother dragon as much peace as possible to lay down In the next eight weeks the female just hatched in the aquarium 64 eggs After the first pup hatches May 30 all 22 chicks hatched in about a month and a half (July 14 the last one hatched) the eggs were moved to a special cave laboratory in order to return the relocated human fish to the large aquarium and provide the larvae with optimal conditions for development The puppies are still successfully developing in the laboratory so they are happy in the Postojna Cave that everything is going as it should Now everything has calmed down a little and the development is going well and all the time they are carefully monitored and every event that could bring new interesting insights into the life of human fish is recorded the dragons will lose their eyes as their skin covers them they will also lose their grayish pigment and become completely transparent They will reach sexual maturity in the next 14 years and will live to be at least 100 years old - these are our wishes Parts of central Europe have been devastated by blizzards and freezing rain A quarter of homes in Slovenia have been left without electricity after heavy snow and ice caused the collapse of power lines The Slovenian government said that more than 40 per cent of the country's Alpine forests have been damaged Defence Minister Roman Jakis said during an emergency government meeting that the country has been hit by "a large-scale natural disaster." Serbian government minister Aleksandar Antic said that more than 5,000 people have been evacuated in the past few days tanks and armoured vehicles to reach stranded people In the southern Austrian province of Carinthia up to 3,000 homes were without electricity Two rail routes connecting Austria with Italy were closed some 20 villages were cut off by snow drifts