Devetashka Cave — Attraction in Lovech

There’s a free parking area near the cave. We didn’t have cash, but we were able to pay by card—3 leva per person. You can hear sounds of birds and stream of water.

If you’re planning to visit or missed the signs: The first archaeological work in Devetashka Cave started in 1927. The cave is about 1.5 km northwest of Devetaki village, on the right side of the Osam River. Inside, it opens into a massive chamber—25,000 m² in size and up to 58 meters high. Seven holes in the ceiling (called “okna”) let in natural light. The largest one, named Kilika, is 73 x 48 meters. With a volume of 643,000 m³, it’s the biggest cave chamber in Bulgaria and the Balkans. A stream flows through it, creating pools and mineral formations.

Archaeologists first explored it in 1921 and found artifacts from many periods. Excavations in the 1950s revealed that people lived here as far back as 70,000 years ago, during the Middle Paleolithic. The cave was also used during the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, Roman times, and the Middle Ages. In 1927, the first Neolithic tomb found in Bulgaria was discovered here. Items like a clay bowl with a white swastika (from the early Neolithic) and a bronze sickle (from the Bronze Age) were found.

So far, 45 animal species have been recorded in the cave. Three live only in caves, 21 prefer cave environments (including 11 bat species), and the other 21 just occasionally visit. It’s one of Europe’s most important bat habitats. Bats come here to breed, raise young, or spend the winter. Some species stay year-round, while others migrate.

There are two closed-off areas inside the cave to protect the bats. However, near the small stairs, if you climb up, you can take better photos. There’s also a small hole that leads to another open area you can explore (as of our visit).

Tips: • Watch your step—there’s bat poop on the floor. • There are two toilets, but they aren’t very clean. Price list REGULAR 3 лв. STUDENTS AND RETIREES 2 ПВ GROUP OVER 15 PEOPLE 2 лв. GROUP OVER 15 STUDENTS AND RETIREES 1 лв. FAMILY WITH CHILDREN 6 лв.

Water Gallery: Prohitited access from November 1 to April 1 Dry Gallery: Prohibited access from 25...

Devetashka cave is an enormous cave in Bulgaria, which has provided shelter for groups of humans since the late Paleolithic era, and continuously for tens of thousands of years since then. Now abandoned by humans, it remains a site of national and international significance and is home to some 30,000 bats.

Devetashka cave, which is known as Devetàshka peshterà in Bulgaria, is located roughly 18 kilometres north of Lovech, near the village of Devetaki. It is a karst cave formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks and characterized by sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage systems.

The cave is probably best known for its part in the action movie ‘The Expendables 2’, filmed in 2011, in which Sylvester Stallone crash lands a plane into Jean Claude Van Damme’s subterranean lair. After the film, local naturalists noted that the bat population had significantly diminished due to stress incurred during filming, and the Supreme Administrative Court of Bulgaria declared that this filming was in breach of Bulgaria's environmental regulations. In June, 1996, Devetashka Cave was declared a...

Devetashka cave is one of the highest caves in Bulgaria. Its total length is 2,442 m and its height is 60 m. Before the political changes in Bulgaria it was classified as a military object. It was used as an oil storage house aswel. You can still see the signs of its past. The cave was inhabited since ancient times - 70,000 BC BC. The cave is of international importance as a bat shelter. There are 9 bat species. Due to the breeding period of the mammals there is an entry restrictions into the two galleries. The water gallery closes for visitors from 1 November to 1 April and the dry gallery is open from 25 May to 31 July. The bright part of the cave is open to visitors all year round. It consists of a light entry, which is then divided into two sleeves. The right is about 50 meters long and ends with a hallway bearing the mystical name - Altar. The left is about 2 km long and a creek...