Paradise Cave in Chęciny. Pearl of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains from the Neanderthal Centre
The Paradise Cave is a real gem of the Świętokrzyski Geopark. It is considered the most beautiful cave in Poland, along with the Bear in Kletno. And it's actually wonderful. It is a reserve, which is why tourist traffic is limited here, but it is open for most of the year. The route is 180 meters long, and walking along it, you will see fantastic infiltrations. Not only such well-known ones as stalactites and stalagmites, but also a harp, cave pearls or helictites. A Neanderthal man once lived here, and the latest research wants to discover the mystery, or homo sapiens as well. Normally, you can't take pictures in the cave, but we had permission, so we invite you to enjoy this underground world!
Location and access to the Paradise Cave
The Paradise Cave was created in the Malik Hill, in Chęciny, 10 km south-west of Kielce. From this capital of the region, you can get here by road No. 762, then after Nowiny, and before Chęciny, turn right into Dobrzączka Street. The car park is located a few hundred meters in front of the entrance to the cave. This leads through an artificial adit dug in the place where the opening of the cave used to be.
Paradise Cave Tour
The Paradise Cave is one of the most beautiful attractions of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains! It is a typical karst cave developed in limestone. The length of this natural system is 240 meters and the depth is 9.5 meters. A section of 180-metre-long corridors is open to the public. Only under the care of a guide. The route is illuminated, although the light turns on only during the tour, so as not to interfere too much with the microclimate of the underground and not to endanger infiltrations. Therefore, photos cannot be taken here, in addition, the volume of traffic is controlled, and the number of tourists allowed into the cave is limited. Therefore, it is best to book tickets to the cave in advance, via the official website of the cave. During the walk, you can also see flying or hibernating bats, as well as rarely spiders, cave netters (meta menardi). The latter are quite sizeable, but they stay away from humans and are not dangerous, although their bite is painful, comparable to a wasp sting.
Even before entering the underground, a museum exhibition is visited in the entrance pavilion, including the reconstruction of the Neanderthal family camp and finds from the cave.
Paradise Cave Infiltrations
The cave was discovered relatively recently and completely accidentally, and in addition it was quickly secured, so the drip cloth has been preserved here in very good shape and covers the entire object. Almost all forms of infiltration occur here, from popular ones, such as stalactites, stalagmites, or combined stalagmites (drip columns), through ribs, toppings, draperies, rice fields, to very rare ones, such as pizolites, i.e. cave pearls or helictites.
Animal remains and tools in Paradise Cave
The bottom of the corridors, i.e. the bottom, fills the silt. In it, many fragments of the skeletons of Pleistocene animals were found, including: a steppe (cave) lion, a cave hyena, a woolly mammoth, a cave and brown bear, a hairy rhinoceros, a wild European horse, a great grey horse, a dogfish (polar fox), a white hare or a reindeer.
In the settlements of the cave, traces of Neanderthal man from 40,000 and 60,000 years ago were also found. Evidence of periodic settlement of the cave by this species is undoubted. No direct remains were discovered, but many of his tools. Probably also a very early European variety of a reasonable man lived in the cave.
Cave. Reserve and element of the UNESCO Świętokrzyskie Geopark
Due to the rich dripstone cover, scientific and didactic values, the Paradise Cave has been protected as a nature reserve. It is also a protected archaeological site, where research is still carried out. An interesting fact is that in 1994, a Geoecological Station was installed on Mount Malik, examining the impact of industrial plants in the area of the White Basin on the microclimate of the interior of the cave and on the natural environment of its surroundings.
Since 2021, the Świętokrzyski Geopark has been integrated into the UNESCO World Network of Geoparks. The cave is an important element of this Geopark. It is the first UNESCO geopark located entirely in Poland.
History and explorers of the Paradise Cave
The cave was discovered quite late and completely accidentally. In 1963, a fissure leading deep into the cave was uncovered during limestone mining on the northern slope of Malik Hill. Of course, at that time it was not known that this gap meant one of the most beautiful caves in Poland.
A year later, in September 1964, four students of the Geological Technical School from Cracow were doing field internships in the vicinity of Chęciny, under the supervision of a teacher Boczarowa. They found the crack and decided to look inside. What was their surprise and delight when they discovered such beautiful infiltrates inside. The names of the boys are: Bogusław Bałdun, Zbigniew Bochajewski, Włodzimierz Łucki and Wojciech Pucek vel Grabski. The cave was quickly secured and prepared for sightseeing and has been open to tourists since 1972.
Discoveries in Paradise Cave
The cave was formed in rocks that are 380 million years old. Interestingly, traces of Neanderthal man were found here, who lived here about 50,000 years ago (probably twice: 40,000 and 60,000 years ago). The remains of man himself were not found, but many of the tools he used, as well as many remains of Pleistocene (prehistoric) animals. Interestingly, new research wants to prove that homo sapiens also lived here. Stacks of reindeer antlers were found in the cave. It was once thought that Neanderthal man was responsible for this, but modern research contradicts this, because they were found in another layer of the mule. Therefore, the hypothesis is examined whether the "dams" from antlers are not the work of homo sapiens, who may have used them to burn bonfires during the period of climate breakdown. During research in 2024, many valuable finds were discovered, which are currently being studied, after which at least part will be exposed in the Cave of Paradise.
Cave name
The Paradise Cave got its name thanks to the boys of explorers. It is said to refer to the paradise of geologists, which is this object. But perhaps it is also the opposite of the name of the nearby Hell cave, which was already known earlier, and whose drip robe is much poorer. Interestingly, among them you can also find a cave called Purgatory.
Neanderthal Center
A small museum has been created in the Paradise Cave pavilion, where you can see extremely realistic figures in skins, depicting our ancestors, Neanderthals who lived in the cave. You will also see finds discovered in the basement. There are also plans to create a modern, multimedia Neanderthal Center, which will significantly bring the lives of our distant ancestors closer.
Film about Kielce
We also invite you to watch a film about Kielce and the Paradise Cave, which is at its end.
Practical information
Cave of Paradise
ul. Dobrzączka, Chęciny
Malik Hill https://jaskiniaraj.pl/ The
length of the cave route is 180 m.
It is illuminated.
A few steps will appear.
Sightseeing lasts about 45 minutes
Tickets are best booked in advance, because traffic is limited and there are entry limits
The air temperature in the cave is constant throughout the year, it is about 9 degrees Celsius
The air humidity is constant and high, it is about 95%
A few hundred meters from the entrance to the cave there is parking
What's worth seeing in the area?
If you are looking for more ideas for interesting places to visit, we have it for you some options in the area. There are several attractions within a radius of 100 kilometers, that are worth adding to your travel plan.
- Bobolice Castle, distance: 74.6 km
- Eagle's Nest Trail, distance: 78.5 km
- Ogrodzieniec Castle, distance: 78.5 km
- Ojców National Park, distance: 84.3 km
- Olsztyn Castle, distance: 86.5 km
- Rabsztyn Castle, distance: 86.7 km
- Błędowska Desert, distance: 87.2 km
- Krakowskie valleys, distance: 90.2 km
- Kazimierz in Kraków, distance: 94.3 km
- Wieliczka Salt Mine, distance: 98.8 km
