Adamkó Péter - Dénes György - Leél-Őssy Szabolcs: The Caves of Buda - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1992)
called the Cross Passage. To the left beautiful hemispherical dissolution cauldrons can be seen. Going straight ahead another steep stairway leads to the Stone Bridge Chamber which contains no formations but is still worth seeing because of its beautiful contours. From here starts the Cartographer’s Branch discovered in 1981 which leads towards the Mátyáshegyi Cave. Mo connection between the two systems has been found so far. Since this route is a dead-end and the visitors have to climb up back the stairs, it is recommended only to small, enthusiastic groups. Turning right at the Cross Corridor, the Wide Hallway leads to the Organ. This originally beautiful dripstone column was considerably damaged by an earthquake in 1914 and vandalism during World War II. A few meters further on we come to a fork which leads in several directions. Straight ahead and a few steps below is the Zoo, which is currently the entrance to sections discovered since 1980. It received its name from dripstone formations on the left wall which recall different animals such as a turtle, elephant herds and a crocodile. A smaller chamber opens to the left of the fork. This used to be called the Cabaret, where cavers organized parties and get-togethers as well as lectures. Today the chamber bears the name of László Lakatos, a Pál-völgyi Cave guide who died in a fatal accident while exploring the Meteor Cave in 1969. To the right of the fork, 23 stairs lead to the Box from where the visitor can look down to the Theatre Hall. It is a relatively small chamber but is still the largest one in the old part of the cave. Opposite from here is the Rigging-loft where the attention is drawn by a few “permanent scenes” which received their names from well- known landmarks of the Buda Hills, the János-hegy Look-out and the Fairy Cliff of Zugliget below. Naturally, there are dripstone formations. A carving dating back to 1907 reads Izzadó (“sweating”) among a few small “peastones”. Returning to the fork and passing by the stairs in the same direction, we come to the Theatre Hall and the Stage. Along the way take a look to the right into the Witches’s Kitchen where the nicest dissolution cauldrons of the whole cave can be seen. Once we enter the 16
