The first cave site of Stone Age people in Transcarpathia taken under special protection. Photo

The first Stone Age cave site found in the Carpathians will now be under special protection. This was reported by the Zakarpattia Regional Prosecutor's Office.

The Paleolithic cave site is located in the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. The organization was accused of inaction and demanded through the court to conclude a protection agreement with the regional authorities "to prevent the destruction of the monument of national importance."

The reserve complied with the court's request, the prosecutor's office said. According to the security agreement, it will take the monument under special protection and use its territory exclusively as an exhibition and tourist destination.

What is special about the cave

The site was discovered in 1972 in the Molochnyi Kamen karst cave, which is located on a hillside in the village of Velyka Uholka, Tiachiv district. Scientists believe that the cave was inhabited by Stone Age people between 1.5 million and 10,000 years BC.

Both the cave and part of the mountain were named "Molochnyi kamin" (Milk stone) in honor of an interesting natural phenomenon. A saturated solution of CaCO3 constantly oozes from the limestone rocks. The solution is white and generally resembles milk.

The cave is two-tiered, with two passages and several "halls" where cavemen lived. The total length of the cave is 92 meters and the volume is 63 m3. Fantastic calcite formations, resembling giant organ pipes, permeate the entire plane of the cave opposite the entrance.

"It was here that the site of the ancient Troglodyte people was discovered, who inhabited the Carpathian territory in the late Paleolithic period, about 20 thousand years ago. Scientists refer to these primitive inhabitants of the Carpathians as the so-called cave bear hunters. The original inhabitants of the Carpathians lived by hunting and gathering, which quickly depleted local resources. This, in turn, prompted them to constantly migrate from place to place. During their short-term settled life, they used various natural shelters, including caves," the Carpathian Reserve notes.

It was the first time that an ancient people's campsite was found in Transcarpathia.  There were also many interesting items of their everyday life (now they are exhibited in museums).

The entrance to the cave is also unusual: it is located in the middle of a beech forest.

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