Molnar Janos Cave, Budapest, Hungary
N 47° 31.080 E 019° 02.168
34T E 352147 N 5264599
Molnar Janos Cave, Budapest, Hungary
Waymark Code: WMDP1X
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Date Posted: 02/08/2012
Views: 31
The Danube River divides Budapest into two. Buda is situated on the west bank of the river and Pest on the east bank. The caves of Molnár János are located on the side of the old town of Buda, near the Isle of Margaret..
The spring of Molnár János flows to Lake Malom. The name 'lake' is a slightly grand definition for a pond that becomes eutrophic in the summer. After a few hundred metres it flows to the Danube. The lake was already known during the Roman Rule – divers have found Roman constructions at the bottom of the pond.
The Hungarians settled in the area in the 10th century. The waters of Molnár János were dammed in the 13th century to create the pond, which in turn served to power mills. The first written records referring to the spring are from 1276, when the Pope donated the pond and its mills to the Isle of Margaret’s nuns.
The earliest information about the caves is from 1858. János Molnár, a pharmacist, investigated the dry areas of the cave and analysed the water of the spring. He examined the healing effects of the water. The actual cave research began in the 1930s and in the 1950s divers dived there for the first time.
Map
Over five kilometres of the caves have been explored. The biggest charted hall is over 80 metres long and 16-26 metres wide. In this hall alone there is over 23,000 cubic metres of warm water. If an ordinary kitchen water tap was installed at the bottom of it, it would take four and a half years to empty it. There are hundreds of these halls in the caves.
Drilling in the surroundings of Molnár János has revealed that there is a network of many caves crisscrossing between 150 and 250 metres deep underground. Most cave divers never reach such depths. The tunnels of Molnár János continue towards the depths, but so far divers have only reached the depth of 75 metres. The exploration of the cave system continues.
Lake
The most magnificent details are the crystals on the walls of the cave that are formed from orthoclase and barium sulphate. Orthoclase develops when silicate and calcium carbonate are crystallised in water. The particles of soft limestone have crumbled down to the bottom of the cave and become silt. Gradually harder fossils emerge from deep inside the rock. They stick out of the wall for a while until the limestone surrounding them erodes and the fossils sink to the bottom.
In Molnár János the water flows very slowly. In the deeper part of the caves the silt sand that has run down from the upper levels covers most of the bottom, hiding its contours. The currents are so weak that they cannot carry the silt out of the cave. Only the stair-like walls remain, which the silt has settled on.
The hot springs that push water out from inside the ground can clearly be seen in the cave, but the current does not affect diving. The water moves so slowly in the cave that you can hardly notice it when diving.
Public or Private Land?: Public
Public Land Fees?: 0
Private Land access?: no
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Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the springs no GPS necessary along with your observations of the spring. What wildlife you saw if any and the condition of the springs. Water level was high, low. The area was clean, trashy ect. Any other knowledge or experiences you have had with this paticular spring that would help document it's history.